Bounded Reform: Access-Oriented Equity Efforts in Suburban School Districts

Background: Suburban school districts serve an increasing number of students in the United States. Despite their reputation for academic excellence, outcomes in these districts are often disproportionately unequal by race and socioeconomic status. In this paper, I seek to better understand how such districts conceptualize and implement equity efforts in order to ameliorate this inequality. Focus of Study: In the study, I propose three research questions: How do administrators and teachers at suburban school districts describe both the ongoing inequity in their districts and their efforts to work toward equity? What strategies comprise these equity efforts? How might these efforts be limited? Research Design: I answer these questions by analyzing how three suburban school districts approached equity work. I selected these districts in order to maximize variation in racial, socioeconomic, and political makeup. I analyzed data from 81 interviews I conducted with teachers and administrators as well as district policy documents. Conclusions: I found that creating equity was understood as a process of providing access to existing academic experiences. To theorize this orientation to equity work, I introduce a concept called bounded reform. Districts acknowledge and promise to address equity issues, but their promises are bounded by existing institutional norms. Specifically, I argue that their equity efforts are bounded by accountability ideals. This paper makes three contributions: it adds to empirical knowledge of suburban school district equity efforts; it adds to our theoretical knowledge about how school districts maintain their legitimacy despite failing to meet expectations; and finally, it adds to our understanding of how accountability ideals unfold in the suburban context.