transcript: https://tinyurl.com/elnepisode22

In this episode of Equity Leadership Now!, host Jabari Mahiri speaks with Dr. Travis J. Bristol, Associate Professor at the Berkeley School of Education, whose scholarship centers on how education policy shapes teacher workplace conditions and retention, professional learning communities, and the roles of race and gender in schools. He has published extensively and secured over $7.4 million in research funding, including his work leading the Center for Research on Expanding Educational Opportunity (CREEO).

CREEO focuses on improving student outcomes by strengthening teacher capacity and workplace conditions, particularly in historically under-resourced schools. Bristol shares how one flagship initiative involves partnership with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to support teachers pursuing National Board Certification, widely regarded as the profession’s gold standard. A central theme in Bristol’s scholarship is the role of school leadership in shaping equitable working conditions. His earlier research on Black male teachers and teachers of color reveals that teacher attrition is often driven not by students but by principals. Consequently, his work has expanded to focus on leadership preparation, emphasizing that principals must cultivate inclusive professional environments. Beyond instructional leadership, he argues, effective leaders must attend to the social and racial dynamics within schools, monitoring who participates, who feels marginalized, and how organizational culture affects teachers’ sense of belonging.

Bristol’s leadership goes beyond research and into practice in developing a Black Studies curriculum in California, following recommendations from the state’s Reparations Task Force. In collaboration with colleagues, including curriculum specialists and community stakeholders, he has helped design and pilot a high school curriculum intended to become part of required ethnic studies coursework. Bristol situates this initiative within a global context, noting that countries such as Colombia and Brazil have already mandated Afro-descendant studies as forms of reparative policy. The curriculum aims not only to document historical harms but also to highlight Black resilience, creativity, and joy by reframing narratives of Black experience in U.S. public education.

Equity Leadership Now! hosts conversations with equity-conscious leaders from Pre-K through university settings on educational research, policy, and practice. We complement the mission and goals of the 21st Century California School Leadership Academy, 21CSLA.

transcript: tinyurl.com/elnepisode21

In this episode of Equity Leadership Now!, host Jabari Mahiri speaks with Dr. Nathaniel Stewart, Assistant Professor in the Education Policy and Leadership Program at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Stewart shares his academic training in educational policy and his research orientation toward critical educational policy analysis, anti-colonial epistemologies, Black critical theory, and critical quantitative methods. He differentiates between exclusionary, gate-kept mathematics and the intuitive mathematical reasoning people use in everyday life.

Stewart highlights his current commitments to redistributing university resources to marginalized communities, writing, and building partnerships with educational institutions. He encourages educators to “reclaim mathematics” by cultivating students’ agency in using quantitative reasoning to interpret and challenge systems of oppression. He also critiques the exclusionary histories of statistical and algorithmic models, emphasizing that many systems emerged to safeguard existing wealth and restrict access to resources like homeownership.

Stewart concludes by advocating a pluralistic approach to democratic movements that values diverse talents, including but not limited to mathematical proficiency. He questions the viability of participatory democracy in the United States but acknowledges that mathematical tools, such as social network analysis tracing the flow of political and philanthropic funding, can shed light on inequities and inform strategies for disruption.

Equity Leadership Now! hosts conversations with equity-conscious leaders from Pre-K through university settings on educational research, policy, and practice. We complement the mission and goals of the 21st Century California School Leadership Academy, 21CSLA.

transcript: tinyurl.com/elnepisode20

In this episode of Equity Leadership Now!, host Dr. Jabari Mahiri speaks with Dr. Diana Hess, Emerita Dean of the School of Education at UW-Madison. Dr. Hess highlights the intersections of democratic education, academic freedom, and the role of structured dialogue in fostering equitable and participatory learning environments. The conversation transitions to Hess’s flagship initiative, The Discussion Project, launched in 2017 at UW-Madison. The Discussion Project is grounded in the principle, “Learn to Discuss, Discuss to Learn”, emphasizing that effective participation in discussions is a teachable skill, not an innate trait. Designed initially to enhance the quality and inclusivity of classroom discussions across disciplines, The Discussion Project offers professional development for higher education instructors and has since expanded to secondary schools.

Mahiri and Hess also address the challenges of sustaining high-quality discussions, including gender dynamics and participation imbalances. The conversation underscores the vital role of dialogue in democratic education, the ethical obligations of educators amid political censorship, and the transformative potential of structured discussion for promoting inclusion, critical thinking, and civic engagement across educational settings.

Equity Leadership Now! hosts conversations with equity-conscious leaders from Pre-K through university settings on educational research, policy, and practice. We complement the mission and goals of the 21st Century California School Leadership Academy, 21CSLA.