ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the ways equity, social justice, and cultural responsiveness are core orientations to value dimensions of improvement by raising questions regarding what is defined as “improvement,” who advances the selected articulation of “improvement,” and how educators engage the process of “improvement.” This chapter argues continuous improvement offers the potential to address systemic and structural inequities but only if that orientation is continuously and explicitly interrogated. The chapter draws out the leadership implications of embracing equity as a central precept of continuous improvement, as suggested by the NELP and PSEL standards through examples and discussion of barriers and challenges confronted in equity-oriented continuous improvement initiatives.
