Our study explores the emerging equity traps seven educational leaders encountered while pursuing anti-racist initiatives in one large urban school district. Despite efforts to cultivate equity-centered leadership through professional development, leaders often faced obstacles such as the “policing gaze” and a lack of intersectionality, hindering transformative practices. Utilizing a longitudinal case study in the Tobel School District, we investigate how these equity traps manifest and affect leaders’ abilities to implement equitable changes. Findings reveal that while traditional equity traps like racial erasure are less prominent, new challenges related to surveillance and intersectional awareness significantly impact leadership effectiveness in promoting equity.
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