Equity in Education & Society

For nearly two decades, immigrant teachers’ professional integration has been a significant field of inquiry within educational research. While existing scholarships extensively document the barriers to accessing the teaching profession, there is a paucity of research regarding how the lived experiences during induction stage influence long-term career development and leadership aspirations. This interpretive qualitative research fills this gap by examining the nexus between initial induction experiences of eight African-born educators, and subsequent aspirations for leadership roles. Mobilizing Huberman’s (1989) life-cycle framework, the study reveals that successful professional integration facilitated by comprehensive induction program, mentoring, and rapid tenure serves as a fundamental precursor to leadership pursuit. Furthermore, the data elucidates the role of informal sponsorship (shoulder tapping), social capital and adaptability as critical factors for career mobility. Finally, by synthesizing Path-Goal and transformational leadership theories, the authors advocate for a paradigm shift in education management. By shifting principals’ roles from administrative oversight to trajectory facilitation, the study suggests an approach that dismantles institutional barriers while fostering inclusive educational governance where representation is the corollary of shared leadership and racial equity.

This article examines the pervasive issue of deferred maintenance in American public schools and its disproportionate impact on students in marginalized communities. Deferred maintenance—the postponement of necessary repairs and upkeep beyond recommended service periods—represents more than a facilities management challenge; it embodies systematic patterns of underinvestment that perpetuate educational inequities rooted in historical discrimination and contemporary funding disparities. Drawing on critical school finance theory, this article analyzes how property tax-based funding mechanisms, compounded by historical practices such as redlining, have created stark disparities in school facility conditions. The article explores the intersection of deferred maintenance with federal accountability systems, highlighting the paradox of demanding improved performance from schools lacking basic infrastructure necessary for effective teaching and learning. Through the application of Backer’s four tenets of critical school finance—demystification, counter-interpellation, organization/mobilization, and transformation—this article proposes comprehensive policy solutions including equitable funding formulas, dedicated facility maintenance funds, reduced reliance on local property taxes, enhanced transparency and accountability mechanisms, and increased federal investment. The analysis demonstrates that addressing deferred maintenance is essential not only for educational equity but also for fulfilling the democratic promise of public education.

This co-produced, qualitative study explored barriers and enablers to PhD completion among 18 under-represented postgraduate research students (PGRs) at a UK university. Using the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) and COM-B model, 17 themes were identified across capability, opportunity and motivation domains, with most clustering in reflective motivation and social opportunity. Passion for research and resilience were key enablers, while self-doubt, isolation and difficulty seeking help were common barriers. Social influences, of supervisors, peers and family were significant and acted as both barriers and enablers. Financial pressures, lack of dedicated spaces and limited representation were challenges particularly for first-generation, international and ethnically minoritised students. Identity was found to shape experiences, with intersecting identities intensifying challenges. Mapping themes to COM-B and applying the BCW and Behaviour Change Techniques (BCTs) informed practical strategies, including inclusive supervision training, identity-based mentoring, structured communication support and environmental restructuring to create dedicated spaces and peer networks. Findings highlight that interventions must move beyond generic provision to tailored, systemic approaches addressing capability, opportunity and motivation factors. Such strategies can support equity in doctoral education which is critical for diversifying academic leadership and creating inclusive research cultures.

With the advent of the knowledge society, the expansion of higher education has become a goal of governments to drive both economic growth and social development. In recent decades, as in other countries, Brazil has expanded the system and became the fourth largest in the world in terms of participation, significantly increasing the enrolment of students of lower socioeconomic status (SES). However, besides access, achievement is an important challenge to the equity of higher education, as underprivileged students tend to show poorer academic performance. Considering the microdata of a large-scale national exam (ENADE), one of the largest higher education databases in the world, with more than one million students every 3 years, we statistically analyse the achievement of disadvantaged students in socially diversified cohorts (with lower and higher concentration of higher SES students). Findings support the argument that there is a contagion or positive peer effect of high SES cohorts on the achievement of disadvantaged students. Social diversification may therefore contribute to reducing the reproduction of social inequities in higher education in one of the most unequal nations in the world.

Parental involvement plays a crucial role in shaping students’ academic outcomes. The study investigates the relationships between SES, parental involvements, parental self-efficacy, expectations, beliefs, and student academic achievement in Cambodian lower secondary schools. Using quantitative research design, data were collected from 351 parents through self-administered surveys. A mediation analysis was conducted to assess the direct and indirect effects of parental involvement. Findings indicate that home-based parental involvement positively predicts student achievement, while school-based involvement has a negative effect. Parental expectations emerged as a significant mediator, reinforcing the role of parental aspirations in academic success. However, self-efficacy exhibited a negative effect on achievement. SES was the strongest predictor of student achievement, highlighting its critical influence on access to educational resources. The study contributes to the growing literature on parental involvement in developing countries and highlights the need for context-specific strategies that align with Cambodia’s educational landscape.

Higher education institutions are sites for racialised subjectification that ‘enable only certain bodies’ to thrive and flourish whilst the racially minoritised body is marked as ‘Other’, out of place and subjected to scrutiny. Black male academics navigate discrepancies and racialised discrimination over their contracts, career progression, and opportunities available to them. They often experience overt and hidden forms racism, leading to vulnerability and employment fatigue. Through conversational intraviews and drawing on embodied intersectionality as an analytic framework, and the conceptual argumentation of survivance, posited by Vizenor, we tell the stories of five Black male academics’ beyond the contextual temporality of ‘survival’ to consider their embodied refusal, and strategic agency, innovation and imaginative continuity and presence in academia as ‘survivance’ in the context of persistent forms of colonial subjugation and marginalisation. This study highlights implications for higher education policy and practice, particularly how institutions might embrace an infinitude of ways of knowing and being, through a relational orientation that centres care, equality, and co-liberation where difference and plurality are not framed as problems to be fixed, hierarchised, or annihilated.

Racialised minorities continue to experience systemic disadvantages, much of which stem from the enduring legacy of colonisation. Efforts to decolonise Eurocentric systems have largely fallen short as social inequalities and injustice persist. This scoping review explored Black racialised minority perspectives on decolonising psychology, identifying systemic barriers, and proposing strategies for more equitable academic environments. A scoping review was conducted including 18 articles. The sources examine racialised minority experiences within psychological disciplines. To preserve the nuance and complexity of the data, this review employed a reflexive thematic analysis approach. The review found systematic issues such as exclusion, underrepresentation, stereotyping, and deprivation. These issues resulted in Black racialised minority students adjusting their personhood to belong, creating a ‘stifled self’. Four themes were identified: (1) Curriculum as a Site of Power; (2) Barriers to Decolonial Practice in Psychology; (3) Recognising Racism as Shaping Racialised Experiences of Failure and Belonging; and (4) Proposed Decolonial Strategies. The study suggests that decolonisation efforts in the field have gained momentum but remain largely superficial and resistant to deeper change. For decolonisation to be effective, institutions must enact structural changes, embrace diversity, and create inclusive frameworks that centre racialised minorities as key contributors.

This study examines the critical issue of retaining ethnic minority teachers in London schools. As part of a broader ESRC research project, a survey was conducted to gather insights from teachers and headteachers on the barriers to retention. The findings indicate that the retention of ethnic minority teachers is a significant challenge facing schools, with disproportionate representation being a major concern. The research identified multiple factors contributing to teacher turnover, including workload, stress and illness, limited promotion prospects, lack of autonomy, low salary, difficult parents, numerous government initiatives, poor work-life balance, better career opportunities elsewhere, dissatisfaction with teaching, and Ofsted inspection pressure. In line with existing research, our study confirms that workload remains the dominant factor driving teachers’ decisions to leave the profession. Moreover, a significant proportion of Black teachers participating in the study identified racism and race-related discrimination as substantial barriers to career progression and retention. They also highlighted the need for improved leadership and support to promote equality and diversity in schools, suggesting that current efforts are inadequate. The London context is particularly noteworthy, as the region boasts the highest concentration of ethnic minority teachers and pupils in England, making it a crucial setting for understanding the complexities of teacher retention and diversity. The study’s findings have important implications for policy and practice in English education. Based on the survey evidence, several recommendations can be made to address the retention of the teaching workforce. These include reducing workload, decreasing working hours, and increasing job satisfaction rates, as well as improving diversity in school leadership and the teaching workforce. Policy changes are also necessary to mitigate stress in the workplace, recognise teachers’ contributions, and provide greater autonomy. By addressing these factors, schools and policymakers can work towards creating a more supportive and inclusive environment, which in turn can lead to improved teacher retention, a more diverse workforce, and a more effective and equitable education system for all students.

This article examines the psychosocial consequences of meritocratic education systems, with particular focus on students who are positioned as having failed within these competitive and ostensibly fair frameworks. While meritocracy promises equal opportunity, extensive research shows that educational achievement is strongly shaped by socioeconomic background and by socially and culturally recognized codes and resources that systematically advantage some students over others. As a result, meritocratic selection often reproduces inequality while framing unequal outcomes as deserved. The article synthesizes evidence on how meritocratic ideology supports system justification, leading even disadvantaged students to internalize beliefs that school outcomes are fair. This contributes to self-blame, stigma, and psychological distress when performance falls short. The analysis further shows how educational failure carries long-term economic and social penalties, reinforcing class divisions and eroding social cohesion. The article outlines alternative educational logics that may mitigate these harms, including redistributive support, plural pathways, second-chance opportunities, broader conceptions of ability, recognition of diverse contributions, and cooperative learning. Together, these approaches offer ways to reduce the psychosocial burden of failure and support more equitable educational futures.

The Ethnicity Degree Awarding Gap (EDAG) has been a persistent problem in British higher education for decades. While the literature on the topic has flourished in recent years, it has yet to translate into closing the gap fully. This has led us to interrogate the evidence base for what works in closing the EDAG. We undertook three-part desk-based research, including (1) a systematic review of academic literature, (2) review of grey literature from key sector bodies and (3) quantitative analysis of nationwide publicly available data sets on the size of the gap and approaches to tackling it. Literature reviews reveal that EDAG interventions tend to be small in size, lack in-depth statistical evaluations and/or demonstrate mixed results. Our quantitative analysis provided no definitive answers on the effectiveness of approaches to close the gap. We conclude that there is a need for more robust, sector-comprehensive investigations that look beyond ‘what works’ and consider quality of interventions and institutional contexts. The paper provides a significant health-check of the state of evidence on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of initiatives aimed at closing the EDAG, with important consequences for future policy developments, both for individual institutions and the sector as a whole.

Pahadi Korwa community is Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) has gone through major shifts in livelihoods in last 20 years. The community has traditionally depended on shifting cultivation, hunting and non-timber forest products but with the coming of the state intervention, integration in market, and sociocultural change it has increasingly taken to settled agricultural production, wage employment, and self-help group based business. This paper reflects on bibliometric analysis of 112 of academic publications, policy reports, and ethnographic articles that were published between 2000 and 2025 to outline the current tendencies, research themes, and knowledge gaps in the study of the Pahadi Korwa. The results indicate an overall increase in the number of publications with every ten-year leap, peaking in relation to current debates concerning the rights of indigenous people and the Forest Rights Act (2006) with forests and livelihoods, land rights and food security, women empowerment, migration, and sustainable practices being amongst the key ones and collaborative and yet focused group of authors contributing to the area. The state programs, grassroot operations, and community-led efforts have opened up an avenue of education, healthcare, and income diversification, is still problem matters of malnutrition, environment degradation, gaps in policies, and cultural erosion.

Financial concerns have increasingly impacted university students across the United Kingdom in recent years. Despite increased focus on interventions to support students experiencing financial hardship, a lack of attention has been paid to the key role of higher education staff in supporting students to navigate the complexities of financial hardship alongside academic study. Seventy-six academic and professional service staff from a university in the North East of England completed an online qualitative survey, which explored their experiences of supporting students facing financial hardship. Deductive content analysis was conducted to apply a materialist-psychosocial-behavioural model to participant responses. The materialist theme detailed issues with accommodation, basic resources and information and support. Psychosocially, participants commented on the pressure and stress encountered by students, which was exacerbated by a combination of factors including stigmatisation and class that existed alongside experiences of financial hardship. Behaviourally, staff reported course attendance, engagement and retention being negatively impacted by students working excessive hours and commuting long distances in an effort to improve their financial circumstances. Findings also drew attention to some staff and specific groups of students, including PhD students and caregivers, unequally impacted by experiences of financial hardship, which has implications for widening participation agendas, staff workloads and well-being.

There is little empirical research on the impact of racial equity training on sustained changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. This article presents quantitative data from a longitudinal racial equity initiative—the Racial Equity Learning Community (RELC)—conducted within a university research and training center. A co-created semi-structured survey was completed by 60 participants, 63% of whom self-reported as members of underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, and 65% worked at the center for under 3 years. Approximately half attributed enhanced racial equity knowledge to RELC; however, chi-square tests indicated non-Hispanic White participants reported more knowledge gains than Black or African American participants. Participants reported highest confidence in the skills of “noticing changes in my body when racial issues come up” (75%) and “noticing racial equity issues” (68%). Confidence in specific attitudes and behaviors varied: non-Hispanic White participants more frequently reported confidence “using language around ideas related to race,” while Black or African American participants more frequently reported confidence “addressing activation/deactivation by noticing, naming, and attending to these reactions.” These findings indicate the positive effects of a learning collaborative for enhancing racial equity knowledge and attitudes, particularly among non-Hispanic White participants but also distinctly for Black or African American participants.

This article presents a critical autoethnographic examination of an equity-driven leadership decision in a historically segregated primary school: the appointment of a highly qualified Black African English teacher in an environment where whiteness had long shaped institutional culture, professional legitimacy, and community expectations. Drawing on Critical Race Theory, culturally responsive leadership and resonant leadership, the study interrogates how this decision surfaced deeply embedded racialised assumptions about language, academic ‘standards’, and belonging. The narrative illuminates the coded and explicit forms of resistance that emerged, revealing how appeals to ‘tradition’ functioned as mechanisms for maintaining racialised institutional norms. Through analysis of reflective journals, the article explores the emotional and relational labour involved in confronting such resistance, including the spillover of tensions into family life. While foregrounding that this experience cannot be equated with the systemic racism endured by marginalised educators, the study demonstrates how whiteness disciplines white leaders who disrupt its expectations. The findings highlight the fragility of equity gains in schools where transformation lacks structural anchoring. The article argues that sustainable equity work requires institutional, not individual, commitment and contributes to broader scholarship by offering a nuanced account of race, leadership, and the ongoing struggle for justice in education.

Despite ongoing efforts to increase the representation of Black students in engineering, participation among Black students remains low. While past research on Black students in engineering has highlighted the challenges they experience in higher educational institutions, a growing number seek to use asset-based perspectives to highlight their experiences. Also, despite minority-serving institutions (MSIs) producing significant portions of Black engineers, there remains a dearth of literature that has explored Black engineering students’ experiences at MSIs. Through the analytical perspective of community cultural wealth, we explored how five Black engineering undergraduate students built and used their cultural capital. We used a qualitative approach that included semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analyzed using an iterative inductive and deductive coding process. We developed two themes: Relationships as the Bedrock for Success and Intersections of Cultural Capital in Overcoming Challenges. Relationships were essential for building, maintaining, and supporting the cultural capital of participants. These students employed combinations, layers, and multidirectional aspects of their cultural capital to persist and succeed in engineering. Our study emphasizes the need for research that acknowledges differences in Black students’ experiences at HSIs and HBCUs, and the importance of diversifying faculty and their approaches to student engagement.

Canada’s growing immigration rates have contributed to Calgary’s increasingly diverse population. Over one-third of Calgary’s residents are immigrants, many of whom are youth. These newcomer youth encounter a well-documented range of systemic and social barriers that impede their educational success and overall well-being, such as limited English proficiency, discrimination, and inadequate institutional support. However, considerations of current solutions to these barriers, particularly relationship dynamics between community-based organizations and schools, remain understudied for newcomer youth. Thus, an examination of the intersection between educational issues and broader supports is warranted. Using a community-based research framework, this study examines the educational challenges and supports for newcomer youth in Calgary in partnership with two local community organizations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants (12 stakeholders and 8 newcomer youth) and analyzed using a hybrid thematic analysis. Four key themes were generated: (1) Language and Culture as Sites of Exclusion; (2) Austerity in the Classroom; (3) Community-Based Organizations as “The Bridge”; and (4) Solutions Moving Forward. Findings offer a multidimensional understanding of the structural and interpersonal barriers newcomer youth face, highlighting the importance of cross-sector collaboration in building trauma-informed and culturally responsive supports for their educational and settlement trajectories.

Deaf individuals who rely on sign language form a linguistic minority and often experience economic, medical, and social exclusion from living in a predominantly hearing world. Understanding how the hearing population perceives the Deaf community and their challenges is crucial to provide insights into the current gaps in accessibility and inclusivity for Deaf people. This study explored the knowledge, attitude, and perception of the Scottish public of the Deaf community. Eight one-on-one interviews were undertaken (four men and four women). Interview transcripts were thematically analysed revealing three themes: (1) Negotiating understandings of Deafness: between difference and deficit; (2) Perceptions of the Deaf experience: awareness of barriers but limited depth; (3) Limited knowledge and reliance on indirect learning. Issues were raised around communication difficulties with the Deaf population and uncertainty regarding their disability status. Written communication and lip-reading were reported as the main communication modality when interacting with Deaf people. Overall, there was limited knowledge and awareness regarding the Deaf community; however, their views were free of any stigma and discrimination. Educational interventions on Deaf culture could potentially alleviate any negative attitudes relating to how the Deaf community are treated and improve awareness of effective communication with this subgroup.

Despite rapid technological advancement, women’s marginalization in skill development programs remains a significant challenge, particularly in rural areas. Cultural and social barriers often hinder women’s participation in TEVTA programs, negatively impacting individual empowerment and societal progress. This study investigates the influence of these barriers on women’s participation and examines the mediating role of perceived program accessibility. An explanatory research design was employed, utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS. A survey questionnaire, developed based on literature, was used to collect data from 276 female students from six TEVTA institutes in rural areas, selected through purposive sampling. The questionnaire demonstrated high reliability, with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.933 to 0.958 and composite reliability values between 0.942 and 0.962. Findings revealed that social barriers significantly impact women’s participation (β = 0.454, t = 7.100, p = 0.000), as do cultural barriers (β = 0.177, t = 2.848, p = 0.004). Both barriers negatively affect perceived program accessibility (social: β = 0.368, t = 5.499, p = 0.000; cultural: β = 0.319, t = 4.617, p = 0.000). In turn, perceived program accessibility positively influences participation (β = 0.261, t = 3.522, p = 0.000). These results suggest that improving perceptions of program accessibility can alleviate barriers and enhance enrollment, supporting the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). This study recommends aligning TEVTA curricula with women’s aspirations, incorporating digital skills, and fostering community engagement to reshape societal attitudes. Future research could broaden the scope by exploring societal perceptions of vocational education among female and male students.

This paper illustrates how higher education in South Africa normalises the historic arc of anti-Black oppression. Through observational narratives, the author argues that the foundation of knowledges must be shifted to decolonise, transform, and realise a racially just higher education in South Africa. Using data from two university lecturers, the author argues how the transformation agenda is, and has been, compromised, leveraging a focus on racial representation rather than decoloniality. As the focus on increasing access into colonial institutions expands, conversations, and indeed, designs to decolonise, are silenced. This mainstream version of transformation mirrors a related denial of Black realities, wherein the existence of township and rural school conditions are structurally denied, further limiting access into colonial infrastructures. Underneath these continued colonial inequities rests a larger commitment to sustain the structure of capitalistic exploitation, wherein universities remain in the service of exploitation, focusing on English-only approaches to silence African multilingualism. The paper concludes with a reminder that universities must recognise, name, and address the continuing structures of apartheid-era racism, while also transforming the very purpose and function of higher learning from its foundation in coloniality.

This study examines whether current procedures for appointing public secondary school heads in Magu District, Tanzania, promote gender equality and how they can be improved. Although women make up nearly half of the public secondary schools teaching workforce in Magu District (341 out of 716 teachers, 48%), they occupy only 6 of the 45 headship positions (13%), while men hold 39 positions (87%). This persistent gender gap underscores the need to evaluate the existing appointment processes. A qualitative case study design was employed, combining semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Structured interviews engaged 31 participants from 10 schools selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Data collected from interviews were analysed using thematic analysis, while document analysis was conducted on appointment guidelines, relevant policies, diaries, and meeting minutes. Thematic analysis of the interviews, together with the document review revealed that current appointment practices inadequately support gender equality due to non-transparent procedures, unclear selection criteria, biased practices, and limited opportunities for qualified candidates. Participants proposed several reforms to improve fairness and transparency, including public advertisement of vacancies, formalised application processes, and involving school heads and Ward Education Officers in providing recommendations. They also suggested the creation of qualified search teams to oversee shortlisting and interviews, security vetting, and an appeal board to address grievances. Overall, while the current system functions in certain respects, the study concludes that substantial reforms are needed to ensure transparency, accountability, and equitable access in school headship appointments in Tanzania.