Research in Educational Policy and Management

Introduction: Activist Scholarship as Community-Centered Research for Social Change

Ardavan Eizadirad — 2026-02-22

This special issue of Research in Educational Policy and Management (REPAM) highlights, amplifies, and centers Activist Scholarship, bringing together impactful academic research with community advocacy and action that advances social justice. Today’s world presents global, national, and local challenges such as climate change, civil unrest, growing economic divides and polarization, and ongoing discrimination that requires more than just observation, critique, or explanation. Now, more than ever, researchers and practitioners need to collaborate and contribute to making a real difference by leading work that is not only informative but also transformative (Gutierrez & Lipman, 2016; Johnson, 2023). Research as activism, also referred to as activist scholarship, is a justice-driven, community-rooted approach and tool that uses critical inquiry to expose inequities, amplify marginalized voices, and mobilize community members from diverse fields and sectors to transform systems toward equity, inclusion, and social change (Abawi et al., 2025; Eizadirad & Trifonas, 2025; Kilinc et al., 2024). Building on conversations which started in the Journal of Culture and Values in Education’s 2024 special issue on the theme of “Research as Activism,” (Kilinc et al., 2024) this volume further advances and highlights innovative, community-based case studies that tackle systemic inequities to uplift voices of marginalized groups and make educational policies and practices more inclusive,

Resisting Hegemony in Teacher Education: Possibilities for Transformational Teaching and Learning Within Neoliberal Systems

Kara Dymond — 2026-02-22

Education both replicates and reinforces hegemonic power structures in society. To change educational systems, it is imperative that teacher educators resist neoliberal forces and normative assumptions that value some over others, prioritize competition over collaboration, and use mechanisms of standardization and accountability to operationalize both. This study explores how embracing multiplicity, prioritizing collaboration over competition, and enacting Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in instructional design can transform learner and teacher educator relationships, outcomes, and experiences in their courses. The authors draw on their ongoing collective, situated self-study and critical collaborative inquiry of their pedagogical decisions and the impacts of these decisions on themselves and TCs within a demanding graduate teacher education program. As a result of this work, instructors and TCs were both able to simultaneously experience, imagine, and create greater possibilities for expecting, welcoming, and supporting the learner variability into their current and future classrooms.

“We still have power in shaping what and how students learn”: Activist Teachers Respond to Book Bans

Erica Neal — 2026-02-22

In this study, we learn from seven teachers in a graduate level program in Urban Education about how and why they enact activist pedagogies in their classrooms. So often, teachers are positioned as passive puppets of the state—they are seen as the “tools” with which public thinking is controlled. By repressing, silencing, and fear-mongering teachers and determining through legislation which epistemologies and histories they can teach, subjugation through schooling is indeed a powerful mechanism of control. Yet, the participants in this study were a far cry from being passive puppets. They all engaged in epistemic disobedience, or what Quijano might call epistemic subversion, meaning that they intentionally, if covertly, remained firm in their commitment to teach non-dominant histories and worldviews rooted in acceptance, inclusion, and truth despite a growing array of gag order legislation across the US.

Canada is Not an Educational “Dreamland”: Activism and Exploring Layers of Oppression and Denial

Lyndze Harvey — 2026-02-22

In the realm of global education, Canada is often hailed as a dreamland, a beacon of democratic and equitable schooling. However, within this seemingly idyllic narrative lies a complex tapestry of hidden oppressions. Two activist-teachers-academics, one of us a queer, white settler on stolen lands, the other a newcomer from Iran, both of us women and mothers, come together to expose these concealed layers of oppression within the Canadian education system. Through the lens of post-qualitative autoethnography, we embark on a deeply personal and professional exploration of our experiences as parents of school-aged children, teachers, and teacher-educators within the Canadian school system. We share our design of An Onion of Oppression to expose denialism and to explore the ways in which activism in research involves letting go, opening to other possibilities, and actively choosing to be activists.

Coding For Equity: Click, Code, Change - How AI Empowers Activist Education

Daniel Lumsden — 2026-02-22

This study examines how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be thoughtfully and critically woven into senior secondary classrooms, particularly in accounting, to advance educational equity, affirm student identities, and deepen student-led inquiry. Using an action-based research (ABR) approach, the work foregrounds students’ lived experiences as they engage with AI tools to co-design learning projects that reflect their values and communities. Drawing on classroom case studies, this study explores how students react when AI-generated outputs misrepresent or erase aspects of who they are, and how they envision more inclusive and socially responsive technological design. The findings suggest that, when approached critically, AI can catalyze creative expression, ethical questioning, and digital empowerment. At the same time, the research surfaces persistent challenges related to cultural bias, and broader systemic inequities embedded within AI systems. The study ultimately advances a justice-focused vision of AI in education, one that prepares students not only to operate emerging technologies, but also to interrogate and lead in shaping how these technologies are designed and used in society.

Advancing Gender Equality and Educational Access through Community-Driven Researched Initiatives in Ethiopia

Sharlene McHolm — 2026-02-22

This article examines the intersection of research, activism, and education through a case study of Education-4-Change’s work in Ethiopia’s Somali Region. Focusing on gender equality, educational access, and community-driven initiatives, the study frames research as both analytical and activist. Situated within the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, it addresses the structural barriers—such as poverty, gender norms, political instability, and environmental crises—that shape Ethiopia’s educational landscape. Using sociocultural, community-based, and participatory methods, including engagement with local councils and outreach workers, the research highlights how localized strategies and quantitative data can amplify marginalized voices and shift intervention priorities. Special attention is given to how menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and gender-responsive education promote equity for girls, underscoring the need for intersectional, long-term approaches to educational development.