Presenter(s)

• Rayaan Ali, University of Massachusetts Boston
• Rayaan Ali, University of Massachusetts Boston
• Elisa Cabral

Abstract

This systematic review found that DEI-related restrictions in U.S. PK–12 schools function as ongoing practice conditions rather than isolated policy events. Across the literature, school mental health practitioners adapted equity-centered work through language reframing, quiet advocacy, and risk-aware decision-making, while experiencing ethical strain and uncertainty. Findings suggest that equity-centered implementation models must account for restrictive policy contexts as structural barriers shaping practice. School psychologists, school counselors, administrators, teacher leaders, and graduate training programs can use these findings to support ethical, student-centered practice under politically restrictive conditions.