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The chapter delves into the transformative journey of Copley Public Schools (CPS) toward creating a more inclusive and just learning environment, mainly focusing on racial equity. The district's history of state control due to academic underperformance led to a shift toward antiracist and equitable practices under former superintendent Danielle Crane. In this chapter, I emphasize the importance of achieving racial equity in schools, highlighting how one large urban school district engaged in a multiyear transformational process toward racial equity. The partnership between CPS and a university's educational leadership department was designed to address racial equity through a multiyear plan involving school and district leaders. The approach centered around Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development, emphasizing support for professional growth and equitable student outcomes. I outline a detailed plan grounded in research and best practices, focusing on leadership roles in shaping school culture and driving transformation. Lessons learned from the district's racial equity transformation highlight positive outcomes while addressing challenges such as historical practices influencing policies and systemic barriers to improvement. Leaders worked toward forming coalitions of progress, emphasizing the importance of understanding past influences on present environments and the need for informed decision-making to foster racially equitable educational settings.

This study aims to investigate the experiences of service providers supporting male victims and female perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV). The study explored the drivers, methods and treatments of female-perpetrated IPV, the nature and impact of abuse towards male victims, the barriers and facilitators to service provision and the impact on the practitioners themselves.

The study used a qualitative approach, using reflexive thematic analysis to analyse semi-structured interviews with 13 experienced service providers.

Two overarching themes were identified: systemic issues in service provision, including challenges with multi-agency approaches, funding and availability of services and the impact on practitioners; and gender stereotypes, which created barriers to male victims' help-seeking and influenced the treatment of female perpetrators.

The findings suggest the need for a multi-level approach, addressing gendered inequalities in IPV policy and funding, implementing gender-inclusive, evidence-based and trauma-informed practices, and raising public and professional awareness to challenge the dominant “domestic violence stereotype”.

This study provides a detailed, in-depth exploration of the experiences of service providers supporting “non-typical” populations in IPV, revealing the complex, multi-faceted challenges they face within a system that is inherently designed to support female victims of male perpetrators.