Dissertation Defense Announcements

This program evaluation examined how Chicago Public Schools (CPS) dual-language schools maintained program integrity and equity for multilingual learners amid competing internal and external pressures. The study addressed three primary research questions: (a) the methods and safeguards used to protect integrity and equity; (b) the non-negotiables, allowable adaptations, and decision rules that defined program integrity; and (c) the indicators, monitoring routines, safeguards, and escalation pathways necessary when implementation was at risk. Utilizing a qualitative, interview-centered, utilization-focused design, the study analyzed 13 semi-structured interviews with six current school leaders, one former school and district leader, five current Office of Multilingual and Multicultural Education (OMME) personnel, and one network-level leader. Wagner and Kegan’s four arenas of change - contexts, culture, conditions, and competencies - served as the organizing framework, and inductive coding was used to identify cross-case themes. The findings indicated that program integrity depended on shared non-negotiables; existing safeguards were fragmented; monitoring was most effective when linked to improvement; organizational conditions contributed to implementation drift; adaptation required explicit decision rules; equity functioned as both the purpose and measure of integrity; assessment and intervention systems required a dual-language perspective; and shared authority necessitated clear ownership and escalation procedures. The study recommended developing a district-responsive Dual-Language Program Integrity Framework that clarifies non-negotiables and allowable adaptations, establishes monitoring indicators and routines, creates escalation pathways across school, network, OMME, and central-office roles, and supports implementation through a web-based or AI-supported tool.

This autoethnographic research study examines the researcher’s lived experiences with systemic racism, institutional and intergenerational trauma, and marginalization in the Chicago Public and Parochial school system during the 1960s and 1970s. This study is a counter-narrative challenging mainstream versions of racism and educational achievement for Black and marginalized youth by asking: What can be learned from researching my own experiences as a child in segregated elementary (K-8) schools and communities in Chicago in the 1960s and early 1970s? The study includes evocative narratives, memory work, poetry, lyrics, reflexivity, archival research evidence, and genealogical confirmation. Utilizing multiple analytical approaches, including concept- and data-driven coding, the study is grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT), multi-layered theories, and the traditional 10–part ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) framework. An additional analysis implemented the expanded ACEs to identify early environmental childhood trauma, specifically, racial segregation, colorism, ableism, and punitive discipline. Results suggest that pervasive systemic inequities in the school environment cause psychological stress, resulting in a Black, female child’s adaptation of harmful coping strategies, such as silencing and other maladaptive survival strategies. Additionally, racial bias is intensified with colorism and ableism, and creates multi-layered developmental barriers. In the education environment, Black children are systematically perceived as underachievers while ignoring innate capabilities, a result of deficit thinking around Black students' socioeconomic status, achievement, and behavior. This research appeals to policymakers, educators, school administrators, and parents by advocating for trauma-informed teaching, culturally responsive practices, and asset-based pedagogies that center students’ funds of knowledge.