03/19/2024
By Zakkiyya Witherspoon

The School of Education invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Chanda Womack on “Improving BIPOC High School Students’ Engagement and Participation in Community Organizing And Grassroots Advocacy Through a Co-Created Ethnic Studies Training Series Focus on Identity Development and Exploration."

Candidate: Chanda Womack
Degree: Doctoral- Leadership in Schooling
Defense Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Remote via Zoom 
Thesis/Dissertation Title: Improving BIPOC High School Students’ Engagement and Participation in Community Organizing And Grassroots Advocacy Through a Co-Created Ethnic Studies Training Series Focus on Identity Development and Exploration

Dissertation Committee

  • Chair Phitsamay S. Uy, Associate Professor of Education, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • James Nehring, Professor of Education, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Stacy Szczeisul, Associate Professor of Education, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

ABSTRACT
This study addresses a problem of practice in the largest urban school district in a New England state, Polarized School District (PSD). Over 90% of PSD’s students are students of color and 85% live in poverty. The performance data illustrate stark disparities among students of color and their White peers. In 2019, 51% of White students demonstrated proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics while only 18% of Hispanic and 21% of low-income students were proficient. Multi-racial and intergenerational youth-led advocacy efforts and demands for a culturally responsive and liberatory curriculum grounds the response to the problem of practice. Some researchers have found students who have access to and opportunities to explore counter-narratives that elevate their histories and identities have better educational outcomes than those students who do not. This is especially evident for students of color. Ethnic Studies offers an alternative narrative to the predominant White-centric curriculum. To address this disparity, eight youth leaders of color co-developed with adult allies and engaged in a five-week training series on Ethnic Studies concepts through Identity Development and Exploration. Using a mixed-methods approach and Collaborative Community-Engaged Scholarship (CCES) framework, the study analyzes students' perceptions of Ethnic Studies. Findings show a 10% increase in students' scores on the “Grounding Growth Statements.” Six themes emerged from the training: it cultivated students' ability to identify racist systems, increased students’ desire to learn, access support systems, understand social issues, the importance of understanding diverse perspectives, and feeling liberated from the 4 I’s of oppression.