03/05/2026
By Zakkiyya Witherspoon

The School of Education invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Fatima DeSousa “Building Bridges: Investigating Middle School Leaders’ Perspectives on Multilingual Family Engagement Through School-Based ELPAC Implementation."

Candidate: Fatima DeSousa
Degree: Doctoral- Ed.D. Leadership in Schooling
Defense Date: March 18, 2026
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Location: Via Zoom 
Thesis/Dissertation Title: Building Bridges: Investigating Middle School Leaders’ Perspectives on Multilingual Family Engagement Through School-Based ELPAC Implementation

Dissertation Committee

  • Chair: Linda Riley, Ed.D., Visiting Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Committee Member: Patricia Fontaine, Ed.D. Clinical Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Abstract
This dissertation-in-practice utilizes improvement science to address the persistent challenge of low multilingual family participation in English Learner Parent Advisory Councils (ELPACs) within a large urban school district. A comprehensive review of current literature identifies multi-layered linguistic, systemic, and cultural barriers, including logistical obstacles and systemic exclusion, that contribute to the ongoing marginalization of these families. The study explores how middle school administrators perceive school effectiveness in family partnerships and investigates the influence of a four-week intervention, consisting of four collaborative workshop sessions and the implementation of a school-based ELPAC, on their leadership engagement practices. Employing a mixed-methods design within a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle, the researcher gathered data through focus groups and reflection memos to triangulate findings. Quantitative results from the IDRA Family and Community Engagement Survey (IDRA, 2002) revealed an 11.5% overall increase in perceived effectiveness, with the most significant growth occurring in the Quality of Interaction domain. Qualitative findings documented four major thematic shifts: moving from deficit-based to asset-based engagement, transitioning to shared schoolwide responsibility, adopting proactive rather than reactive outreach, and a progression toward deep partnerships. However, results also indicated a critical bottleneck in translating relational gains into academic partnerships and highlighted a need for differentiated support for specialized roles. These findings suggest that transformational engagement requires institutionalizing culturally responsive practices and intentionally aligning them with student academic goals to ensure systemic sustainability.