03/12/2026
By Zakkiyya Witherspoon

The School of Education invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Molly Sigourney Cohen “Advancing Instructional Equity Through Systems-Level Improvement Science: Designing Organizational Conditions to Enable Rigorous Instructional Access for Multilingual Learners."

Candidate: Molly Sigourney Cohen
Degree: Doctoral- Ed.D. Leadership in Schooling
Defense Date: March 25, 2026
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Via Zoom 
Thesis/Dissertation Title: Advancing Instructional Equity Through Systems-Level Improvement Science: Designing Organizational Conditions to Enable Rigorous Instructional Access for Multilingual Learners

Dissertation Committee

  • Chair: Christina Whittlesey, Ph.D., Adjunct Faculty, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Committee Member: Joshua Yankell, Ed.D.

Abstract
Abstract: This Dissertation in Practice examined how organizational conditions influence equitable access to rigorous Tier 1 instruction for multilingual learners (MLs). Rather than treating disparities as isolated instructional issues, the study investigated how leadership practices, professional learning structures, and system coherence shape linguistic scaffold effectiveness and student access. The study addressed two questions: (1) To what extent does participation in a Lesson Study professional learning community (PLC) influence teachers’ linguistic scaffold effectiveness? and (2) To what extent do teachers’ perceptions of their scaffold use change following participation in the inquiry structure? This improvement science study unfolded across three phases: a diagnostic analysis of organizational barriers, a six-session Lesson Study professional learning community (PLC) with four Grade 10 ELA teachers employing a Plan–Do–Study–Act (PDSA) cycle to improve linguistic scaffold effectiveness, and development of district-level sustainability strategies. The aim was to increase ML Look-For Tool scores in overall effectiveness by 10% within one PDSA cycle. Post-intervention results revealed improvement exceeding the target to 24.4%. Qualitative findings revealed increased scaffold intentionality, shared instructional language, and greater instructional risk-taking. Findings position instructional equity as a systems design responsibility. Scaffold effectiveness improved when leaders protected collaborative structures, aligned expectations, and embedded disciplined inquiry into routine practice. Equitable access becomes sustainable when collaborative improvement is predictable, protected, and non-negotiable. Limitations include small sample size, short duration, context-specific conditions, and the use of a practitioner-developed observational instrument.

Keywords: multilingual learners (MLs); linguistic scaffolds; professional learning communities (PLCs); Lesson Study; improvement science; collaborative inquiry; systems coherence.