09/11/2026
By Zakkiyya Witherspoon
The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) is thrilled to celebrate Dr. Zakkiyya Witherspoon of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, recipient of the 2026 CPED Dissertation in Practice Award!
Dr. Witherspoon’s powerful Dissertation in Practice, "When We Play Our Way: A Culturally Grounded Intervention to Build Social Efficacy and Counteract Marginalization Among Black High School Girls," shines a light on the experiences of Black girls in predominantly white educational spaces and explores how culturally affirming practices can foster confidence, belonging, voice and self-advocacy.
Through her six-week Clap Club Cultural Empowerment Circle, Dr. Witherspoon created a space for connection, cultural affirmation and growth. The results were remarkable: participants demonstrated a 30.6% mean increase in social efficacy, with all participants showing positive growth.
Dr. Witherspoon’s dissertation chair, Dr. Linda Riley, Ed.D., of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, describes her as embodying the scholar-practitioner ideal and praises her commitment to meaningful, actionable change for the students and communities she serves.
Her work beautifully demonstrates the power of the Dissertation in Practice to turn practitioner inquiry into meaningful change.
Join us Oct. 27–30, 2026, in Corpus Christi, Texas, as we celebrate Dr. Witherspoon and honor her outstanding work at the 2026 CPED Convening!