03/19/2025
By Zakkiyya Witherspoon

The School of Education invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Nicole Shepardson on “Activating Hope: Building Self-Efficacy and Sense of Community to Support Teacher Retention and Continuous School Improvement in a High-Poverty School."

Date: Wednesday, April 2
Time: 10:15 a.m.
Location: Remote Zoom link:

Committee
Chair: Michelle Scribner, Ed.D., Clinical Professor, Mathematics and Science Education, School of Education, UMass Lowell
Christina Whittlesey, Ph.D., Adjunct Faculty, School of Education, UMass Lowell
James Nehring, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus, Leadership in Schooling, School of Education, UMass Lowell
Iman Chahine, Ph.D., Professor, School of Education, UMass Lowell

Abstract

National, state and local data consistently indicate that students in high-poverty schools are disproportionately served by less experienced teachers and perform at lower rates than their peers in schools with more experienced teachers. This three-manuscript dissertation-in-practice employs improvement science principles to define, diagnose and address this problem of practice through an equity-focused lens. Manuscript 1 presents an extensive literature review, highlighting macro, meso, and micro-level causal factors and integrating a local needs assessment to develop a theory of improvement. Manuscript 2 details a Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle that tests these change ideas through a mixed-methods study, incorporating quantitative data collection (pre/post surveys) and qualitative methodologies (focus group, graphic elicitation and semi-structured interviews). The study assessed the impact of pairing experienced and new teachers using professional learning and mentoring to increase teachers’ sense of efficacy in a high-poverty, high-need, underperforming public elementary school. The findings suggest that participation in these sessions positively impacted teachers' efficacy and sense of belonging with their learning partners. However, no improvement was reported in sense of belonging within the broader school community. Manuscript 3 provides recommendations and an action plan for developing mentoring programs and targeted professional development to strengthen teacher efficacy and belonging, ultimately addressing opportunity gaps. This dissertation-in-practice acknowledges that, in the face of educational challenges, it’s easy to lose hope. However, hope becomes the transformative catalyst to overcome systemic barriers and achieve the educational equity and excellence every student deserves.

Keywords: Educational equity; high-poverty school; opportunity gaps; sense of belonging; teacher efficacy