Congratulations to Maria Regina Tartaglione who on Thursday, April 2, 2026 successfully defended her dissertation.
The title of Maria’s dissertation is, "A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPALS’ IMPLEMENTATION OF COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS INITIATIVES: AN ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS."
Overview of Problem: The most urgent educational problem in America’s educational system is the disproportionate college access for economically disadvantaged students. Subsequently, economically disadvantaged schools in the U.S. require principals to plan for implementing college awareness and career readiness initiatives.
Research Purpose: To describe how middle school principals at economically disadvantaged schools implement college and career readiness initiatives through the lens of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system.
Research Design: This study used a qualitative interpretive inquiry to explore the experiences of middle school principals (grades 5–8). This approach examines how individuals make meaning of their lived experiences within social and organizational contexts, allowing in-depth analysis of the perspectives, complexities, and subjective influences that shape their professional practices and decision-making.
Sample: The sample included 12 principals from U.S. public middle schools (grades 5–8) serving economically disadvantaged students. Each had at least two years in their current role, led schools with 25% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch or other indicators of socioeconomic disadvantage, and had at least one year of experience implementing college and career-readiness initiatives.
Data Collection: Data were collected via 60-minute semistructured Zoom interviews; audio recorded with consent and transcribed using Otter.ai. Transcripts were manually coded, supplemented with reflective journaling, and analyzed with Delve software to identify themes. Codes were generated inductively through iterative analysis and systematic refinement, with member checking conducted to ensure credibility and data securely stored.
Findings: Four key themes emerged: Education Beyond Memorization, Every Child Deserves a Champion, Mindset Shift, and We Are All In This Together. Collectively, they form a student-centered leadership that emphasizes meaningful skill development, high expectations, shared responsibility, and strong connections with students, families, and the community, ensuring all students have access to college- and career-readiness opportunities.
Conclusions/Implications: Principals in economically disadvantaged middle schools promote college and career readiness by combining student-centered, experiential learning with equity-focused, collaborative practices across school, home, and community. Sustainable CCR requires systemic coordination, aligning goals with school plans, integrating career connections into instruction, using data to support all students, providing individualized guidance, and partnering with the community to ensure equitable, real-world learning that prepares all students for postsecondary success.
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Dr. Susan V. Iverson
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Dr. Martin Fitzgerald
Dr. Nicole Joseph
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