Congratulations to Denise Harper-Richardson who on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, successfully defended her dissertation. The title of Denise’s dissertation is, "ADVISORY AND THE MATRIX: POWER, CONNECTEDNESS, AND BLACK GIRLHOOD."
Overview of Problem: Black girls often navigate educational environments that are shaped by the intersectionality of racial and gender oppression. As illustrated in Patricia Hill Collins' Matrix of Domination, these domains—structural, disciplinary, hegemonic, and interpersonal manifest in schools through exclusionary discipline, cultural erasure, and a lack of emotional safety, leading to disengagement, chronic absenteeism, higher suspension rates, and decreased academic performance.
Research Purpose: Guided by Black Feminist Thought and the Need to Belong Theory, this study examines the impact of advisory programs on the connectedness and academic, behavioral, and social-emotional outcomes of early adolescent Black girls. It investigates five aspects of connectedness: belief, commitment and alienation, cultural affirmation, safety, and belonging.
Research Design: An embedded multi-methods case study design was utilized, with qualitative data playing a secondary role to the quantitative data.
Sample: Six schools were selected using a stratified random sampling method, including three middle schools with advisory programs and three without. The sample comprised over 2,500 student respondents and 42 educators.
Data Collection and Analysis: Quantitative data on student performance and perceptions were obtained from a publicly available, large-scale survey administered by an urban school district and from state performance metrics. A researcher-developed Advisory Impact Questionnaire gathered both Likert-scale and narrative responses from educators. Quantitative data were analyzed using t-tests and regression models. Qualitative data were thematically coded and contextualized using the Matrix of Domination to explore how race and gender influenced students' advisory experiences.
Findings/Results: Black girls in advisory programs reported statistically significant improvements in school belonging, emotional safety, academic confidence, and engagement. Participation in advisory programs is correlated with reduced chronic absenteeism, higher attendance, and fewer suspensions. Educator responses highlighted stronger teacher-student relationships characterized by cultural validation and identity affirmation.
Conclusions/Implications: Advisory programs emphasizing culturally responsive pedagogy can disrupt inequities that often marginalize Black girls. Schools should prioritize advisory as a strategic intervention to strengthen connectedness, academic resilience, and emotional well-being.
Dissertation Committee Chair:
Dr. Nora Broege
Dissertation Committee Members:
Dr. Peter Troiano
Dr. Dahlia McGregor
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