Congratulations to Torsie Anderson Judkins, who on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, successfully defended his dissertation.
The title of Torsie's dissertation is, "COUNTER-NARRATIVES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL EXPERIENCS IN INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS: A CRITICAL QUALITATIVE STUDY."
The abstract of this study follows:
Overview of Problem: Independent schools often describe themselves as inclusive, values-driven communities, yet African American/Black students can experience belonging as uneven, conditional, and shaped by whiteness and elite institutional norms. Recent post-2020 racial reckonings intensified questions about how independent schools respond to race, student voice, and institutional accountability.
Research Purpose: Guided by Critical Race Theory, this study amplified the counter-narratives of African American/Black alumni of independent schools and examined how they made meaning of academic and social experiences related to belonging, identity negotiation, race, intersectionality, and institutional culture.
Research Design: This study used a critical qualitative design with semi-structured interviews. Participant narratives were treated as experiential knowledge and analyzed through an inductive first reading, in vivo coding, analytic memoing, and a second theory-based coding pass connected to CRT, belonging, intersectionality, and institutional culture.
Sample: The study included 14 African American/Black alumni, age 18 or older, whose independent-school experiences included K-8, K-12, high school, boarding, day-school, and multi-school pathways.
Data Collection and Analysis: Interviews were conducted via Zoom, transcribed, reviewed by participants, de-identified, and coded manually. An audit trail tracked recruitment, transcript review, coding, pseudonyms, and data-security decisions.
Findings: Three themes emerged: racialized belonging was conditional and space-based; students learned to fit, shift, and protect themselves; and 2020 exposed the gap between institutional language and Black student needs.
Conclusions/Implications: The findings suggest that access to independent schools is not the same as belonging. Independent schools must move beyond statements and generalized inclusion language toward sustained adult practice, curriculum accountability, affinity support, and structures that reduce the racial labor Black students are asked to carry.
Dissertation Committee Chair:
Dr. Susan V. Iverson
Dissertation Committee Members:
Dr. Nora C. R. Broege
Dr. Nicole Joseph
Take Your Career to the Next Level
Elevate your leadership skills, deepen your understanding of critical and contemporary education issues, and learn to help solve the current challenges in P-20 education.
Learn to Inspire Change
The Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership from Manhattanville, offered in partnership with Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES, utilizes a forward-thinking approach to educational leadership that is ideal for practicing and aspiring leaders in any educational context. It is designed to support the goals of educational professionals who seek to develop their leadership skills for career advancement or current job enhancement.
