Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership

Defense Date:  October 3, 2022

Dissertation Title:  Shifting the Narrative from Broken Youth to a Broken System: Dismantling Deficit-Based Narratives of Youth with High Aces Through a Post-Qualitative Decolonizing Approach

Dissertation Committee:  Dr. Brandy Bryson (Chair), Dr. Jason Lynch, Dr. Peter Fawson

Quote from Whitney Greene about her dissertation journey: 

"I became an educator because I wanted to situate myself in a position to be a change agent; to create a more equitable and effective educational environment, and to make an impact to improve the lives of students. I approached my career as a call to action to stand in the gap, to plant seeds where tough conversation will grow, to improve our systems and accelerate towards equitable change within our classrooms, our communities and our country. This work was important for me professionally and personally as I embarked on identifying and addressing systemic barriers for my students within my own capacities. It has reminded me to be mindful of continuous self-reflexivity and to not think of myself as a White savior but instead as an undoing of my own socialization and assumptions. This process allowed me to engage with my own reflexivity and (re)production of knowledge and continues to spark tough conversations contributing to the raised awareness and activism of other educators."

Quote from Dr. Brandy Bryson about the experience as Committee Chair and the significance of this dissertation study: 

“What an honor to serve as chair of  *Dr. Whitney Greene's dissertation! Whitney's study was a response to decolonizing scholar, Dr. Eve Tuck's, call for educators and educational researchers to make the turn from research that focuses on the deficits of marginalized communities of Color, even when the intention is for positive change. Consequently, Whitney's post-qualitative study engaged discourse analysis and our own Dr. Alecia Jackson's "thinking with theory" to analyze her own experiences as a White woman who became an educator. She explores the damage that damage-based labeling of children and students who have experienced trauma and expands our understanding of trauma. An aspect of Whitney's dissertation that I am most proud of is her reflexive work of analyzing her roles--past, present, and future--in dismantling deficit based discourses about students with minoritized identities and experiences. She concludes her dissertation with a letter written to her former self that has much to offer to all educators willing to engage in their own reflexive work. Throughout the process, Whitney recognized the complex process of perpetuating the exact thing that she was writing against and she navigated these challenges with intellectual curiosity, rigor of mind, and grace. She accepted feedback well and positioned herself as a learner, eager to be mentored, while simultaneously embracing her identity as a developing scholar. It was a pleasure to work with, mentor, and learn from *Dr. Whitney Greene.”

*Degree to be conferred on December 16, 2022. 

Additional information:

In a particularly poignant moment, Whitney ended her defense presentation by sharing a video of her reading an excerpt from her dissertation, entitled, “Letter to a Future Educator.” 

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM5MJubxQ3w

 

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