Alvernia University | Doctor of Philosophy Program | Reading, Pennsylvania
Por Qué Dejé La Escuela: Why I Left School
Alvernia University | Doctor of Philosophy Program | Reading, Pennsylvania
The Researcher
Hector Osvaldo Torres-Sepulveda is a doctoral candidate at Alvernia University and a lifelong advocate for Hispanic/Latino educational equity in Reading, Pennsylvania, one of the nation's most economically challenged cities.
His dissertation is rooted in lived experience. As both a practitioner and researcher, Torres-Sepulveda brings a dual lens to understanding why Hispanic/Latino students disengage from school, and what culturally responsive leadership can do to change it.
Reading's designation as a CRIS Zone (Comprehensive Reading Improvement and Support) creates a critical policy window for this research to generate actionable recommendations for school leaders, district administrators, and community organizations.
The Study
This phenomenological study centers the lived voices of Hispanic/Latino young adults who left Reading's schools, exploring not just why they left, but what cultural assets they carried and how school leadership either honored or failed those assets.
Hispanic/Latino students in Reading, PA face compounding systemic barriers: language marginalization, culturally disconnected curricula, underfunded schools, and leadership that lacks cultural responsiveness, driving disproportionate dropout rates.
To understand, through deep phenomenological inquiry, how Hispanic/Latino young adults in Reading, PA describe their lived school experiences, and how cultural assets and leadership practices shaped their educational journeys.
Findings will directly inform culturally responsive leadership frameworks, IRB-approved policy recommendations, and actionable practices for Reading School District administrators and community organizations serving Hispanic/Latino youth.
Grounded in Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth framework, shifting from deficit-based narratives to asset-based understanding of the cultural strengths Hispanic/Latino students bring to their educational experiences.
Semi-structured interviews conducted in both English and Spanish honor participants' linguistic identity and remove linguistic barriers that traditionally silence Hispanic/Latino perspectives in academic research.
Thematic analysis using NVivo software, member checks for credibility, prolonged community engagement, and reflexive bracketing to ensure findings authentically represent participant experiences.
Design & Methods
This study employs a qualitative phenomenological design using the Psychosocial Cultural (PSC) Framework to examine the essence of participants' lived school experiences.
The PSC Framework examines how psychological, social, and cultural dimensions intersect within educational contexts. Applied here, it allows the researcher to map how identity, belonging, school climate, leadership responsiveness, and community cultural wealth collectively shape dropout decisions, moving beyond simplistic cause and effect to honor the full complexity of each participant's story.
Guiding the Inquiry
The following questions guide the phenomenological inquiry, centering participant voice and cultural assets:
Why It Matters
Findings will provide evidence-based recommendations to Reading School District administrators and Pennsylvania policymakers on culturally responsive leadership practices that reduce dropout rates.
Advances the scholarly literature on phenomenological approaches to Hispanic/Latino educational equity, adding to Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth framework with grounded, community-specific findings.
Amplifies the voices of young people whose stories have been historically marginalized, centering their expertise in designing solutions for their own communities.
Produces actionable frameworks and leadership strategies that educators, counselors, and community organizations can implement to support Hispanic/Latino student success in Reading and beyond.
Academic Leadership
Alvernia University, guiding the research design, proposal revisions, and IRB approval process
Providing expertise in research methodology and qualitative inquiry frameworks
Contributing guidance on theoretical frameworks, bias management, and thematic analysis
Research Materials
Key dissertation documents available for review. Contact the researcher for access to full manuscript versions.
Voices & Narratives
Video presentations and community recordings that capture the spirit of this research.
Hector Torres, PhD Candidate, presents dissertation research exploring Hispanic/Latino educational disengagement and culturally responsive leadership in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Community forum recording featuring authentic narratives from Reading's Hispanic/Latino community — "Listen to Our Voices!"
Community Voice
Listen to this community-centered audio recording exploring the institutional forces behind the dropout crisis and the powerful voices of Hispanic/Latino youth in Reading, Pennsylvania.
An authentic exploration of how systemic failures in education intersect with the lived realities of Hispanic/Latino students, centering community voices that are too often excluded from the policy conversation.
Research Participation
This research needs your voice. If you are a Hispanic/Latino young adult who left high school in Reading, Pennsylvania before graduating, your experience is central to this study, and to changing the systems that failed you.
Who qualifies?
All responses are confidential. Your name will never appear in the research. Your experience will help shape policy and leadership practices for future generations of students.
Contact to Participate →Apply to Participate
Complete this form to apply. All information is kept strictly confidential and used only to determine eligibility and schedule your interview. You will receive a $50 gift card of your choice upon completing the interview.
For inquiries about the research, collaboration opportunities, or to participate in the study, reach out directly.