Date of Award

Spring 2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Dr. Sydney Brown

Abstract

This dissertation was designed to examine the effectiveness of Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) implementation at the middle school level. MTSS is a comprehensive framework for targeting educational support for all learners, providing academic, behavioral, and social services. A case study design was used to analyze the stakeholder experiences of the impact of MTSS implementation on a group of sixth- and seventh-grade students. Qualitative data were collected to analyze the personal experiences of the teachers’ professional development, collaboration, implementation, and understanding of their roles in regards to the MTSS process. This case study provides insight into a middle school making significant progress toward the implementation of MTSS as a framework for school improvement. Through the analysis of stakeholder focus groups and interviews, key findings emerged in relation to the MTSS implementation process. The findings illustrate the importance of a solid research-based core curriculum. Studies have shown that providing high-quality reading instruction can make a big difference for struggling readers (U.S. Department of Education, 2002). They also illustrate the necessity of creating a school culture where educators believe every student can be successful with the right kind of support. The key to success is to develop a culture where students have constant support from educators, and teachers never stop trying to meet the needs and challenges of students on a daily basis (Berkowitz et al., 2017). By providing detailed narratives of stakeholders as well as references to site and district training notes and resources, this study provides an illustration of MTSS implementation in a practical context.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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