Date of Award

Summer 2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Laura Boyles

Abstract

Schools across the country have an increased responsibility to support appropriate mental health development for their student populations, especially those who have been diagnosed or are at risk of an emotional or behavioral disorder. Increased responsibility has led school leaders and stakeholders to make certain they have processes in place to ensure early identification of at-risk students, along with appropriate learning pathways to support academic achievement (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). This study evaluated Trilogy, an elementary alternative learning program, which provides enrolled students with access to a learning environment that supports academics, behavior, and mental health in a restrictive setting and while they integrate back into a traditional classroom setting. Following an analysis of focus group responses with program stakeholders and student behavioral data, I found the program successfully met the seven key program objectives following 2 years of implementation. Specifically, I determined the program provided an effective and efficient environment that proactively addressed the social, emotional, and behavioral deficits of students who were unable to demonstrate success within the traditional elementary classroom setting. The success of the program was also measured by its ability to ensure the alternative setting was able to successfully integrate students back into the traditional classroom setting within an appropriate period of time. The results of this study apply to school district leaders, school administrators, or school-based childhood mental health professionals who have an interest or need to provide their students with an intensified level of emotional and behavioral support in an elementary setting.

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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