Dissertation Proposal Announcement Ed.D. Program: Kevin Stanton, “Implementation Maintenance of Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) at an Elementary School: A Phenomenological Case Study”

Implementation of Muti-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is a critical issue in education. Tiered supports, when applied with fidelity, have the potential to provide access for all students to targeted interventions within the general education environment. There is a significant body of research devoted to the organizational factors and conditions that facilitate its implementation. Less studied is sustainability of MTSS and the factors and conditions that facilitate its institutionalization within schools.

This study explores why, even though the organizational structure (i.e., staff, schedule, and resources) of MTSS is in place at the research site, does it not appear to be fully institutionalized as the means to address student needs? Why have the MTSS structures that have been implemented not translated, at the research site, into greater inclusion, lower classification rates, and an increase in academic performance as measured by standardized test scores, student placement, and classification data? How do existing organizational structures, norms, and /or beliefs pose barriers to the sustainability, maintenance, and institutionalization of MTSS.

This qualitative research project applies the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM) framework to guide inquiry into the experiences of educators in various roles within the school engaged in implementing MTSS. The focus of interviews with staff will be on contextual factors that impact their ability to provide on-going interventions in their day-to-day work, and the impact of school infrastructure on their ability to provide and sustain those interventions. PRISM will frame interpretation and analysis of identified barriers and enablers to sustaining MTSS implementation, as well as frame an exploration of how and why school infrastructure and associated barriers and enablers impact implementation long-term.