Building Collaboration Capacity for RTI: Principal Voices
Open Access
- Author:
- Kane, Colleen
- Graduate Program:
- Educational Leadership
- Degree:
- Doctor of Education
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 10, 2016
- Committee Members:
- Dr. Charles Hughes, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Dr. Edward Fuller, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Dr. Douglas Dexter, Committee Member
Dr. William Hartman, Committee Member
Dr. Edgar Yoder, Outside Member - Keywords:
- Educational Leadership
Response to Intervention
RTI
MTSS
principal leadership
collaboration
RTI sustainability - Abstract:
- This study investigated how principals build capacity for collaboration within the Response to Intervention process. Undertaking mixed methods research, a survey gathered advice from principals who had well-developed RTI processes functioning in their schools, so that other administrators and teachers could use that information to develop and improve their own Multi-Tiered Systems of Support-RTI (MTSS-RTI) efforts. The study explored the leadership decisions, actions, and opinions of principals who guide RtII processes. It was a multi-site case study of 22 schools (21 principals) who had obtained approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to use their Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII) program as one factor in a recommendation for a learning support designation. It addressed the following five research questions: 1. How do principals build infrastructure for RtII collaboration? 2. How do principals facilitate the collaborative work of the data analysis team? 3. How do principals build collaboration skills? 4. How do they view the connection between the team collaboration process and the sustainability of their RtII plan? 5. How have principals overcome obstacles in building capacity for collaboration? What advice would principals give to other school leaders beginning the process of building an RtII framework? Because the systemic change of MTSS-RTI may upset a school’s historic way of doing business, some principals might hesitate to fully commit to its implementation. The views of the principals in this survey may give other administrators needed impetus and insight for RTI implementation.