From Interventions to an Integrated System of Supports

Abstract

All students must have opportunities to explore their strengths and interests. Every student is entitled to and ought to receive strong, personalized supports to bolster his/her academic, behavioral, and social emotional learning and success. It is the responsibility of school systems to prepare and coach their staff to provide this rich and constructive learning environment to all students. Simultaneously, school systems must develop deep partnerships and relationships with families and communities so that our students and communities thrive. This capstone explores how one district, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Maryland, has prioritized interventions as a key focus area and subsequently planned to implement an integrated system of supports, such that every student will thrive. As MCPS has focused on issues of equity and excellence for decades, this prioritization of interventions and support for struggling learners provides focus to the system for completely eradicating the achievement gap. With an understanding that high expectations, excellent instruction, and committed staff are essential for all learners, MCPS is beginning its implementation of this integrated system of supports focusing on schools and students that are most underperforming. The design of this integrated system culminates from research on Response to Interventions--both literature and state and district implementation, convening a staff workgroup, and engaging with various stakeholders across MCPS to build on the struggles and the successes in the district’s history. Within this capstone, literature is examined related to interventions, and the project work that occurred between July 2012 and April 2013 is described and analyzed. The analysis emphasizes the need to consider change management theory and to create space for both technical and adaptive work, namely creating strong structures and processes that are deeply connected to culture and practice. This capstone concludes with reflections on potential implications for the author, MCPS, and the education sector.