CHAMPIONING CHANGE THROUGH COLLABORATION: EXAMINING HOW MIDDLE SCHOOL SUPPORT TEAM MEMBERS LEVERAGE THE MTSS PROCESS

Individual and collective healing are necessary components in our school buildings. We often emphasize addressing whole student’s needs, but how can we expect to address the whole student when we are not addressing whole practitioner’s needs? I leaned into this inquiry to examine this study with a collective approach as the starting point to change. Beyond the call for reform, school teams are met with increased challenges in behavior, racial trauma, and mental health concerns. The growing challenges of students coupled with increased racial and ethnic diversity of the student body presents a need to evaluate the inclusivity and cultural relevance of social emotional behavioral supports through practitioners. These presenting trepidations called for an integrative model of support for students. This research study involved Participatory Action Research and sought to examine how a middle school multidisciplinary team experienced the collaborative process of Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). This research identified transformative ways in which social emotional learning (SEL) practices can be integrated into the MTSS process and invited members of the middle school multidisciplinary team to embrace wellness practices. By reflecting on the existing MTSS process, we were able to build a critical and culturally responsive tired framework to improve the process of intervention and supports. The integration of SEL practices into the MTSS process can provide an opportunity for practitioners to address healing through wellness, collaboration, and culturally responsive care.