School districts across the country often face challenges using data to implement a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) to meet the needs of all learners through high quality educational opportunities. This qualitative investigation explored how educators in a public school district in the northeastern United States experience the collection and analysis of data to inform decision-making within a MTSS. Guided by the theory of planned behavior and employing a phenomenological analysis, this study addressed the inconsistencies in educator training along with a lack of existing literature focused on the foundational elements of data literacy. The research questions focused on understanding data, the scope of data collected and analyzed, and the use of a MTSS. Analysis of semi-structured interviews with seven public school educators yielded four findings: (1) the existence of data in a variety of formats, (2) the lack of consistent expectations around data collection and analysis, (3) collaboration among staff to support student growth, and (4) the lack of awareness and understanding of a MTSS. The study's findings suggest that changes need to be made in the way educators are trained in collecting and analyzing data and how underperforming students are supported in educational learning environments.
","abstract_html":"<p>School districts across the country often face challenges using data to implement a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) to meet the needs of all learners through high quality educational opportunities. This qualitative investigation explored how educators in a public school district in the northeastern United States experience the collection and analysis of data to inform decision-making within a MTSS. Guided by the theory of planned behavior and employing a phenomenological analysis, this study addressed the inconsistencies in educator training along with a lack of existing literature focused on the foundational elements of data literacy. The research questions focused on understanding data, the scope of data collected and analyzed, and the use of a MTSS. Analysis of semi-structured interviews with seven public school educators yielded four findings: (1) the existence of data in a variety of formats, (2) the lack of consistent expectations around data collection and analysis, (3) collaboration among staff to support student growth, and (4) the lack of awareness and understanding of a MTSS. The study's findings suggest that changes need to be made in the way educators are trained in collecting and analyzing data and how underperforming students are supported in educational learning environments.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["D'Angelo, Jennifer L"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Education (EdD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Ariana Balayan","Andrew Bard"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:21:42Z","subjects":["data collection","multi-tiered system of support","decision-making","tiered interventions","student growth","northeast United States","Accessibility","Curriculum and Instruction","Education","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Educational Leadership"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dune.une.edu/edu_diss/38","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Ariana Balayan","Andrew Bard"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["D'Angelo, Jennifer L"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Education (EdD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["data collection","multi-tiered system of support","decision-making","tiered interventions","student growth","northeast United States","Accessibility","Curriculum and Instruction","Education","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Educational Leadership"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dune.une.edu/edu_diss/38"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["School districts across the country often face challenges using data to implement a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) to meet the needs of all learners through high quality educational opportunities. This qualitative investigation explored how educators in a public school district in the northeastern United States experience the collection and analysis of data to inform decision-making within a MTSS. Guided by the theory of planned behavior and employing a phenomenological analysis, this study addressed the inconsistencies in educator training along with a lack of existing literature focused on the foundational elements of data literacy. The research questions focused on understanding data, the scope of data collected and analyzed, and the use of a MTSS. Analysis of semi-structured interviews with seven public school educators yielded four findings: (1) the existence of data in a variety of formats, (2) the lack of consistent expectations around data collection and analysis, (3) collaboration among staff to support student growth, and (4) the lack of awareness and understanding of a MTSS. The study's findings suggest that changes need to be made in the way educators are trained in collecting and analyzing data and how underperforming students are supported in educational learning environments.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["An Exploration Of Educator Experiences Making Data-Driven Decisions Within A Multi-Tiered System Of Support"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Ariana Balayan","Andrew Bard"],"dc:creator":["D'Angelo, Jennifer L"],"dc:description.abstract":["School districts across the country often face challenges using data to implement a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) to meet the needs of all learners through high quality educational opportunities. This qualitative investigation explored how educators in a public school district in the northeastern United States experience the collection and analysis of data to inform decision-making within a MTSS. Guided by the theory of planned behavior and employing a phenomenological analysis, this study addressed the inconsistencies in educator training along with a lack of existing literature focused on the foundational elements of data literacy. The research questions focused on understanding data, the scope of data collected and analyzed, and the use of a MTSS. Analysis of semi-structured interviews with seven public school educators yielded four findings: (1) the existence of data in a variety of formats, (2) the lack of consistent expectations around data collection and analysis, (3) collaboration among staff to support student growth, and (4) the lack of awareness and understanding of a MTSS. The study's findings suggest that changes need to be made in the way educators are trained in collecting and analyzing data and how underperforming students are supported in educational learning environments.
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