ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides schools with guidelines on how to meet the leadership and organizational demands of implementing multiple tiers of support in elementary schools. School violence, mental illness, and student failure are complex, multilayered problems that are compounded by poverty, inequitable services for the neediest, and a lack of civic education and responsibility. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is foundational for successful student outcomes, the equalizer to providing a socially just education for all students, and the framework for eradicating the school-to-prison pipeline. The book seeks to answer the question of how to successfully implement MTSS with fidelity so schools can begin addressing inequities while building program capacity. MTSS is a resource allocation framework for stakeholders, especially school administrators, to map out school resources and build the systems and processes required to support those functions at each tier.
