McDaniel, Preast discuss new journal that focuses on shift toward integrated systems of student support

A new academic journal focusing on multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) is highlighting how schools can better serve their students by integrating academic and social-emotional-behavioral supports across three tiers.

The Journal for MTSS (JMTSS), developed in partnership with the International MTSS Association, reflects the growing shift toward unified systems of support, said Professor of Collaborative Special Education Dr. Sara McDaniel, associate editor of JMTSS.

“There are school psychology journals, academic journals and behavior journals, but this one is unique because it focuses on integrating those systems,” she said.

Associate Professor of School Psychology Dr. June Preast is a member of the JMTSS Editorial Board and expressed her excitement to join since the journal aligns so well with her work in school psychology and MTSS.

“A lot of schools report using MTSS, but they don’t always have the best resources for how to truly integrate academics and behavior,” she said. “This journal will be extremely helpful for both educators and scholars in finding ways to implement MTSS more effectively and cohesively.”

At the center of MTSS is a three-tiered framework designed to match support with student need, from general instruction to individualized interventions. With schools’ lack of resources, time and personnel, the integration of academic and social-emotional behavior supports would not only be more efficient but extremely beneficial to students and their co-occurring needs as well.

“This helps us analyze the whole student,” McDaniel said. “As long as these needs continue to be siloed, it isn’t what’s best for students and contributes to educator burnout.”

With JMTSS being designed around the idea of supporting students in their classrooms and schools, anyone who assists schools, be it district and school leaders, policymakers, state agencies or others, can benefit from this information, Preast said.

Despite MTSS being referenced in federal policy, there is still a lack of clarity and practice guidelines, and many schools continue to struggle with implementation.

“(JMTSS) is helping bridge that gap by offering evidence-based, integrated approaches,” McDaniel said.

Journal for MTSS is currently accepting paper submissions, and both McDaniel and Preast hope that College of Education faculty will consider contributing, emphasizing that they believe it could help foster collaborations across the College.

“This kind of work really benefits from multiple perspectives, and that’s exactly what this journal is trying to do,” Preast said.

For more information on JMTSS, visit mtssassociation.org/journal-of-mtss-jmtss.