Turnbull, Malai2019-12-112019-12-112019-08https://hdl.handle.net/11299/209013University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. August 2019. Major: Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development. Advisor: Peter Demerath. 1 computer file (PDF); x, 261 pages.This study concerns the factors influencing special education referral and identification rates including the phenomena surrounding disproportionate representation of students of color in special education, employing a single-site case study to investigate the pre-referral intervention process. This study found the pre-referral intervention process to be a complex framework of supports including Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in coordination with the work of the intervention team members and stakeholders. Results suggested the team’s ability to implement pre-referral interventions was influenced by school conditions, teacher leaders, and the building principal. Results indicated a difference between academic and behavioral interventions, noting that academic interventions were interpreted as more objective, easier to identify, and more readily informed by student data. Behavioral interventions were based on subjective interpretation by staff members and required multiple steps. Behavioral interventions were influenced by non-school related factors including trauma, parents, and resources and school-related factors including school culture, structure, and the skillsets of staff, notably the ability to confront, interpret, and make sense of possible cultural and racial differences and biases. Implications of the study results concern the complexity and challenges of implementing pre-referral interventions and supporting student behavior through the pre-referral intervention process. Results illuminated the interconnectedness of school support systems and factors influencing the process such as organizational conditions, teacher leadership, and the role of the principal. The impact of partnerships with families and the ways in which educators confront possible bias in the work of identifying and addressing student behavior was notable. Recommendations are offered on organizational management and theory, school leadership, student behavior, interventions and support and continued research.enbehavioral interventionsdisproportionate representationMTSSpre-referral interventionsschool leadershipstudent behaviorThesis or Dissertation