First Advisor

Chris Borgmeier

Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership: Special and Counselor Education

Department

Special Education

Language

English

Abstract

This improvement science dissertation focused on understanding and reducing the frequency of out-of-classroom removal of students exhibiting challenging behavior in one elementary school. Classroom removals result in lost instruction and reduced access to the general education environment. Baseline data indicated an average of 27.8 classroom removals per day, reflecting a systemic issue impacting both student outcomes and staff capacity. The goal was to reduce classroom removals to fewer than 10 per day by June 2026. The leadership team conducted a root cause analysis to inform a theory of improvement grounded in positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS). The team selected two tier 2 interventions, check-in/ check-out (CICO) and breaks are better (BrB) to implement and test through improvement cycles. The leadership team completed a series of plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles monitoring multiple data sources including daily progress reports (DPR), fidelity measures, and staff feedback. PDSA cycles found that improved procedural clarity, ongoing coaching, and consistent data review strengthened implementation fidelity. Students demonstrated progress on both CICO and BrB and overall classroom removals decreased from an average of 27.8 to 4 per day, well below the goal of 10. This study demonstrates how improvement science can be used to address complex behavioral challenges in schools and reduce classroom removals.

Rights

© 2026 Shawn A. Bernard

Comments

A Dissertation in Practice submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership: Special Education.

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