Author(s)

Rachel ScottFollow

Date

5-2016

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Verlyn Evans

Keywords

Early Education, Early Intervention Program, Elementary, Georgia, Math, Remediation

Disciplines

Curriculum and Instruction | Disability and Equity in Education | Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Methods | Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the perceptions that K-5 teachers have toward Georgia’s mandated Early Intervention Math Program (EIP) on at risk learners in an elementary school in a rural, North Georgia community. The following questions guided the study: 1. How do K-5 teachers describe their experience with Georgia’s Early Intervention Math Program as an early math intervention for at-risk learners? 2. How do participants describe their experiences with Georgia’s EIP regarding student math preparedness? 3. How do participants perceive the EIP program in comparison to the regular education math program? The setting for this study was a rural elementary school with a population of 751 students. Participants included 10 teachers from K-5 that have experience working with the EIP program. Interviews, focus groups, and reflective journals were coded and analyzed for major themes. The following themes were identified: EIP model of delivery is important to the success of the students; lack of support, funding, and training is crippling the EIP program; and teachers are determined to support students and intervene even if no formal program is in place to do so. Teacher participants felt as though the resources and training provided for them were not adequate; however, they were determined to provide appropriate interventions for their students to help them achieve success. Future research would be helpful on this same topic with a different demographic population, a more focused look at individual delivery models, and a survey of teacher preparation programs to identify gaps in learning for new teachers.

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