An Examination of Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CCEIS) in New Jersey: Utilization and Allocation Toward Mitigating Significant Disproportionality in Special Education Matthew William Korobkin

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Korobkin, Matthew William, author.

Contributor:

University of Pennsylvania. Educational and Organizational Leadership., degree granting institution.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

0449.

0515.

0727.

Local Subjects:

0449.

0515.

0727.

Genre:

Academic theses

Physical Description:

1 electronic resource (176 pages)

Contained In:

Dissertations Abstracts International 88-03A

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 2026

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This dissertation investigated the utilization and allocation of Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CCEIS) in New Jersey. It focused on their role in addressing significant disproportionality in special education. Significant disproportionality refers to the overrepresentation of certain racial or ethnic groups in special education identification, placements, or disciplinary actions. In response to this issue, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires local education agencies (LEAs) identified as significantly disproportionate to set aside 15 percent of their IDEA Part B funds for CCEIS. CCEIS aims to provide services to any child struggling academically or behaviorally. Its intended outcome is to "address factors contributing to the significant disproportionality" and thus reduce disproportionality (Disproportionality, 34 C.F.R. § 300.646, 2016). The study focused on the 2022-23 school year and examined how New Jersey school districts used their CCEIS resources and how those resources were allocated toward mitigating significant disproportionality. It analyzed public-facing technical assistance documents, CCEIS budget narratives from all 38 significantly disproportionate New Jersey districts in 2022-23, and semi-structured interviews with administrators from 10 of those districts. The findings showed that districts in this study primarily invested CCEIS resources in academic and behavioral interventions and professional development (PD). Many districts aligned these activities with Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). There were comparatively fewer CCEIS investments in culturally responsive practices, policy and procedure reviews, or student evaluations. In addition, districts most often implemented CCEIS in race-implicit ways, in which administrators acknowledged race but did not consistently center race or racism when explaining the causes of disproportionality or the focus of CCEIS interventions. Only a small number of districts adopted explicitly race-conscious approaches. Furthermore, districts inconsistently evaluated their CCEIS outcomes. Lastly, in districts cited for White significant disproportionality, administrators linked disproportionality to relatively privileged access to medical diagnoses, evaluations, and advocacy. This study recommends embedding race-conscious inquiry and culturally responsive practices into MTSS and prevention-system routines. It also recommends strengthening New Jersey state and federal guidance so that CCEIS planning tools require districts to analyze and address racial and ethnic patterns more explicitly. Furthermore, it recommends an amendment to IDEA regulations at 34 C.F.R. § 300.646(d)(2) to require that LEAs identified with significant disproportionality direct CCEIS primarily to the racial and ethnic groups whose overidentification triggered the finding. Lastly, it recommends research on race-conscious MTSS and on privileged forms of significant disproportionality involving White students

Notes:

Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 88-03, Section: A.

Advisors: Watts, Caroline Committee members: Bowden, A. Brooks; McDonald, Peggy; Whiting, Ross

Ed.D. University of Pennsylvania 2026

Includes bibliographical references

Local Notes:

School code: 0175

ISBN:

9798190910308

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license