Culturally Responsive Beliefs and Practices of General and Special Education Teachers Within a Response to Intervention Framework

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which diverse schools engage in culturally responsive beliefs and practices within response to intervention (RTI). Eight diverse elementary schools participated, and 200 general and special education teachers in grades K–5 completed surveys. Areas surveyed included culturally responsive teacher practices, culturally responsive school practices, successes, barriers, and needs to implement culturally responsive practices within RTI. Key findings showed a high proportion of teachers agreed to employing all of the culturally responsive practices except one. An equally high proportion of teachers perceived their school as employing all of the culturally responsive practices except one. Answers to open-ended questions supported and refuted these findings. The findings, including the implications for future research, are discussed.