Response to Intervention: Perspectives of General and Special Education Professionals

Federal legislation allows local education agencies to use a student's response to scientific research-based interventions as a method of identifying specific learning disabilities. As a result, educational leadership is challenged to implement response to intervention (RTI). Despite increased literature addressing RTI, no consensus on implementation has been reached. This national study was conducted to capture and report general education and special education professionals’ perceptions and implementation practices of RTI. Study participants were randomly selected to include general and special education administrative, instructional, or support personnel on elementary and high school campuses. The wide variances, misunderstandings, and lack of training reported in this nationwide study could explain the mixed results of recent research on RTI. Implications for school leadership are deduced from the data and highlight the need for pre-service and continuing professional development concerning all aspects of RTI.