Response to Intervention: A Cautious Tale in the Quest to Transform Lives

Abstract

This narrative, a cautionary fictional tale, addresses the way in which theoretical models, specifically the Response to Intervention (RTI) model buckles and collapses when situated within an institutional system. The model of RTI, with its elegance and simplicity, lures educators and administrators into a predictable narrative fantasy where the learning problem resides within the student. As such, the student moves through steps or tiers where computer time, small group activities with classroom aides and volunteer tutoring masquerade as superior instruction. At the same time, each tier functions to gradually isolate the student until s/he becomes dis/abled from the larger group moving towards more restrictiveness. Regrettably, rather than dismantling the system of marginalization, RTI strengthens the organizational structure of marginalization by gradually feeding back upon itself.