The Evolution of Response-to-Intervention Continuities and Disruptions in the Past, Present, and Future

The Evolution of Response-to-Intervention Continuities and Disruptions in the Past, Present, and Future by Vicki Park, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey

Abstract: This chapter traces the evolution of Response-to-Intervention (RTI) in the United States, focusing on the discourses that undergird its conceptualization in implementation and scholarship. Discourse on RTI began with concerns about student equity in special education. Its early conceptualization focused on mitigating the problematic nature of the special education designation process and attempted to shift the practice to providing early intervention supports within the general education setting. Current practices and perspectives continue to build on medical models of intervention and implementation approaches rooted in technical rational methods. Critiques about RTI research and practice reflect broader analyses of policy implementation and large-scale school reforms described as overemphasizing the technical dimensions of change and underestimating the influence of the socio-cultural, cognitive, and political contexts.