Barriers and Benefits to Response to Intervention: Perceptions of Special Education Teachers

We conducted a survey of special education teachers to determine their perceptions of the barriers and benefits to the process of Response to Intervention (RTI). This process is used for identification of students with disabilities and for early intervening for students who may or may not qualify for special education services. A total of 211 teachers wrote comments about barriers to successful implementation of RTI and benefits to RTI. The respondents listed several barriers concerning the process, gaps in knowledge, faculty attitudes, and lack of resources. They listed benefits to students in the areas of improved instruction through increased use of assessment and data, early intervening, and use of differentiated instruction. Although teachers listed multiple barriers, they also indicated perceived benefits to themselves and to students from the RTI procedures.