Response to intervention implementation: a successful principal's approach

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to explore the implementation of response to intervention (RTI) in elementary schools. RTI is a systematic and comprehensive teaching and learning process intended to identify and prevent student academic failure through differentiated or intensified instruction. Design/methodology/approach - Using an exploratory case study approach, this study observes the philosophical shift from removing students from the classroom for testing and remedial instruction, to incorporating a three-tiered intervention approach beginning with the classroom teacher. Findings - Findings show the strategies one principal used to implement RTI practices using a whole-organization structured approach. Teachers and administrators jointly planned the strategies and created venues conducive for the intervention students needed to meet district, local, and national academic expectations. Research limitations/implications - Research implications relate to the limited sample a single-case study can provide. Nonetheless, the case brings useful steps at an administrative level in building successful structures for the focused improvement of teaching and learning processes. Practical implications - Case studies provide a venue for practitioners and researchers to analyze possible approaches based on real examples. This study demonstrates possibilities in the adaptation of mandates to work on behalf of the improvement of children. Originality/value - This study is significant since there is a growing interest in adopting RTI processes in several countries around the world and in providing possible models of implementation for practitioners and researchers.