A Critical Practice Analysis of Policy-Driven Reform in an Urban School: Mapping the Zone of Mediation in the Appropriation of Response to Intervention

• In Event: Roundtable Session 79
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Theory in Education Policy Analysis

Abstract

Response to Intervention (RTI) has become a widely adopted reform framework, which employs evidence-based instruction and progress monitoring for early identification of struggling students. RTI embodies promising features to tackle longstanding equity issues. Yet, emerging research raises concerns about the extent to which RTI addresses disproportionality and fosters high-quality instruction for underserved groups (King Thorius & Sullivan, in press; Artiles & Kozleski, 2010). The growing prominence of RTI in federal, state, and district policy requires critical analysis of implementation in settings serving historically marginalized students. This study examined: (1) What were the goals of implementing RTI in an urban school?; and (2) What cultural-historical factors converged within the school shaping the zone of mediation (Welner, 2001) within which RTI was implemented?

Authors

• Brendan D. Maxcy, Indiana University - IUPUI

• Kathleen King Thorius, Indiana University - IUPUI

• Erin Macey, Indiana University