Response to intervention preparation for preservice teachers: What is the status for midwest institutions of higher education

In this study, the authors represent an exploratory investigation of current preparation of preservice teachers related to response to intervention (RTI) in institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the Office of Special Education Program (OSEP) Regional Resource and Federal Centers (RRFCs) North Central Region and Pennsylvania. In this study, they use a two-stage sampling process to identify IHEs and their education faculty. A survey was designed by the researchers and administered electronically via email. Three hundred eleven IHEs with 771 preservice education faculty members from their respective states, colleges, and departments were invited to participate in the study. There were 227 usable surveys returned for a 29.4% return rate. The authors found special education faculty indicating high agreement on many items related to preservice preparation to implement RTI. Recommendations for future IHE RTI training to better prepare preservice teacher educators for RTI in local educational settings are included.