"Just listen to us": The role of teacher empowerment in the implementation of responsiveness to intervention

Abstract

Teachers play a vital role in the implementation of new programs. This article discusses how best to support teachers in the face of such change. Specifically, we describe the perspectives of teachers who participated in a pilot project of the responsiveness to intervention model. Through focus group data, the researchers explored the barriers that teachers encountered during the first year of implementation as well as the supports that allowed them to overcome some of these barriers. Despite these supports, one major barrier persisted: all the participants in this study described feelings of powerlessness. This article explores the roots of these frustrations and highlights the resulting role that teacher empowerment can play in the successful implementation of new programs. © 2011 The Governors of the University of Alberta.