The rising numbers of special education referrals have resulted in national debate and subsequent new legislation regarding the methods school districts have traditionally used to identify specific learning disabilities. The 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) now allows the use of a student's response to scientifically based instruction and intervention, known as Response to Intervention (RtI) as part of the eligibility process.

This study examined the change process that occurred in relation to the first-year implementation of RtI in a suburban Illinois school district. Two major research questions guided this study: (1) What factors enhanced the implementation and what were the inhibiters to the process? (2) In what ways, if any, did procedures, leadership practices, teaching practices and beliefs, change as a result of an RtI initiative?

Change theories, first presented by sociologist Karl Lewin and then expanded by Edgar Schein, served as the framework against which change was examined. The results of this study suggested that mandated changes in educational initiatives such as RtI require several "pre-planning" or "refreezing" activities before actual implementation can take place. The findings suggested that as teachers and administrators move through the implementation process, changes will occur in daily practices and thus, as staff see the results of change, previously held beliefs regarding teaching and learning will then be "unfrozen."

Several considerations for implementation and practice were developed from this study and are geared toward district leaders who wish to implement RtI in their schools.