THE DELTA KAPPA GAMMA BULLETIN

41

What Really Matters in Response to

Intervention: Research-based Designs
by R. L. Allington (2009), New York: Pearson Education
REVIEWED BY ROBERTA LiNDER

esponse to Intervention (RTI), in addition

to the standardized testing mandated by No
Child Left Behind, is one of the two major issues currently facing American educators. In
this book, Dr. Richard Allington provides readers with a clearly-written, accessible text that
highlights the major elements of RTI and offers
research-based programs and instructional approaches to help stmggling readers.
Allington begins his book with an overview that looks at stmggling readers and what
they need to become proficient readers. He then
asserts that the youngest stmggling readers need
at least an additional 30 minutes of focused
reading instmction per day provided by reading
experts if their reading development is to be accelerated to the point that they can perform at
an adequate level. "But by second grade and beyond, we will need to schedule more intervention
reading time every day. It may be that an extra 30
daily minutes will be insufficient for even some
stmggling first-grade readers" (p. 17). Although
this may seem to be an impossibility in school
days which are already strained by attempting to
include everything the students need, Allington

later proposes
a number of
solutions
to
this dilemma.
The introductory
chapter
concludes with
a clear, concise
description of
RTI and its implications
for
educating struggling readers.
In the subsequent chapters, Allington
presents the eight research-based principles
which he feels would provide the foundation for
effective reading intervention programs. Among
those principles are matching readers with texts
they can read with a high degree of accuracy.
Dr. Roberta Linder is assistant professor of
education and chair of the Master of Arts in Reading
Instruction Program at Aurora University in Illinois.
She is a member of Zeta chapter and can be reached
at rlinder@aurora.edu

42

making sure the interventions provide struggling readers with large amounts of time spent
with authentic reading rather than other types of
activities, providing instruction for individuals
or small groups, coordinating the supplemental
instruction with the student's classroom lessons
to avoid confusion, and using trained, expert
teachers to provide the reading interventions.
Throughout these chapters, Allington provides
the research bases for his recommendations, and
he continually asserts the need for ongoing professional development if these principles are to
be effectively implemented and sustained.
Clearly, Allington is not a proponent of using commercially-produced, packaged programs
for RTl; rather, he feels that trained professionals
using research-based reading practices can make
the greatest impact. In the final chapter, he uses
a question-and-answer format to address topics
such as computer-based interventions, brain research, and the role of reading coaches. He also
summarizes research related to reading programs
which have been adopted as interventions, basing
his comments and charts on information from the
What Works Clearinghouse website (http://www.
whatworks.ed.gov).
What Really Matters in Response to Intervention: Research-Based Design is a book that
should be read by teachers and administrators
alike. It challenges its readers to view intervention as more than the implementation of another
packaged program; rather, it should be viewed as
the development of competent, trained teachers
using re search-based practices when providing
additional reading instruction to individuals or
small groups of struggling readers.

SPRING 2009

Teacher Preparation Programs

Continuedfrom page 40

.lean Benton is professor of middle and secondary

education at Southeast Missouri State University and
director of intemational education programs for llie
College of Education, where she has developed a
variety of study abroad options for education majors.
She is a member of Omega Chapter in Missouri and
can be contacted at jbention(i/Jsemo.cdu. Simin Cwick
is professor and chair of the department of middle
and secondary education at Southeast Missouri State
University. She is past treasurer and a member of the
Omega Chapter in Missouri. Simin can be contacted
at scwick@semo.edu