Research Questions How often do teachers use intervention programs to help students who are performing below grade level? What factors shape teachers' use of intervention programs?
Many teachers across the country grapple with how to effectively educate students who are performing below grade level. One available option is academic intervention programs, which are programs intended to reteach and/or remediate specific skills or concepts for students. However, the prevalence of teachers' use of intervention programs and the factors that shape teachers' use remain unknown. The American Instructional Resources Survey (AIRS), which was fielded to the RAND Corporation's nationally representative American Teacher Panel in spring 2019, provides unique insight into U.S. teachers' use of academic intervention programs in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. In this Data Note, researchers explore the prevalence of teachers' use of intervention programs and how teachers' use of such programs may vary by school context, based on AIRS data.
Key Findings Teachers were more likely to report using an intervention program in ELA than in mathematics Teachers were significantly more likely to use intervention programs in ELA (62 percent) than in mathematics (52 percent). Teachers also reported a wide variety of intervention programs used. In ELA, the most commonly used interventions included Accelerated Reader for elementary and middle school teachers and Read 180 for high school teachers. In mathematics, the most commonly used interventions among those listed in the survey included enVision MATH: Diagnosis and Intervention System for elementary teachers, Response to Intervention Everyday Intervention for middle school teachers, and MathXL for School for high school teachers. High school teachers were least likely to report using an intervention program compared with teachers at other school levels Although high school teachers were less likely to report using an intervention program than elementary or middle school teachers, 42 percent of high school teachers reported use of a reading or mathematics intervention (compared with majorities of elementary and middle school teachers). Teachers in high-poverty schools were significantly more likely than those in lower-poverty schools to report using intervention programs in ELA Using school free and reduced-price lunch (FRL) eligibility as a proxy for school poverty, the authors found that teachers' use of ELA intervention programs was higher in schools with 75 percent or more FRL eligibility. Use of mathematics intervention programs does not appear to be tied to school poverty levels.
Recommendation The lower rates of intervention program use in mathematics and in high schools should be more closely examined to understand teachers' reasons for not using such programs. Research also could explore why such a large percentage of teachers are using intervention programs, the quality of the programs they are using, and how they are using interventions to support student learning.
Related Products
Project
The American Educator Panels Jul 3, 2018
Report
How Much Influence Do Teachers Have in Their Schools? It Depends on Whom You Ask Dec 12, 2018
William R. Johnston @WR_Johnston, Goke Akinniranye, et al.
Report
Report
AEP Data Note Technical Appendix Dec 12, 2018
Report
Are Educators Setting Goals for Social-Emotional Learning? Evidence from Nationally Representative Surveys Jan 16, 2019
Christopher Joseph Doss @Chris_J_Doss, William R. Johnston @WR_Johnston, et al.
Report
School Reform Efforts: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow? Educator Perspectives on the Rapid Life Cycle of School Reforms Apr 11, 2019
Christopher Joseph Doss @Chris_J_Doss, Goke Akinniranye
Report
School Improvement Plans: Is There Room for Improvement? May 16, 2019
Christopher Joseph Doss @Chris_J_Doss, Goke Akinniranye, et al.
Report
Perceptions of School Leadership: Implications for Principal Effectiveness Mar 14, 2019
Katie Tosh, Christopher Joseph Doss @Chris_J_Doss
Report
Time for Change? Educators' Perceptions of Discipline Reform in Their Schools Jun 13, 2019
Rachel Perera, Courtney Armstrong
Report
Students with Unique Learning Profiles: Do Teachers Have Adequate Support? Jul 11, 2019
Tiffany Berglund, William R. Johnston @WR_Johnston
Report
Educator Access to and Use of Data Systems Feb 14, 2019
Tiffany Berglund, Katie Tosh
Report
Where Do Educators Turn to Address Instructional and Behavior Challenges? Aug 15, 2019
Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS, Gerald P. Hunter
Report
Report
AEP Data Note Technical Appendix 2 Aug 15, 2019
Report
Are U.S. Teachers Using High-Quality Instructional Materials? Sep 12, 2019
Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman, Katie Tosh, et al.
Report
Learning from Peers on a Large Scale: Teachers in High-Poverty Schools Find Value in Results of National Educator Surveys Oct 10, 2019
Elizabeth D. Steiner, William R. Johnston @WR_Johnston
Report
Principals Could Use More Support to Help Students with Disabilities — Especially in Schools Serving Mostly Students of Color Feb 13, 2020
Laura Stelitano, William R. Johnston @WR_Johnston, et al.
Research conducted by RAND Education and Labor
The research described in this report was conducted by RAND Education and Labor and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, and the Overdeck Family Foundation. For this document, different permissions for re-use apply. Please refer to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation section on our permissions page.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation research report series. RAND reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.
Permission is given to duplicate this electronic document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND Permissions page.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.