E78|Doing RTI vs. Knowing RTI: What Actually Builds Teacher Confidence with Dr. Willa Van Dijk

In Episode 78 of the Teaching Literacy Podcast, host Jake Downs sits down with Dr. Willa Van Dyke from Utah State University to unpack a recent study published in Reading & Writing Quarterly exploring how schoolwide systems impact teachers' confidence in data-based decision-making. Drawing on survey data from over 1,000 elementary school teachers across 63 schools and 12 states, they discuss the surprising finding that a principal's ability to articulate their school's RTI model has no significant relationship with teachers' awareness of those practices. They also explore how directly providing tier two instruction and supervising paraprofessionals can boost teachers' self-efficacy around data-based decision-making, the role of organizational memory and school culture in RTI implementation, and why avoiding silos and keeping teachers in the decision-making loop matters for both student and teacher growth. Plenty of takeaways for any classroom teacher, reading coach, interventionist, or administrator working within multi-tiered systems of support.

02:24 — Administrator Articulation & Teacher Awareness 06:39 — Teacher Experience & Credentials 08:56 — Predictors of RTI Awareness 13:20 — What is RTI? History & Evolution 15:57 — Data-Based Decision-Making 18:56 — Organizational Memory & School Culture 22:42 — Self-Efficacy & Collective Efficacy 31:46 — Implications for Practice 38:49 — Paraprofessionals in RTI 43:51 — Interventionist-Led RTI: Efficiency vs. Effectiveness 52:27 — Closing & Optimism for Literacy Research 54:23 — Jake's Take

Reference:

Van Dijk, W., Stewart, J., Russell Freudenthal, D., Toste, J. R., Allor, J., Yovanoff, P., & Al Otaiba, S. (2026). The Relation Between Elementary Teachers’ Awareness of Schoolwide Response to Intervention Components for Reading and Self-Efficacy with Data-Based Decision Making. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2026.2666379