Honoring the Ancestors: A Culturally Responsive Response to Intervention Framework for Diverse,Twice-Exceptional Students

Abstract

In this article, the authors illustrate how teachers use a strength based, culturally responsive Response to Intervention (RTI) framework to meet the varied needs of a culturally diverse, twice-exceptional student. Using a case-based approach, the authors demonstrate how classroom teachers and specialists collaborate with the student and her family to create an individualized system of supports designed to nurture the student’s gifted potential while simultaneously addressing her cultural needs and learning disabilities. Using a hypothetical case, a student’s curiosity about her Puerto Rican heritage and multiracial identity becomes the central focus as teachers build a thematic unit of instruction that honors her ancestors. As the student learns about her Indigenous Taíno and African heritage, she is taught to use specific evidence-based learning strategies to improve her memory, study skills and build on her curiosity and multilingual strengths. Throughout the article, the authors provide explicit examples of how to create a culturally responsive RTI plan for a diverse twice-exceptional student.