Teachers & Teaching

Teachers’ professional development is crucial in working with the RTI model. It aims to provide an optimal response for struggling readers. The findings of the OR study indicate a significant change in teachers’ perceptions of literacy knowledge; that is, after the professional development program, they reported more knowledge than at the beginning of the program. The teachers also reported a significantly higher sense of literacy self-efficacy after completing the professional development program compared to the beginning of the program. These findings reinforce those in the related literature and indicate that if the goal of professional development is to change one’s classroom practice, it is important to develop different areas of knowledge alongside developing the teachers’ sense of competence and provide them with practical tools and materials that will allow them to implement the knowledge to students. The training enabled the creation of a community of teachers and colleagues who had fertile ground for discussion, support, and consultation.