Running Head: EDUCATION 1
Supporting the Whole Student
Grand Canyon University
Supporting the Whole Student
The United States of America, a country that strives to raise educated children, has been
presenting and adjusting the way it teaches its population since before the adoption of the US
Constitution more than 225 years ago. Over the last 100 years, many reforms have been initiated
in the United States. This paper will present two important reforms that strive to identify children
who are lacking in one way or another. Reading to Intervention (RtI) and the National School
Lunch Program (NSLP) both have seen successes but also both have their share of continuing
, EDUCATION 2
issues. What types of reforms will we see in the next 100 years? A possible reform will be to
restructure of the way we level students in classrooms. All three of these reforms affect Special
Education students in the way we, as educators, teach, guide and support every student on their
path to learning.
Reading to Intervention (RtI)
RtI is early intervention for students who are struggling and identifies students for further
testing for special education and related disabilities. (Alahmari, 2019) When RtI is implemented
with fidelity, students receive quality education in reading within small group or a 1 to 1 setting.
RtI helps to identify students that need extra support and can help avoid unnecessary referrals to
Special Education. The way RtI students are identified varies from state to state. Many schools
lack the resources and staff to implement a quality RtI program. (Alahmari, 2019) This lack of
resources can sometimes cause a student to lose confidence. The student may beginto avoid
potentially humiliating situations and will refuse to take risks for fear of failure. (Bouton,
McConnell, Barquero, Gilbert, & Compton, 2018) When a student has a fear of failure their
entire being is affected. RtI strives to support the whole student in confidence in reading. This
confidence can be seen in other subject areas as students see their potential.
National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
The reduction in childhood malnutrition following the founding of the National School
Lunch Program in 1946 is often heralded as one of the greatest achievements of the US public
health movement. (Gibson & Dempsey, 2015) NSLP helps provide lunch and breakfast to low-
income children at school. For children, nutritional food is a necessity to learning and reaching
their potential. Like RtI, NSLP has suffered from the inequity and inconsistency across states and
Supporting the Whole Student
Grand Canyon University
Supporting the Whole Student
The United States of America, a country that strives to raise educated children, has been
presenting and adjusting the way it teaches its population since before the adoption of the US
Constitution more than 225 years ago. Over the last 100 years, many reforms have been initiated
in the United States. This paper will present two important reforms that strive to identify children
who are lacking in one way or another. Reading to Intervention (RtI) and the National School
Lunch Program (NSLP) both have seen successes but also both have their share of continuing
, EDUCATION 2
issues. What types of reforms will we see in the next 100 years? A possible reform will be to
restructure of the way we level students in classrooms. All three of these reforms affect Special
Education students in the way we, as educators, teach, guide and support every student on their
path to learning.
Reading to Intervention (RtI)
RtI is early intervention for students who are struggling and identifies students for further
testing for special education and related disabilities. (Alahmari, 2019) When RtI is implemented
with fidelity, students receive quality education in reading within small group or a 1 to 1 setting.
RtI helps to identify students that need extra support and can help avoid unnecessary referrals to
Special Education. The way RtI students are identified varies from state to state. Many schools
lack the resources and staff to implement a quality RtI program. (Alahmari, 2019) This lack of
resources can sometimes cause a student to lose confidence. The student may beginto avoid
potentially humiliating situations and will refuse to take risks for fear of failure. (Bouton,
McConnell, Barquero, Gilbert, & Compton, 2018) When a student has a fear of failure their
entire being is affected. RtI strives to support the whole student in confidence in reading. This
confidence can be seen in other subject areas as students see their potential.
National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
The reduction in childhood malnutrition following the founding of the National School
Lunch Program in 1946 is often heralded as one of the greatest achievements of the US public
health movement. (Gibson & Dempsey, 2015) NSLP helps provide lunch and breakfast to low-
income children at school. For children, nutritional food is a necessity to learning and reaching
their potential. Like RtI, NSLP has suffered from the inequity and inconsistency across states and
