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The purpose of this study was to explore the use of response to intervention/multi-tiered systems of supports (RtI/MTSS) in promoting social justice in schools.

This study used survey research, using a 32-item questionnaire, and presented results of approximately 200 school social workers (SSWs).

Findings suggest that RtI/MTSS encourages a sense of fairness for students by providing a greater understanding of culturally diverse approaches although some room for improvement does exist.

Implications for addressing educational interventions with explicit cultural responsiveness are discussed.

As more diverse students are entering the school system, different backgrounds and learning styles must be taken into consideration. Unfortunately, many schools today continue a legacy of deficit thinking and marginalization (Shields et al., 2005). An expansion of school programs and services are needed to better serve changing student demographics. SSWs lead the way in this paradigm shift by intervening in the educational process at multiple levels. In fact, social workers’ commitment to change is evident from how they promote social and economic equality among people who are marginalized and excluded from social and economic processes.

Within the social work and human service professions, a practitioner’s ability to engage with and assess the needs of marginalized clients can be a high-stakes proposition. If biases and cultural misunderstandings exist during the client engagement and treatment process, vital services such as domestic violence counseling psychotherapy, substance abuse treatment, and elder care can be compromised. The purpose of this chapter is to examine master’s level social work students’ self-perceived “readiness for practice” with diverse populations. Readiness for practice was assessed by two-course assignments: (1) “critical reflectivity assessment” and (2) development of a “cultural competence work plan.” Results revealed that most students overestimated their ability to work with diverse populations at the onset of instruction. However, at the end of the course, students were able to analyze their beliefs and assumptions about diverse, marginalized populations; analyze the concepts of power and privilege as it is manifested within society; and articulate a plan for continued knowledge and skill development beyond the classroom setting.