Although we do have a local DI school, I haven't been there. I have used D.I. in the classroom, but primarily as an intervention for students who are struggling with decoding. It has been an EXTREMELY effective reading intervention, but is generally frowned on in the district, for many of the reasons addressed in the chapter you linked (I just skimmed the chapter). I personally think that it should be used much more often in our district than it is, although I can't see using it with a student who easily picks up reading, and I wouldn't use it as a child's "only" reading. I personally was not a fan of the math when I tried it several years back. I can see how it could be effective, but it seemed more focused on discrete skills than on a more problem solving/creative approach to math.
If it were up to me (it's not
), I would use it with every 1st grade student who was not rapidly picking up decoding and fluency on their own. I find most of the critiques of the reading program to be baseless. However, I also wouldn't continue using the program once a student was a fluent decoder (although there are some good aspects to it). My primary use is with fourth and fifth graders who are still struggling with decoding.
Anyway...that's my two cents. I should say that the families I've run into who are the D.I. school have been very happy with it. I've also had some great conversations with a teacher who works there and who also feels good about what they're doing and how it's going. The population that gravitates to the school is mostly solid middle to upper middle class, fwiw.
