A survey of school psychologists' perspectives and practices with childhood depression

Despite some controversy, there is an emerging body of knowledge regarding the nature, prevalence, assessment, and treatment of childhood depression. The following study was undertaken to determine how this knowledge compares with the perceptions and practices of school psychologists in two north central states. A need for school psychologists to define the concept of childhood depression is identified. Use of DSM III-R for the diagnosis of childhood depression in the schools and the inclusion of standardized measurement techniques in the assessment process are advocated. Involvement of school psychologists in the treatment process, either directly or indirectly, is also recommended.     

A survey of school psychologists' practices for identifying mentally retarded students

Surveys containing questions about identifying mentally retarded students were mailed to 500 randomly selected school psychologists, of whom 160 (32%) returned completed, usable forms. The Wechsler scales were the most frequently used tests for deriving IQ scores, which together with adaptive behavior scale scores were rated as most influential in identification-placement decisions. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales were rated as the most used instruments for assessing adaptive delays. School psychologists were in less accord on issues such as the use of alternative norms for minority and lower SES students (35% confirmed their use), the application of an adaptive behavior standard score of 70 (47.7% indicated such use), and whether an established IQ score, such as 70, could be treated flexibly (27.2% stated they sometimes identified students with scores above the cut-off value). Suggestions are made for future research and current practice.     

Crisis response in the public schools: A survey of school psychologists' experiences and perceptions

In this study, 228 school psychologists completed a survey regarding crisis intervention teams and plans. The majority of respondents indicated their schools had crisis plans (95.1%) and teams (83.6%). The most common team activities endorsed by participants involved providing direct assistance and services to students, staff, and the media. The majority of participants (93%) reported that their schools had experienced and responded to serious crises. Respondents indicated that psychological debriefing was frequently used (generic 49.1% and standardized 17.9%). Less than half of the participants (44.3%) reported that meetings were conducted with parents and community members following a crisis. Nearly all of the participants (98.2%) reported that they had some type of crisis intervention training. However, many participants suggested that additional training and practice with crisis intervention would improve schools' crisis responses. Results are discussed with implications for school psychologists to improve their schools' crisis intervention plans and teams' responses. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 749–764, 2007.     

Consistency of administrators' and psychologists' actual and ideal perceptions of school psychologists' activities

Questionnaires asking for actual and ideal perceptions of the role of the school psychologist were completed by 80 school psychologists, 37 directors of pupil personnel services, and 29 superintendents in Virginia public schools. Administrators and school psychologists are in substantial agreement regarding the amount of time the psychologist actually devotes to different job activities. Approximately 75% of the psychologist's time is spent in Meyers' Level I activities (Meyers, 1973). All groups desire a reduction in the time spent in assessment, but they differ as to what intervention levels should be increased. Psychologists see the saved time most appropriately spent in interventions at the system level. Discrepancy between actual and desired roles is discussed in terms of the impact of P.L. 94–142. The consistency of psychologists' actual and ideal perceptions correlated significantly and negatively with their job satisfaction. This relationship is discussed in terms of role conflict, and a comparison is made of actual roles with the emphasis in two professional journals.     

A survey of school psychologists' preparation,participation, and perceptions related to positive behavior interventions and supports

Positive behavior interventions and supports are increasingly utilized in school systems throughout the nation, particularly the school‐wide multi‐tiered support framework. Given such trends, and the basis of these practices in psychological principles and research, it is important to identify how school psychologists are trained to contribute to such efforts, their involvement in intervention activities, and their perceptions of this approach. We surveyed a national sample of 557 school psychologists regarding their training, involvement, and perceptions of positive behavior supports. The results indicate that although most respondents had a variety of training experiences in multiple behavior‐related areas, one quarter did not report receiving any training related to school‐wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS). Although 35% of school psychologists reported employment in schools implementing SWPBIS, these schools varied in the SWPBIS elements in place. Implications for school psychology training and practice are addressed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A survey investigating school psychologists' measurement of treatment integrity in school‐based interventions and their beliefs about its importance

A survey of individuals holding the Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential was conducted via the Internet to gather information regarding their measurement of treatment integrity in school‐based interventions and their beliefs about its importance. A sample of 806 self‐selected professionals holding the NCSP credential provided data about the extent to which they measure treatment integrity and the methods they used to measure it when developing interventions via one‐to‐one and group/team consultation. Results showed that 97.6% agreed that measurement of treatment integrity was a key factor to consider and to include when evaluating interventions and when using intervention data for special education eligibility decisions. Few, however, reported regularly documenting it in one‐to‐one (only 11.3%) or group/team consultation (only 1.9%). Recommendations for how school psychologists and other school staff can increase their measurement of treatment integrity in school‐based interventions are offered. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A national survey investigating consultation training occurring in school psychology programs

The 203 school psychology training programs in the United States were surveyed regarding their approaches to consultation training, and responses were obtained from 60% of these programs. Forty percent of the programs offer at least one course devoted solely to consultation, while 60% do not offer such a course; more of the doctoral programs responding offer consultation training than do the nondoctoral programs; and practicum experience is considered an important aspect of consultation training. It is concluded that a greater emphasis on consultation training may help to promote implementation of this role.     

Instruments for evaluating school psychologists' functioning and service

The evaluation of school psychological services is both a responsibility and an opportunity too long ignored. Unique problems must be overcome in evaluating school psychologists, but the task is not insurmountable. This paper describes and presents examples of five data collection devices which can be used in the evaluation effort: the vignette-based questionnaire, the role-model questionnaire, the services received questionnaire, the teacher interview, and nonobtrusive measurement.     

专科师范生语文专业知识素养调查

我国的基础教育正面临着一场深刻的改革,推进这场变革的关键在于素质教育的实施。小学教育师范专科学生是未来基础教育的中坚力量,因此,他们的语文专业素养对我国小学教育的发展担负着重要的使命,经调查：他们具备了从事小学语文教学的必备的专业知识,欠缺关于基础教育课程改革的新理念。这源于他们对自我角色定位有深刻关系,应引起这类学校教师和管理者高度重视。     

Factors associated with school psychologists' perceptions of campus violence

Recent concern about school violence has increased demands on school psychologists to respond to safety concerns on their school campuses. In this study, 123 school psychologists responded to a survey about their perceptions, experiences, and readiness to meaningfully address school violence. School psychologists reported that they do not worry about their personal safety at school (78%), but most felt unprepared to deal with school violence (73%) and had received no specialized training in this area (85%). A principal components analysis of the types of violence school psychologists perceived to occur on their campuses identified a range of incidents from bullying to antisocial behavior. School psychologists working in inner-city schools were more likely to believe that their schools had high levels of violence (45.6%) compared with those working in urban-not inner-city (14.3%), suburban (4.9%), or rural (0%) schools. Recommendations to prepare school psychologists to help prevent, reduce, and respond to campus violence are discussed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Utility of school psychologists' recommendations: Perception of elementary teachers

This study was designed to investigate perceptions by elementary school teachers of the usefulness and ease of implementation of traditional recommendations that attribute the cause of referral problems to the individual student's characteristics or environmental conditions, as compared to recommendations that address a student's problem with varying degrees of specificity. Teachers rated recommendations that contained specifics for implementation as being more useful than those that attributed the cause of the problem to individual characteristics or environmental conditions. In spite of their high ratings on usefulness, the most specific recommendations, written in contract form, were rated as being difficult to implement, as were the recommendations that mentioned individual characteristics or nonspecific environmental condition as causes of the problem.     

A comparison of teachers' and school psychologists' perceptions of the importance of CHC abilities in the classroom

The broad cognitive abilities defined by the Cattell–Horn–Carroll (CHC) theory have been shown to predict school achievement. However, the ecological validity of these constructs has not been studied in classroom settings. This study compares ratings by a sample of teachers (n = 53) and school psychologists (n = 86) of the importance of the CHC cognitive abilities in the classroom. The scale demonstrated adequate reliability (total scale α = .93, median α = .74), although evidence of construct validity varied between teachers and school psychologists. Both teachers and school psychologists rated quantitative ability, crystallized knowledge, and fluid reasoning as most important to school success. However, school psychologists rated short‐term memory and quantitative ability as more important than did the teachers. Importance of these differences for consultation is discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

贫困地区中小学校长培训需求调查研究

了解校长培训需求是确立校长培训内容、培训形式及方法等的前提，是提高培训有效性的关键。本研究对贫困地区的1016名中小学校长培训需求进行了问卷调查。根据调查结果及对问题成因的分析，从培训内容、培训形式、培训的保障条件等方面提出了如何进一步提高贫困地区中小学校长培训有效性的意见和建议。     

对玉林市初中教师继续教育参培的调查与分析

本通过建立数学模型，利用层次分析法对玉林市2000年初中教师参加继续教育培训的情况进行了分析。     

基于工作知识的校长培训方案设计——以中职校长为例

校长培训应实现从专家能力取向向工作知识取向的转换.工作知识是工作过程所使用的知识、工作行动所表征的知识、工作任务所组织的知识,校长的工作知识具有概括性、稳定性和专业性等特征.基于工作知识的校长培训方案设计,要求以工作知识开发为基础,依据工作能力制订培训目标,依据工作任务组织培训内容,以工作知识为主体培训内容,并以任务书为提高培训质量的抓手.     

A snapshot of multicultural training in school psychology

With the rapidly increasing racial and ethnic diversity of the school-aged population, school psychologists must be properly trained to engage in culturally competent practice; however, little is known about how school psychology programs prepare their trainees to serve diverse populations. The purpose of this study was to update Rogers et al.'s study on multicultural training by examining the extent to which school psychology programs use multicultural training recommendations noted in the literature. Thirty-eight school psychology program coordinators completed the Multicultural Environmental Inventory-Revised (MEI) to assess their perceptions of their program's multicultural environment. Participants were also asked about their training in multicultural and diversity issues and how their program conducts multicultural training. Findings suggest that programs most frequently used the integration and separate course models for multicultural training along with clinical experiences serving diverse students. In addition, multicultural coursework was associated with higher scores on the MEI Curriculum and MEI Research subscales. With regard to program environment, the percentage of racial and ethnic minoritized (REM) students was positively correlated to the percentage of REM faculty and the number of required multicultural courses. However, programs lacked specific strategies to recruit and retain diverse students. Findings and implications for training programs are discussed.     

Primary school student-teachers’ knowledge and understandings of child sexual abuse and its mandatory reporting

Teachers in many schools have only recently gained a new role to fulfil as mandatory reporters of child sexual abuse. However, little is known, and little literature has been found, on the preparation they receive, as student-teachers, for this significant role. This study examines a final-semester cohort of 81 Bachelor of Education (Primary School) student-teachers in Queensland, Australia, by questionnaire, on their knowledge and understandings of child sexual abuse and its mandatory reporting. Using quantitative and qualitative data, the results show that while these student-teachers have a substantial awareness of the role's importance, without gender or age differences, they are suffering a crucial lack of confidence in their ability to identify child sexual abuse, and also in their ability to respond appropriately to suspicions of it. This evidence may be useful to inform the development of more appropriate and effective pre-service education programmes, and departmental policy to ensure that teachers entering the profession are better prepared to deal with it. Thus, this study accords with a variety of imperatives in national and international government-sponsored research, policy and practices which are focussing on this timely, ubiquitous and costly issue, in addressing enhanced pre-service teacher preparation to respond more effectively to child sexual abuse and its mandatory reporting.