NAVIGATING SOCIAL NETWORKING AND SOCIAL MEDIA IN SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY: ETHICAL AND PROFESSIONAL CONSIDERATIONS IN TRAINING PROGRAMS

Social networking and social media have undoubtedly proliferated within the past decade, allowing widespread communication and dissemination of user‐generated content and information. Some psychology graduate programs, including school psychology, have started to embrace social networking and media for instructional and training purposes; however, there have not been any consistent ethical guidelines or standards among training programs relating to how trainers, graduate students, and practitioners should use social networking and social media professionally. This article draws on the current yet limited research on social networking and social media, and addresses the ethical challenges when managing both professional and personal online identities in school psychology. Two relevant case scenarios are discussed, along with suggested guidelines for developing technological policies for school psychologists. Future directions in research and practical implications for trainers, graduate students, and practitioners are explored.     

Autism spectrum disorder assessment and evaluation research in 10 school psychology journals from 2007 to 2017

School psychologists are increasingly engaged in service provisions for students eligible for special education services under the eligibility category of autism, including conducting school‐based assessments and evaluations. Evaluations occur for a variety of reasons such as special education eligibility decision‐making, treatment and intervention planning, and progress monitoring. Publications in school psychology journals emphasizing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) assessment and evaluation are vital to quality training and practitioner utilization of quality practices. In the current study, researchers conducted a systematic review of publicaftions in 10 school psychology journals from 2007 to 2017 to assess the current state of ASD assessment and evaluation research in the field of school psychology. Implications for researchers, trainers, and practitioners are discussed.     

Identifying the training experiences and needs of bilingual school psychologists

The purpose of this pilot study was to better understand the training experiences of bilingual school psychologists (BSPs) and identify their training needs in the provision of psychological services to English language learner students. The secondary aims of the study were to determine how school psychology programs can better prepare BSPs and incorporate best practices in bilingual competencies into their training models. Six BSPs (Spanish/English‐speakers) participated in the study; findings revealed four themes related to their training experiences: (a) programmatic limitations, (b) assumption that language equals competence, (c) going beyond the classroom, and (d) experiential training. In addition, as a result of their training experiences, the BSPs provided training recommendations in two major areas: (a) trainers and (b) culturally relevant curriculum. Implications for school psychology trainers will be provided.     

Are school psychologists reform-minded?

This study examined perceptions of reform in the role and function of school psychologists advocated by Reschly (1988). A national sample of 137 psychologists endorsed integrated features of traditional practice and reform on assessment activities and classification issues, but they more strongly favored reform positions on activities associated with consultation/intervention and professional/training issues. The use of and preference for curriculum-based assessment strongly characterized psychologists more favorably disposed toward reform. Reform-minded psychologists included administrators and trainers as well as practitioners who receive relatively few new referrals per year. However, psychologists who conducted few evaluations appeared to do more counseling than consultation or classroom intervention. Discussion focuses on understanding psychologists' conceptualization of their current role and on identifying the characteristics and activities of the more reform-minded. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

IDENTIFYING AND CULTIVATING LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL IN SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Though National Association of School Psychologists standards acknowledge the urgent need for leadership skills among school psychologists and loosely define a leadership agenda, a cogent model for the training and practice of this skill set has not yet been explicated. The formulation of a preliminary conceptual framework is a particularly pressing agenda for school psychology practitioners and academicians who, in response to the call for increased accountability in general and special education, must shift curricula from a traditional diagnostic/consultative/intervention framework to include topics related to organizational effectiveness. The objective of this article is to identify key behaviors, skills, dispositions, and contextual variables that will facilitate successful leadership among practicing school psychologists and then to propose considerations for specialist‐level training in school psychology.     

Successful graduate students: The roles of personality traits and emotional intelligence

Given the complex role of school psychologists, it is in the interest of stakeholders to identify characteristics related to student success in graduate training, which is suggestive of their effectiveness as practitioners. This study explores the relationship of personality traits and Emotional Intelligence (EI) to graduate students' performance in the classroom and the field. Participants were 63 school psychology students who completed measures of EI and Big Five personality traits. These measures were compared with two outcomes that can be indicators of success: Graduate grade point average (GGPA) and supervisor ratings of student performance at internship upon completion of their studies. EI was significantly correlated with GGPA; personality traits were not. The personality trait Conscientiousness and EI were significantly correlated with internship ratings. The implications and limitations of this preliminary data set for school psychology training programs are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

School psychology trainers' identification of current stressors in the work lives of urban practitioners. A comparison study

The focus of this study is to investigate school psychology trainers' identification of current stressors in the work lives of practitioners. Surveys rating 40 stressors on a Likert‐type scale were completed by 161 school psychology graduate faculty, members of the School Psychology Educators Council of New York State. Survey results were compared to the job‐related stressors identified by New York City Psychologists using an almost identical questionnaire. While there appears to be general agreement between faculty trainers and practitioners on the identification and relative ranking of work‐related stress, the faculty trainers consider those events to be more stressful than do the practitioners. Faculty's recognition of the environmental forces that negatively impact upon the experience of school psychologists should provide impetus for the development of graduate programs that address stress prevention and/or coping strategies. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

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.     

美国学校心理学家职业特点分析

学校心理学家是受过专门培训的职业工作者,他们运用心理学和教育学专业知识和技能,与教育者、家长及其他心理健康专业人员协调行动,为学生创设安全、健康和支持性的学习环境。本文从学校心理学家的界定,工作角色与职责,服务机构、对象与内容以及学校心理学家的培养等方面对美国学校心理学家的职业特点进行分析。了解和研究美国学校心理学家的职业特点对构建我国学校心理健康教育体系具有实践指导意义。     

Using grant funding to enhance school psychology training

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) offers competitive grants to institutions to provide training to prepare education personnel to work with children with disabilities. These grants have been found to improve the recruitment, training, and retention of special education personnel. This study explored the use of OSEP–personnel preparation (OSEP–PP) grants in school psychology programs from the perspective of school psychology university trainers with current active OSEP grant funding. Findings suggest that OSEP–PP grants enhance school psychology program recruitment efforts and improve the training of school psychologists. Study participants highlighted the importance of diversity within both training and recruitment. On the basis of these findings, authors discuss ways in which OSEP–PP funding can improve field shortages and school psychology training, and subsequently enhance school psychology practices towards more comprehensive service delivery.     

A NATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY TRAINERS’ ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS ABOUT EVIDENCE‐BASED PRACTICES

The present investigation examined 460 school psychology trainers’ attitudes and beliefs about the conditions for the education and training of evidence‐based practices (i.e., assessments and interventions) in training programs in the United States and Canada using an online survey. Trainer attitudes and beliefs about education and training in evidence‐based practices were measured using a 24‐item five‐point Likert scale. Overall, trainers had positive views of evidence‐based practices, as well as program and organizational support for such training. However, trainers rated the education and training of evidence‐based assessments more favorably than evidence‐based interventions. In general, trainer characteristics nor program accreditation status, model, or type of degree offered were found to influence trainers’ perceptions about evidence‐based practices. However, trainers with prior experience teaching evidence‐based intervention courses were found to have more supportive views of evidence‐based assessments and interventions than those without such experience. Implications for future training and school practice are discussed.     

School psychology and college learning disabled students: Traning and service possibilities

In recent years, increased attention has been devoted to the applicability of school psychological services to the adult population. Despite such attention, few school psychologists currently are being prepared to service adults. This paper argues that, with increasing numbers of learning disabled students entering postsecondary institutions, there exists an opportunity for school psychology training programs to aid in the servicing of these legally handicapped adults, while, at the same time, providing valuable experience to school psychology students in servicing the adult population. Specifically, this paper provides the reader with an overview of services provided to college learning disabled students, discusses the relationship between such services and school psychological services, and identifies numerous and service possibilities that exist for the profession of school psychology.     

A current landscape of specific learning disability identification: Training,practices, and implications

Specific learning disability (SLD) identification procedures vary across states (Maki et al., 2015, School Psychol Quart, 30, 457–469); however, the extent to which SLD identification methods are implemented at the district level is not well understood. Moreover, the high‐stakes nature of SLD identification necessitates extensive training, but research regarding graduate and postgraduate training in SLD is limited. This study examined school psychologists’ SLD training and practices through survey methodology. Results showed that a growing number of school psychologists use, prefer, and receive training in response to intervention and pattern of strengths and weaknesses to identify students with SLD while the use of and preference for ability–achievement discrepancy may be decreasing. However, nearly one‐third of school psychologists still reported the use of ability–achievement discrepancy. In addition, over half of school psychologists reported using state department of education guidance documents to inform their SLD identification practices. Implications for training and practice are discussed.     

Trends and practices in functional behavior assessments completed by school psychologists

Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs) utilize direct and indirect methods to collect data on student behavior to generate a functional hypothesis and drive intervention development. School psychologists are trained to conduct FBAs and use them regularly in schools. However, no evidence exists describing the specific practices used by school psychologists when they conduct FBAs. In this study, 199 respondents completed a web‐based survey developed using expert review and cognitive pretesting. Most respondents reported their gender as female (87%), were between 30 and 39 years old (50%), and practiced at the Specialist level (57%). Respondents reported receiving training in FBA across multiple sources and utilizing multi‐method data collection methods when conducting FBAs. A large amount of variability was observed in the specific instruments used by school psychologists, with a substantial proportion using forms that were not standardized or pre‐constructed. Implications for current practitioners, trainers, and researchers are described.     

Comparison of individual factors in school psychology graduate students: Why do students pursue a degree in school psychology?

The purpose of this study was to investigate what factors influenced students to enter the field of school psychology. Although numerous studies have documented the thoughts and perspectives of practitioners regarding why they have chosen to become school psychologists, attempts to recruit and retain an adequate number of school psychology practitioners and researchers have shown limited success. A national sample of 307 school psychology graduate students responded to a survey designed to measure issues related to the current state of professional practice, the influence of parental education, and professional organization recruitment. Results indicated that working with children and personal experiences within the school system were highly related to participant's decisions to become school psychologists. In addition, doctoral level and nondoctoral level students present similar reasons for entering the field. This research is discussed in terms of its implications for future research and the current shortage of school psychology practitioners and faculty. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 865–872, 2007.     

THE USE OF EVIDENCED‐BASED PRACTICES IN THE PROVISION OF SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING FOR STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER AMONG SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS

This study aimed to explore school psychologists’ use of evidence‐based practices (EBP), specifically in the area of social skills training, for students with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants were 220 school psychologists practicing in public school settings who provided social skills training to students with ASD. Participants were recruited through e‐mail solicitations and completed surveys administered on‐line. Results indicated that 47% of the participants reported that their graduate program did not provide courses including content addressing social skills training for students with ASD, and 58% did not receive training on the topic during their internship. The most and least frequently endorsed EBP reported were the provision of clear and measurable treatment objectives and regular communication with parents, respectively. Greater use of EBP was reported when school districts perceived implementing EBP as important. Implications of findings for training programs of school psychologists, school districts, and individual school psychologists are discussed, as well as implications for future research.     

THE PROVISION OF COUNSELING SERVICES AMONG SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS: AN EXPLORATION OF TRAINING,CURRENT PRACTICES,AND PERCEPTIONS

Although school psychologists have been called on in recent literature to assume a leadership role in a collective and comprehensive effort to address students’ mental health needs, many practitioners find that their professional roles continue to be narrowly focused on special education‐related activities, such as individualized assessment and eligibility determination. Meanwhile, students’ mental health needs have never been greater. The current study focused specifically on school psychologists’ provision of school‐based counseling, an activity that has been shown to be effective in addressing students’ mental health needs, as well as a professional role that many practitioners have expressed a desire to expand. A national sample of school psychologists responded to an Internet survey related to various aspects of counseling service delivery, including their training to provide services, current practices, and perceptions of the importance for school psychologists to assume the responsibility of providing school‐based counseling services.     

Differences between urban and rural school psychology: Training implications

Urban and rural school psychologists in Virginia were surveyed on role diversity, role emphasis, continuing education, and job satisfaction. As predicted, rural school psychologists have a more diverse role, spend less time in traditional assessment activities, and are more likely to engage in activities involving them at the systems and community levels. School psychologists indicated their perceptions of differences in rural and urban school psychology. Implications of urban vs. rural practice for school psychology training programs are discussed.     

Empirical and clinical methods in the assessment of personality and psychopathology: An integrative approach for training

School psychologists have a critical role in identifying social‐emotional problems and psychopathology in youth based on a set of personality‐assessment competencies. The development of competencies in assessing personality and psychopathology is complex, requiring a variety of integrated methods and approaches. Given the limited extent and scope of formal preparation in personality assessment in school psychology training programs, it is important to develop models using multiple methods of assessment. It is proposed that an integrated paradigm associated with a combination of empirical and clinical methods serve as a framework for the development of school psychology practice competencies in personality assessment. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 513–526, 2006.     

National survey of school psychologists regarding use of dynamic assessment and other nontraditional assessment techniques

A national survey investigating the use of dynamic assessment and other nontraditional assessment techniques among school psychologists (N = 226) was conducted. Results of the survey indicated that 42% of respondents were at least “somewhat familiar” with dynamic assessment. However, of those familiar with dynamic assessment, only 39% reported using the techniques once a year or more. The most frequently endorsed reasons for not using dynamic assessment (if familiar with it) were lack of knowledge and time restraints. Learning disabled students were the population of students most often evaluated using dynamic assessment and the dynamic assessment was most often used to determine processing strengths and weaknesses. The majority of those familiar with dynamic assessment became so through independent reading. Only 10% reported learning about dynamic assessment through course work. In response to questions regarding assessment techniques most often used with minority students the majority of respondents reported using traditional assessment tools including the WISC‐III (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Third Edition), BINET IV (Stanford‐Binet Intelligence Scale–Fourth Edition), or KABC (Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children). Overall, the results of the survey suggest that although the population is becoming increasingly more diverse and changes in PL94‐142 (Public Law 94‐142) demand functional assessments, school psychologists continue to rely heavily upon traditional assessment techniques to address referral concerns of all students. This may in large part be due to weaknesses in graduate training programs. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.