Demographics and professional practices of school psychologists: A comparison of NASP members and non–NASP school psychologists by telephone survey

A national telephone survey was conducted to examine potential differences between National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) members and non–NASP member school psychologists. Identified schools were contacted by telephone and the researchers asked to speak with the school psychologist. A sample of 124 practicing school psychologists was obtained. Overall, 57.3% (n = 71) of respondents were NASP members, and 42.7% (n = 53) were not. In most respects, current results were similar to NASP‐member‐only surveys. Current results suggest that previous studies overestimated the proportion of NASP members among school psychologists and may have underestimated the total number of school‐based practitioners. Significant differences between NASP members and nonmembers were found in ethnicity, national certification, professional organization membership, and use of Curriculum Based Measurement. Results are discussed in the context of previous national surveys. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Role expansion: Networking functions of Illinois school psychologists

A total of 228 Illinois school psychologists responded to a questionnaire regarding networking and liaison activities and job satisfaction. The results suggested that Illinois school psychologists are satisfied overall with their jobs and spend a considerable amount of time engaging in networking and leadership activities involving various school personnel, family members, and community agency representatives. Implications for the field of school psychology and future research are discussed.     

A study of gender differences among school psychologists

Full and intern members of ten state school psychology associations were surveyed regarding demographics, salaries, experience, yearly evaluations completed, contractual arrangements, and professional credentials and affiliations (N = 1,527). Results indicate higher proportions of women are increasingly entering the field. With years of experience considered, there were significant gender differences in yearly (p < .05), daily (p < .01), and hourly (p < .05) salary. There were no gender differences in the number of days worked yearly, number of hours worked daily, number of yearly evaluations completed, or the number of assigned schools. Gender differences were noted in professional credentials and professional affiliations. Implications of the emerging gender trend for service delivery are discussed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Role stress and perceived intensity of burnout among school psychologists

This study investigated the relationship between role stress and perceived intensity of burnout for 209 school psychologists. It also investigated differences in role stress and burnout for school psychologists and four other educator groups (i.e., classroom teachers, school social workers, guidance counselors, and reading specialists). Concerning the three measures of burnout, school psychologists reported midrange perceptions of burnout along the Emotional Exhaustion and Personal Accomplishment dimensions and the second lowest level of burnout for Depersonalization, the second aspect of burnout. School psychologists also reported the second highest level of Role Conflict and the highest level of Role Ambiguity compared to other teacher groups. Findings also indicated that the components of role stress are significant predictors of the three aspects of burnout. Implications of these findings and suggestions for further research are offered.     

Crisis prevention and intervention: A survey of school psychologists

A random sample of 197 practicing school psychologists who were members of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) completed a survey questionnaire on experiences and perceptions with regard to school crisis preparedness, prevention, and intervention. Respondents indicated having the most direct experience with student–student physical assaults, serious illness or injury of students, unexpected students deaths, suicide attempts, and guns or other weapons at school. School psychologists reported that their schools used a wide variety of prevention and intervention strategies, most of which have been advocated in the literature. Respondents reported being most involved in the implementation of crisis prevention and intervention strategies and less involved in development and evaluation. Results and implications are discussed within the context of empirically supported practices and school psychologists' readiness to assume larger roles in crisis prevention and intervention. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 777–788, 2004.     

Daily activities of school psychologists: A national survey

A national survey of 335 school psychologists, asking them to record their activities on a specific school day, found that assessment activities comprised nearly 40% of the work time, and consultative activities another one-third of the day. Data were collected on a number of other work activities, as well as characteristics of the respondents: age, ethnic status, graduate degrees held, languages spoken, and characteristics of district served.     

Views of school psychological services: A comparative study

Perceptions of elementary principals were compared to findings of supervisors of psychological services on a 13-item questionnaire. Both groups rated generalist skills and individual diagnostic testing and consultation as important, and remedial instruction as unimportant. Differences were found between the groups on conducting research, inservice programs, preventative activities, counseling with parents, screening for special classes, and liaison activities. Implications for university trainers and field psychologists were noted.     

Attitudes and mainstreaming: A literature review for school psychologists

“Mainstreaming” legislation requires that special needs students participate in regular classroom activities to the extent possible. Studies indicate, however, that, neither parents, peers, nor professionals may be expected to hold positive attitudes toward these students or be competent providers of positive growth experiences. Existing evidence supports the need for comprehensive training programs for these groups which provide an interface between their experiences with special needs students and an introduction to new knowledge. School psychologists should assume a leadership role in development and implementation.     

A comparative study of learning patterns of secondary school,high school and college students

The main aim of the current research was to identify the similarities and differences in learning patterns used by secondary school, high school and college students. There were 8,072 participants and they responded to the Chinese version of Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS) online. Findings show that the three groups of students were significantly different in their adoption of learning patterns; the dimensionalities of learning patterns observed in secondary school and high school students were similar, but were different from those of college students; these students’ learning patterns differed from each other in relation to personal characteristics (i.e. gender and age), but tended to have similar strong relationships with parents’ education level and parents’ jobs. This study contributes to the understanding of the learning patterns characterized by school and college students. By acknowledging this, educators can help to develop better support for students in adapting to new study environments.     

Self-instruction training: A potential tool for school psychologists

Self-instruction training is a cognitive-behavioral approach to self-control in which children are taught to use covert speech to modify their own behavior. The potential effectiveness of self-instruction training as an intervention technique for school psychologists to enhance student academic and/or social behavior in the classroom is the focus of this review. Research results addressing the practical issues of how, when, and with whom to use this strategy, its generalizability, and its long-term and comparative effectiveness are presented. Implications for further research in the schools are discussed.     

Suicide intervention: Training,roles, and knowledge of school psychologists

Practitioner‐members of the National Association of School Psychologists (N = 162) completed questionnaires regarding their suicide prevention and postvention roles, training, preparedness, and knowledge. Most were crisis team members, yet less than one‐half reported graduate training in suicide risk assessment and less than one‐fourth in postvention. Compared to nondoctoral‐level practitioners, doctoral‐trained practitioners felt better prepared to handle suicidal students. Most respondents had participated in a suicide risk assessment in the past 2 years, with few using standardized measures. Performance was moderately strong on questions about knowledge of risk factors, warning signs, and appropriate steps to respond to a suicidal student, but respondents showed less familiarity with postvention recommendations intended to discourage contagion. Training suggestions were identified. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 157–170, 2007.     

The evolution of school league tables in England 1992–2016: ‘Contextual value‐added’, ‘expected progress’ and ‘progress 8’

Since 1992, the UK Government has published so‐called ‘school league tables’ summarising the average General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) ‘attainment’ and ‘progress’ made by pupils in each state‐funded secondary school in England. While the headline measure of school attainment has remained the percentage of pupils achieving five or more good GCSEs, the headline measure of school progress has changed from ‘value‐added’ (2002–2005) to ‘contextual value‐added’ (2006–2010) to ‘expected progress’ (2011–2015) to ‘progress 8’ (2016–). This paper charts this evolution with a critical eye. First, we describe the headline measures of school progress. Second, we question the Government's justifications for scrapping contextual value‐added. Third, we argue that the current expected progress measure suffers from fundamental design flaws. Fourth, we examine the stability of school rankings across contextual value‐added and expected progress. Fifth, we discuss the extent to which progress 8 will address the weaknesses of expected progress. We conclude that all these progress measures and school league tables more generally should be viewed with far more scepticism and interpreted far more cautiously than they have often been to date.     

Job satisfaction,burnout, and perceived effectiveness of “in‐house” versus traditional school psychologists

The present study examined whether school psychologists who serve a single school (“In‐House” group) differed from school psychologists who serve several schools concurrently (“Traditional” group) in the three areas of job satisfaction, burnout, and effectiveness as perceived by the school psychologist. A total of 63 school psychology practitioners were surveyed using a 28‐item questionnaire developed specifically for this study that yielded scores for Job Satisfaction, Burnout, and Perceived Effectiveness. Results of a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated that the In‐House group reported higher rates of satisfaction and perceived effectiveness and lower rates of burnout than did the traditional group. Items that distinguished between the two groups related to job diversity, caseload, others' familiarity with the school psychologist, the school psychologists' level of integration into school activities, and administrators' knowledge about the school psychologists' capabilities. Suggestions for further research and implications for current practice are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 40: 237–243, 2003.     

Attitudes and learning disabilities: A literature review for school psychologists

Most LD students spend the major part of the school day within the regular classroom. Research, however, supports the rejected status of these students. The purpose of this presentation is to: (a) review research pertaining to the feelings professionals and peers have about learning disabled students, and (b) review those factors that may be important for consideration when attempting to modify these perceptions. School psychologists should address the attitudinal issues with a knowledge and basic conceptualization of various strategies that may be utilized to initiate attitude modification programs.     

Serving the gifted: A national survey of school psychologists

Gifted students are among the most underserved population in American schools and are some of the most underperforming in the world, ranking last in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Algebra, and Geometry among 13 other developed countries. To improve services for the gifted, possible gaps in training and service delivery must be identified. There is a lack of research addressing many of the practical aspects of the delivery of services to the gifted. There is also a lack of research examining how well school psychologists are prepared to provide services to gifted and talented students. We conducted a national survey of school psychologists to evaluate the amount of time school psychologists allocate for gifted assessment and consultation. We also collected information about graduate school and professional development on gifted topics, familiarity with prominent figures in the gifted field, and gifted assessment methods. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Supporting the career development of gifted students: New role and function for school psychologists

The American ethos that you can be whatever you want to be has not always been a helpful adage for gifted students. Gifted students require career counseling to understand the world of work, and to identify their interests and values in addition to their already-identified talents. Academic planning and career development for gifted students is an important and complex process that requires thoughtful consideration. School psychologists have the skills and abilities to provide valuable career development services to gifted students. The authors explore the unique challenges and career development needs of gifted students and provide suggestions for interventions.