The school psychologist as a behavior therapist: Past and future

Using a published review of 1965 as a comparison point, this article presents an opinion on the evolution of the school psychologist as a behavior therapist (encompassing the period of 1965–1975). Over the past ten years, it was noted that the role of being an individual therapist has been replaced by the role of being a consultant to the schools and the community, that assessment of change due to behavioral interventions (while some progress has been made) is still a major problem, and that the use of behavioral methods in the educational context is screened on an individual technique basis. In terms of the future, it is posited that there will be increasing support for the use of behavior modification activities, and specific areas of preparation for the schools and colleges are suggested. Special emphasis is placed on the relationship between professionalism and public policy, particularly as relevant to the ethics inherent in the use of behavior modification.     

The school psychologist as a tutorial systems supervisor

The school psychologist often is viewed as a diagnostician instead of a remediator. The purpose of this paper is to stress the remedial role that school psychologists can assume without detracting from the importance of diagnosis. Three main points are presented. (a) Paraprofessional tutors can be effective providers of individualized help to problem learners if they are given proper training, structured approaches, and careful supervision. (b) The application of effective paraprofessional models should be extended to the increasing number of mainstreamed handicapped students and adequately evaluated. (c) The school psychologist is in a position to effect improvements in existing remedial education through assuming the role of supervisor as tutorial systems are implemented and evaluated.     

The school psychologist's role as an assessment consultant

Consumers of school psychological services are interested in receiving a broader range of services from school psychologists than the traditional diagnostic one. One strategy that school psychologists might employ, in order to free up more time for providing alternative services, is to minimize their diagnostic function on the Child Study Team and become assessment consultants. This article discusses the types of services that an assessment consultant could provide to a Child Study Team.     

A brief behavior rating scale for children in a school setting

A brief behavior rating scale consisting of 28 items divided into 7 categories was developed for use in a school setting. Reliability coefficients for each of the categories ranged from.79 to.91; total reliability was.92. Test validity was based upon the successful discrimination between neurologically impaired, socially maladjusted, emotionally handicapped, and normal children.     

The role of the school psychologist in school desegregation: A plan for action

The research on the outcomes of school desegregation has been generally disappointing. This paper briefly reviews the historical role of social science in desegregation, and reviews some of the current research on cooperative learning in the desegregated classroom. A comprehensive role for the school psychologist is outlined, in which goals and subgoals, means for achieving them, and anticipated outcomes are clearly delineated. It is proposed that implementation of this role would lead to a much more positive school desegregation experience for all students.     

Mask-making as identity project in a high school English class: a case study

This study reports on the composing process of one student, Peta (a pseudonym), as he reflects on a significant composition he produced during a unit on identity in a 12th‐grade English class in a U. S. high school. The unit was the first thematic exploration of the year for the students and was designed to help them think about themselves as readers, writers, and individuals. The teacher's goal was to have students' engagements with literary and artistic texts serve as vehicles for developing better understandings of themselves. The study demonstrates how students' engagement with more ‘traditional’ artefacts is essentially an example of multimodality and evidences why teachers and researchers should see such work as part of the long tradition of creativity within English. It also demonstrates how such an apparently ‘traditional’ artistic approach in fact covers the same territory as that of the digital revolution, that is that multimodal ‘tools’ engage all the cultural resources of students from their domestic, community and school settings, in contrast with much typical school activity that is perceived as pointless and tedious.     

Goal setting,responsibility training,and fixed ratio reinforcement: Ten-month application to students with emotional disturbance in a public school setting

Reviews of treatment strategies for students with emotional disturbance (ED) have noted that most studies (a) do not involve entire classes or groups of classes, (b) are not conducted in public schools, and (c) do not report data for an entire 10-month school year (September to June). This study applied goal setting (GS), responsibility training (RT), and fixed ratio reinforcement (FRR) to three classes of students with ED in a public elementary school from September to June. GS included daily, weekly, and monthly goals for behavior and work earnings (points). RT included a level system with different reinforcers and privileges for each level, and nonisolated time out with problem solving. FRR included reward contingencies for behavior and work earnings. Data for 10 months indicated that (a) goals were consistently earned at high levels, (b) the percentage of students attaining higher RT levels progressively increased, and (c) time-out levels progressively decreased, with year-end spikes below prior peak levels. Findings supported the use of GS, RT, and FRR for students with ED in public school to encourage appropriate behavior and work effort over 10 months. Method limitations and research implications are discussed.     

A look at the single parent family: Implications for the school psychologist

The purpose of this article is to: (a) review briefly the efects on parents and children of living in a single parent family, and (b) to suggest ways in which a school psychologist can aid schools and single parent families in dealing more effectively with this type of structure. School-based interventions for children and parents are presented. These include achievement and behavioral assessment, evaluation of a child's support systems, counseling groups, bibliotherapy, parent education classes, in-service training for teachers, and referrals to community agencies. Changes in administrative policies to meet the needs of single parent families are suggested.