The practicum in school psychology: Making use of a university-based psychological service center

This paper examines the manner in which a university clinic may be used to provide a portion of a school psychology student's practicum experiences. Advantages highlighted include providing a broader base of experience than just those of the public school system, and intensive and varied doctoral-level supervision. Discussion centered on the continued need for providing practicum experiences that expose students to a variety of situations.     

Parent involvement in early childhood special education: Opportunities for school psychologists

Increased opportunities for assessment and intervention, consultation, and program evaluation in early childhood education are suggested as roles that the school psychologist should develop to facilitate effective parent involvement in a child's education. A review of the literature on parent involvement in early childhood special education is provided. The current federal guidelines, rationale, definitions of parent involvement, and strategies for evaluating parent involvement are reviewed.     

Cognitive Stimulation as a Mechanism Linking Socioeconomic Status With Executive Function: A Longitudinal Investigation

Executive functions (EF), including working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility, vary as a function of socioeconomic status (SES), with children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds having poorer performance than their higher SES peers. Using observational methods, we investigated cognitive stimulation in the home as a mechanism linking SES with EF. In a sample of 101 children aged 60–75 months, cognitive stimulation fully mediated SES-related differences in EF. Critically, cognitive stimulation was positively associated with the development of inhibition and cognitive flexibility across an 18-month follow-up period. Furthermore, EF at T1 explained SES-related differences in academic achievement at T2. Early cognitive stimulation—a modifiable factor—may be a desirable target for interventions designed to ameliorate SES-related differences in cognitive development and academic achievement.     

Cultural studies monograph series

Cultural studies monograph series     

Tweens' conceptions of privacy online: implications for educators

There is considerable debate about young people's concern for privacy today, given their frequent use of social media to share information and other content about themselves and others. While researchers have investigated the online privacy practices of teens and emerging adults, relatively little is known about the attitudes and behaviors of younger youth. Drawing on interviews with 42 middle school students, or ‘tweens’, we explore how youth in this age group think about and manage privacy issues online, as well as the messages they report hearing from educators about online privacy. Our findings suggest that most tweens value privacy, seek privacy from both strangers and known others online, and use a variety of strategies to protect their privacy online. Further, tweens' online privacy concerns are considerably broader than the ‘stranger danger’ messages they report hearing from teachers. We discuss the educational implications of these findings.