The 2002 Conference on the Future of School Psychology: Implications for Consultation,Intervention, and Prevention Services

In November 2002, the multisite Conference on the Future of School Psychology was sponsored by major professional associations of school psychologists. Conference goals included achieving consensus on current and future demands for school, conceptualizing the practice of school psychology in the face of diminishing numbers and increasing demand for services, and developing an agenda to use school psychology resources to maximize the benefits to the children and schools. Consultation, intervention, and prevention were major themes in all conference activities. The present article provides an overview of the conference and a summary of issues and outcomes from the conference that relate to educational and psychological consultation services.     

Follow-up to the 2002 Futures Conference: Collaborating to Serve All Children,Families, and Schools

Recommendations of the Thayer, Spring Hill, and Olympia conferences are examined as they relate to ways we can support and make positive contributions to students, families, and schools. In the current issue of the Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, Hatzichristou and Lampropoulou (this issue), Meyers, Meyers, and Grogg (this issue), Nastasi (this issue), and Wizda (this issue) share important insights that can guide efforts to implement ideas discussed at the recent 2002 Futures Conference. Their ideas, along with literature on the public health model, are discussed. Points are made about the move to evidence-based interventions, as well as the use of Internet technology to facilitate collaboration and follow-up to the 2002 conference.     

Distinguishing ROI myths from reality

Use of the return‐on‐investment (ROI) methodology to show the value of performance improvement projects has spread over the past decade. Some perceive ROI as inappropriate for human performance improvement, while others see it as the ticket to additional funding and executive support. This article explores ROI trends and answers the most common questions about it.     

Embedded Clinical Librarianship: Bringing Medical Reference Services Bedside

This article was written by Patti Gibbons and Debra A. Werner. Patti is the Head of Collection Management at the University of Chicago Library’s Special Collections Research Center and holds a MLIS from the University of Illinois and a MA from the University of Washington. Debra is the Librarian for Science Instruction & Outreach and Biomedical Reference Librarian at the University of Chicago Library and the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine’s Director of Library Research in Medical Education and she holds a MLIS from Dominican University. This article covers an experimental project at the University of Chicago where the library’s medical librarian teamed up with the hospital’s clinical team during patient rounds to provide real-time reference services. The project’s effectiveness was studied by a medical student who found that the embedded librarian’s services improved the clinical team’s evidence-based medical decision-making abilities without increasing the length of bedside rounds.     

Inhibitory and bactericidal activity of the calmodulin antagonist,trifluoperazine, againstMycobacterium avium in vitro and within human monocyte-derived macrophages

The activity of a calmodulin antagonist, trifluoperazine (TFP), was testedin vitro againstMycobacterium avium (ATCC 25291). The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of this compound forM. avium were 20 and 30 μg/ml, respectively. TFP was also found to completely inhibit the growth of 10 isolates ofM. avium (5 patient isolates and 5 environmental isolates) at 30 μg/ml. At near neutral pH (6.8), the MIC of TFP was found to be 20 μg/ml. However, at pH 5.5 (intracellular pH of macrophages), there was a decrease in the inhibitory activity of the compound against this organism. Interestingly, 99.6% ofM. avium within human monocyte-derived macrophages were killed at a drug concentration of 30 μg/ml, which correlates well with the MBC of TFP againstM. avium in vitro. Although the MIC for TFP appears to be higher than that forMycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇R_v, our studies suggest that calmodulin antagonists might be useful as drugs against infection due toM. avium. It is suggested that administration of TFP in combination with other known drugs may enhance the overall bactericidal effect.     

Preliminary studies on the antitubercular activity and the mechanism of action of the water extract of garlic (Allium sativum) and its two partially purified proteins (Garlic defensins?)

Water extract of garlic (Allium sativum) inhibited the growth ofMycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇R_v andM. tuberculosis TRC-C1193 susceptible and resistant to isoniazid respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was slightly above 80 but less than 160 μg/ml and slightly above 100 but less than 200 μg/ml for the susceptible and resistant strains respectively. Gel filtration in Sephadex G-100 columns showed that two protein fractions (43 & 38 kD) possessed antitubercular activity with much lower MICs of 20–40 μg/ml and 30–60 μg/ml for susceptible strain. Water extract, when added to actively growingM. tuberculosis in their mid log phase prevented their further growth. The water extract of garlic inhibited the incorporation of¹⁴C glycine into whole cells by 81% in 6 hrs. indicating that the primary mechanism of action is by inhibition of protein synthesis.     

Multidimensional Self Concept Scale: An examination of grade,race, and gender differences in third through sixth grade

The purpose of this study was to investigate the practicality of extending the Multidimensional Self Concept Scale (MSCS) norms downward for use with third and fourth grade students from a predominantly African-American sample. This research compared domain-specific and general self-concepts by grade, gender, and race among third through sixth grade students. Comparison was also made between fifth and sixth grade students in this sample and fifth and sixth grade students in the national standardization sample. It was concluded that no meaningful differences existed between the present sample of fifth and sixth grade students and the standardization sample of fifth and sixth grade students. However, differences found between the third through sixth grade students in this sample were significant and clinically meaningful for the Total Scale score and for all scales, except the Academic and Physical scales. Although the existing norms for the Academic and Physical scales appear appropriate for the younger children, separate norm tables appear warranted for the remaining subscales and Total Scale. Internal consistency for the MSCS for third and fourth grade students was comparable to the fifth and sixth grade students in this sample. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

McCarthy scales,McCarthy screening test,and Kaufman's McCarthy short form correlations with the Peabody Individual Achievement Test

In this investigation, the relationships between the McCarthy Scales General Cognitive Index, the McCarthy Screening Test, Kaufman's McCarthy short form, and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test were examined. The sample included 39 children randomly selected from four classes in an elementary school. Results indicated that the Estimated General Cognitive Index by Kaufman's short form was virtually identical to the McCarthy Scales (full form) Index. The McCarthy Scales, McCarthy Screening Test, and Kaufman's short form all correlated significantly (p=.01) with the Peabody Individual Achievement Test, with the exception of the McCarthy Motor Scale. Moreover, there was no significant difference between the Peabody Total Test/Kaufman McCarthy short form correlation of.55 and the Peabody Total Test/McCarthy Screening Test correlation of.54 (t=0.09). Implications of these findings are discussed.