In the spring of 1988 an independent school district in Texas formed a 30-member strategic planning team which gathered data on factors impacting the school district at that time and into the foreseeable future. Planning was facilitated by the appointment of 15 action teams formed to write specific plans to fulfill various targets and strategies.…

Increased concern has been directed toward students who have been identified as disaffected or alienated and who are not responding to the traditional school program. These students are not usually classifiable as educationally handicapped. A system-wide programmatic approach to deal with disaffected and disruptive students in a manner that allows…

From the legislative point of view special education in Norway today is geared up to do a commendable job for all of the individuals who have a need for special services. The definition of special education has been broadened to include all kinds of special help, training, institutionalization and intervention programs. Along with this has come a…

Members of the helping professions are not immune from physical or psychological impairments that interfere with competent and ethical practice. The types of problems faced by psychologists and the help offered by one support program are presented. The purpose of the Psychologist Support Program (PSP) of the Ontario (Canada) Psychological…

Rural areas have fewer health services and are proportionally underrepresented in practicing mental health professionals. For community psychology to meet the needs of rural populations, new training approaches for community psychologists will need to be developed. New areas of prevention and intervention will require roles and functions different…

School psychologists are often asked to make significant decisions about students, but there has been a lack of research on how psychologists make such decisions. Obtaining the objective that school psychologists make sound decisions is an important goal, which involves training in how to minimize the adverse impact of predictable biases in human…

The Health Systems Agencies created to plan and coordinate the development of health care systems in 205 health service areas across the states have a need to be legitimized and operationalized in community contexts in order to achieve their purpose. Community psychologists have both research and consultation roles to play in contributing to…

The prevention planning process pursued within the National Institute of Mental Health in 1978 is described and related to federal proposals on primary prevention program planning in the mental health field. The conceptual frameworks and parameters of prevention planning are cited, along with the specific new prevention initiatives to be…

Within the past decade, the movement toward family and community empowerment in literacy has grown dramatically. It is readily accepted that students' academic performance at school is closely related to the family literacy environment. Community-based programs that celebrate diversity and personal strength while strongly supporting literacy have…

There is a great deal of rhetoric concerning the prevention of violence and related problems faced by youth. A conference speech, this document advocates that rhetoric must be replaced by an examination of available data and experience with school-based prevention programs. This is especially important in light of a growing emphasis on "Safe…

In times of crisis, students, teachers, and other staff members can be deeply affected. Since a crisis can occur at any time, having an effective crisis intervention plan for school personnel in place is important. Immediate intervention following an emergency may help students deal with the immediate after effects of a death or loss and may…

Numerous counseling needs are generated in the aftermath of school crises, particularly crises involving school violence. Meeting these needs can be assisted when school psychologists involve classroom teachers in the planning and implementation of crisis counseling. This paper provides information about a crisis counseling intervention model…

Accountability has become a concern for public mental health programs, including the Hawaii State Mental Health Division which relies on the Multi-State Information System (MSIS) for program planning and evaluation. Accuracy in reporting and agreement in clinical judgment on the MSIS has been assumed but never tested until an analogue study was…

During the early 1990s, the concept of "full-service schools" has gained momentum in educational and social reform movements as an effective vehicle for providing integrated, comprehensive, and intensive services to at-risk children, youth, and families. The essential feature of full-service schools is to provide a system that connects…

Psychologists' roles are changing and expanding in many ways. In the next decade, psychologists will probably continue their involvement away from the clinic and into the community. Deinstitutionalization should create many new opportunities for psychologists, particularly in the areas of community support system coordination and service…