By intentionally implementing strategies to partner with caregivers before, during, and after the evaluation process, school psychologists can empower families and improve student outcomes. The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP, 2019) has advocated for engaging families as active partners, emphasizing the importance of forming…

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families make up a large and growing part of the school community. Schools build barriers for CLD families, inadvertently eroding trust and perpetuating harm to these groups. In order to make change, schools must revisit and revise their family engagement practices to examine whether families from all…

It is important to understand the contexts which lead to alternative education programming. The ways in which problem behavior is defined detrimentally impacts ethnically and racially minoritized populations and students with disabilities. Additionally, the pipeline to alternative education, with opportunities for increased supports and services,…

If students at your school are not attending classes or coming to school at all, they may be engaging in school refusal. Understanding what school refusal is, as well as the functions behind it, is key to evaluation and a collaborative school-home approach to intervention.

Immigration at the southern border of the United States has a complicated history. This article focuses on youth who have arrived in the United States via the southern border. It is important to note that within that population, youth will have a wide variety of experiences with immigration depending on their family, community, and personal…

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, 62.1 million people identify as Hispanic/ Latiné in the United States. Of the 49.6 million students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in fall 2022, 14.4 million students identified as Hispanic (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2024a). Factors such as poverty, health issues, and…

Safe, stable, nurturing relationships between students and school personnel are essential for students' psychosocial development. All students should have access to these relationships, regardless of their background, race, gender, or disability status. Over the past several years, young people have experienced an extraordinary amount of social…

School psychologists have a responsibility to promote positive outcomes for children that includes removing systemic barriers for our most marginalized students. The current political climate surrounding the movement for racial justice should inform our service provision to schools, students, and their families. Racism and implicit bias are at the…

Devastating school shootings have spawned a cottage industry of untested responses to school violence. Some involve target hardening, or making schools less vulnerable to violent attacks. School administrators and community members can be quick to gravitate towards target hardening measures for preventing school violence. However, crime prevention…

Nonpublic schools (NPSs) are used by local education agencies (LEAs) across the country to serve students with exceptional needs. These students are often reported to suffer from mental health challenges and engage in severe problem behaviors. The social and financial costs associated with NPS placements are significant, and it is imperative that…

This article reviews effective strategies and resources designed to help engage refugee families and children in the U.S. education system. It is written in response to requests for more information from participants who attended several invited National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) presentations over the last few years. The ideas to…

Home-school collaboration is strongly related to educational outcomes of children. However, not all families feel equally welcome at their children's schools. Children of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) couples are often met with perceived hostility when they attempt to participate in discussions about family, and their parents…

Youth suicidal behavior is a significant public health problem, and schools can play an important role in youth suicide prevention. However, schools cannot do this alone; they need the student's family members and peers, and other professionals and community members, to do their part. School personnel, and particularly school-employed mental…

There are a number of important developments that have occurred in New Jersey recently surrounding brain injury that may serve as an inspiration for school psychologists in other states. In this article, the authors discuss what is happening in New Jersey to increase awareness among school psychologists, other educators, the public, and public…

In the southwestern United States, there is a group of children who are referred to as "borderland children" who experience additional challenges that place them at higher risk of developing mental health and other related problems. For the purpose of this article, borderland children are defined as children who reside in towns and…