In this exploratory study, we adapted items from a previously developed measure of job satisfaction, the Measure of Job Satisfaction (MJS), an instrument first developed for use with community nurses in the UK, to create a brief, 15-item instrument (Job Satisfaction--Brief) applicable to practitioners of school psychology from Pennsylvania (N =…

Two states that are more than 2,000 miles apart have a similar goal: to embed best practices in crisis preparedness. Arizona and Pennsylvania are motivated to use the "PREPaRE School Crisis Prevention and Intervention Training Curriculum," 3rd Edition (Brock et al., 2016) across their states to increase school and practitioner readiness…

We used longitudinal staffing data from Pennsylvania to explore differences in special education personnel attrition across personnel categories, individual characteristics, and district characteristics. Special education administrators and school psychologists had the highest attrition rates among special education personnel, with special…

Implementation of multi-tiered frameworks for supporting staff behavior in preschools requires collaboration with skilled professionals. Given their training and skillset, school psychologists are uniquely equipped to fill this role; however, limited existing research guides practitioners in maximizing their potential as systems-level consultants…

The current brief provides an overview of the 2021-2022 school year student-to-school psychologist ratio for every United States territory, using the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) counts of school psychologists. In addition to this, data are presented on the percentage change in student-to-school psychologist ratio from the…

It is very important that schools be careful not to scare children about a place where they should feel safe. Thus, it is imperative that any active shooter drill be preceded by extensive education and preparation. Drills should be carefully planned by local police and the school crisis team, and school psychologists' involvement is critical.…

The purpose of the current study was to determine interrater reliability (IRR) of Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) Curriculum-based Measures (R-CBM) when used with Spanish-speaking English Learner (EL) students. The ORF R-CBM probes obtained from AIMSweb are measures of a student's reading accuracy skills and reading fluency skills. Certified school…

For this 15th article in the series reviewing recent court decisions concerning appropriate school psychology practice from both professional and legal perspectives, the topic is employment security. More specifically, the focus here is the sufficiency of the grounds for termination of a school psychologist in the wake of what the school…

Research reveals that students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) often do not feel safe at school as a result of higher rates of bullying in comparison to their heterosexual peers (Kann et al., 2016; Kosciw, Greytak, Palmer, & Boesen, 2014; Russell, Clarke, & Lamb, 2009). Compared to general…

The 2011 elections are complete and Amy Smith has been elected to lead NASP in 2012. Amy has a long history of serving her state and national professional organizations, most recently as NASP program manager for advocacy and before that as the Pennsylvania delegate and Northeast Region delegate representative. She served the Association of School…

Refugee and immigrant children constitute one of the fastest growing groups in the United States, with numbers increasing to an estimated 9 million children by the end of 2010. The Upper Darby School District, located in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania, has witnessed the rapid growth of a diverse immigrant and refugee population during the…

Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for families with children aged 5 to 15 years who have been affected by verbal and physical aggression in the family. AF-CBT was designed to address risks for exposure to emotional and physical aggression as well as common clinical consequences of…

This study explored the mental health needs and services of children and adolescents within Pennsylvania school communities; this included a focus upon evidence-based counseling approaches. Relationships were analyzed between population density, SES status, grade level and the type of mental health issues serviced. Survey data from 314 respondents…

Given their pivotal position, school psychologists have understandable concerns about the possibility of becoming the target of the relatively frequent legal proceedings under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Indeed, the threat of litigation can contribute to a flight from the profession (Lange, 2011). Yet, an informal…

An effective teacher is the key to student achievement. Teachers entering the profession today come from various backgrounds and previous experiences. As we increase our understanding of the generation of teachers currently educating our children, we can improve the ways we provide support to best meet their needs and continue to improve teacher…