In this article, the author will review data documenting the significant and painful burden mental illness places on children and review the burden mental illness places on the school and society. In addition, the author will offer that school psychologists are perfectly positioned to promote mental wellness and qualified to address the challenges…

The present article describes an exploratory study regarding the preferred cognitive assessment practices of current school psychologists. Three hundred and twenty-three school psychologists participated in the survey. The results suggest that the majority of school psychologists endorsed that they base their assessment practices on an underlying…

School professionals, particularly school counsellors and school psychologists, require detailed knowledge of many important factors that contribute to the personal, academic, and vocational development of the students in their charge (e.g., psychosocial development, curricula developments, local community developments and initiatives, national…

This is the final installment of a 3-part series of articles proposing substantial changes in assessment practices, urging school psychologists to write reports that are responsive to the needs of primary consumers--parents and educators, in particular. According to the author, the prevailing practice of writing long, complex reports with a focus…

The term advocacy elicits a range of reactions from school psychologists. The term may even inspire anxiety in those who may not consider advocacy a part of their professional practice or see themselves as advocates. However, most school psychologists engage in advocacy efforts on a regular basis, even if they do not realize it. Advocacy simply…

Objective Structured Professional Assessments (OSPAs) were developed and evaluated at three universities in the United Kingdom, to supplement supervisor assessments of trainee educational psychologists' placement practice. Participating second year students on three educational psychology doctoral programmes (n = 31) and tutors (n = 12) were…

School psychologists are frequently called upon to assess students who have made verbal or behavioral threats of violence against others, a practice commonly known as threat assessment. One critical issue is whether the outcomes of a threat assessment generate the kind of racial disparities widely observed in school disciplinary practices. In…

Teachers in Swedish schools must balance the values imposed by law while simultaneously attempting to respect freedom of religion for their pupils. This study aimed to empirically investigate how teachers handle pupils who are Jehovah's Witnesses, a minority religion. Eleven, adult ex-members were asked to reflect on their experiences during…

Middle and high school students interact via powerful social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Social media platforms are sometimes misused, resulting in cyberbullying and sexting that could adversely affect many in the school community. School counsellors, school psychologists, and educators are uniquely positioned to…

A promising development in school-based prevention and intervention science is the use of applied social-psychological concepts to improve students' experiences and outcomes in school. Mounting evidence from rigorous studies supports the efficacy of theoretically informed interventions grounded in social psychology, including growth mindset and…

In this article we discuss teacher resilience and the critical role it plays in preventing attrition and burnout in schools. Using a bioecological model, we examine protective and risk factors that promote or inhibit teacher resilience at the levels of the "person," "microsystem," "mesosystem," and…

After the change in IDEIA, different models of response to intervention (RtI) have been practiced widely in American school systems. School psychologists are in an important position to facilitate RtI practice and provide professional development in order to help their school systems successfully undergo this transformation. However, there is a…

This study examined the relationship between response to intervention (RTI) implementation integrity in reading and student reading outcomes. Data were collected from 64 principals and school psychologists at 43 elementary schools. Hierarchical linear regression was used to examine the degree to which implementation of RTI tiers and key components…

Students with developmental disabilities have many challenges with learning and adaptive behaviour, as well as a higher prevalence rate of mental health problems. Although there is a substantial body of evidence for effcacious interventions for enhancing resilience and promoting mental health in typically developing children, very few programs…

School psychologists have a close, often uncomfortable relationship with the law, as much of what they do from day to day is defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004) and related state law. However, judges deciding cases often do not have a detailed understanding of how education and schools work, and…