Ninety elementary-school teachers read information about a hypothetical student experiencing school-related problems due to Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), generated classroom accommodations to assist the student, and rated their confidence in these accommodations. Each teacher was provided one of three levels of information about T1DM: (a) "no…

We surveyed a national sample of 139 school psychology students to better understand their perceptions of their practicum experiences. Specifically, we examined the students' reports of the types of activities in which they engage during practicum experiences and their perceptions of their school-based supervisors' activities. This information is…

Functional behavior assessment (FBA) incorporating a functional analysis is emerging as an effective model used to assess classroom behavior problems. However, conducting an FBA in a classroom presents challenges for school psychologists such as determining which environmental variables to evaluate in the assessment. Because teacher attention is…

The Invitational Conference on the Future of School Psychology held at Indiana University in Fall 2002 included a number of paper presentations and group discussions. Toward the end of the conference, four participants were asked to present their reactions, reflecting input from a practitioner, a graduate student in school psychology, a faculty…

With its roots in clinical and educational psychology, school psychology is an ever-changing field that encompasses a diversity of topics. "The Oxford Handbook of School Psychology" synthesizes the most vital and relevant literature in all of these areas, producing a state-of-the-art, authoritative resource for practitioners,…

Over the past decade, an increasing body of research has been conducted on evidence-based psychological and psychiatric treatment for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Despite this improved understanding, however, these treatments are not being performed. This study descriptively examined the practices and views of school…

The first, and most prominent, section of this publication consists of eight digest papers which offer several perspectives on new models for psychological practice in schools. The topics addressed in the digest series reflect key issues confronting psychologists as they struggle to increase their responsiveness to educational challenges in…

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…

Both educational attainment and mental health are part of the whole development of the child. School psychologists are indispensable in the schools because they alone bridge the gap between learning and mental health. They become even more in demand when they demonstrate that they can leverage mental health through educational interventions, and…

Psychologists learn early that the first place it is necessary to establish consistency of values is within the self. This foundation is a necessary condition to becoming an indispensable psychologist. Three ingredients to professional indispensability in psychology are excellence, relevance, and passion. Combine these with motive power (the drive…

Despite the field's growth, development, and maturity, in many ways the typical psychologist in the schools in little better off than a quarter century ago. Presently school psychology positions rest primarily on the shaky bedrock of financial and legislative considerations rather than perceived need. Following marketing strategies can enhance the…

One of the first steps psychologists can take toward making themselves indispensable in the schools is to actively participate in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of crisis intervention teams. Unless effective crisis intervention strategies are instituted, the educational process comes to a standstill. School psychologists need to play…

A study examined the effectiveness of the Preventing Early Reading Failure Project in the Griffin-Spalding County School System (Griffin, Georgia) during the 1994-95 school year. The approach was based on research on phonemic awareness and phonological recoding. The treatment group of 39 first-grade students received classroom reading instruction…

A problem exists in the lack of assessment coordination between monolingual psychologists and bilingual psychologists when working with language minority children referred for evaluation of special needs. This practicum was designed to improve the psychological assessment coordination between monolingual English psychologists and the bilingual…

The authors discuss the various problems arising from the 1974 law guaranteeing the personal privacy of students. They criticize the existing school records on students and suggest that these reports be based on behavioral description which can be easily verified so as to avoid misunderstandings and legal difficulties with parents. (SE)