Practitioner’s Perspective

To Change or Not To Change

Jennifer KitsonHays, KS

2002 Invitational Conference

The Future of School Psychology

November 16, 2002

Barriers to Successful Change

Focus limited to individual child

Assessment limited to classification decisions

Role limited to special education

Lack of data-based decision making

Helping Schools Focus on Competence

How are academic, social, and emotional learning promoted in your school/system to ensure that all students’ needs are met?

How are classroom teachers and other personnel supported, informed, and trained to deal with social, emotional, and academic performance issues?

How are evidence-based practices used to affect social and emotional learning so that high academic achievement can be attained?

Systemic Change

Consider children within the context of systems

Consider mission and goals of the systems

Assess needs Form partnerships to

focus on a common goal Develop and implement

a shared plan Evaluate outcomes

Opportunities for Expanded Role

Use and expand upon community resources and connections.

Identify a need and provide a service (school improvement team, crisis intervention team)

Form relationships with PTA/PTO, site council, community coalitions/agencies.

Write a grant to provide opportunities to implement research-based and/or innovative projects.

Do School Psychologists provide mental health services?

If a school psychologist provides any of the following:

• Consultation to school staff &/or parents regarding social/emotional needs of children/youth, positive behavior supports, classroom/school approaches

• Screening, evaluation, identification, & referral for children exhibiting emotional disturbances

• Providing interventions to students with chronic behavior/emotional needs

• Providing staff development

• Planning & implementing appropriate academic & other educational supports

…then the school psychologist is providing mental health services

• Providing small group &/or individual counseling

• Providing resources & information to school staff &/or parents

• Measuring progress & improvement both for individuals & also for programs

• Conducting functional behavior assessments

• Coordinating the referral of children/families to other service agencies, related to mental health (case management)

• Specific skills instruction

Public Health Approach

Provide intensive

interventions for a few children

Intervene early for some children

Build a schoolwide foundation for ALL

children

Assuring Quality:

• All stakeholders are integral to the design, implementation and evaluation of services

• Program / services are available, accessible, & attractive

• Programs & services are integrated • Systems & interventions are monitored• Interveners have appropriate knowledge &

skills

• Differences among students/families are valued

• Empirically-supported interventions are used

• Legal and Ethical issues are addressed

Assuring Quality:

Outcome Evaluation and Accountability:

Short-term outcome data

Long-term outcome data

Reporting to key stakeholders

Using outcome data to enhance intervention quality

No one individual or group can effectively address the academic and health needs

of children.

Working in partnership with school personnel, families and communities,

school psychologists can successfully implement systems level change to better

address the needs of children.