Revisiting efforts on constructing a knowledge base of evidence-based intervention within school psychology.

Responds to comments (see records 2003-01789-008, 2003-01789-009, 2003-01789-010, 2003-01789-011, 2003-01789-012, and 2003-01789-013) on the mini-series on evidence-based interventions (EBIs) in school psychology (see records 2003-01789-005, 2003-01789-006, and 2003-01789-007). The author focuses on clarifications regarding decisions made by the Task Force and Manual Subcommittee on what constitutes EBIs, realizations about critical issues surrounding these decisions, and specifications for the future. In clarifying the purpose of the Procedural and Coding Manual, 4 design ideals or standards that underlie the conceptualization of the EBI coding structure are reviewed. The design ideals provide underlying assumptions for evaluating intervention studies within the discipline, and include: (1) build researcher-practitioner alliance, (2) respond to the unique issues of school psychology, (3) promote and enhance scientific study, and (4) reflect the broad, diverse nature of the field. Next, central issues raised across the commentary articles are discussed with respect to two sets of juxtaposed considerations: Provide Comprehensive Information vs Maintain Practicality, and Invoke Rigorous Research Design Features vs Reflect School Context Features. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based interventions in school psychology: Conceptual foundations of the Procedural and Coding Manual of Division 16 and the Society for the Study of School Psychology Task Force.

We present the conceptual, philosophical, and methodological basis for the Procedural and Coding Manual for Review of Evidence-Based Interventions (hereafter called the Procedural and Coding Manual), which is available on the World Wide Web (http://www.sp-ebi.org). First, we discuss some key conceptual issues and areas of potential controversy surrounding the content and organization of the Procedural and Coding Manual. Second, we discuss our research framework for coding evidence-based interventions (EBIs), taking into account the dimensional classification approach adopted by the Task Force on Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology. We contrast this coding scheme with the approach embraced by the Committee on Science and Practice of the Society of Clinical Psychology, Division 12, American Psychological Association. Third, we present our methodological framework for reviewing EBIs, including quantitative group-based and single-participant designs, qualitative research designs, and theory-guided confirmatory program evaluation models. Finally, we introduce the concept of a coding system to be implemented by practitioners to develop a knowledge base on what works in practice and help bridge the gap between research and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based interventions in school psychology: Opportunities, challenges, and cautions.

Describes opportunities, challenges, and cautions in response to T. R. Kratochwill and K. C. Stoiber's vision and other critical issues for the evidence-based intervention (EBI) movement in school psychology. The authors' position can be summarized as follows: (1) the EBI Task Force in School Psychology presents the field with an unparalleled opportunity to influence school psychology training and practice; (2) the challenges presented by the actual coding of existing studies will spur improvements in the research methodology training of school psychology students and improvements in the design of future school-based research; and (3) the field is cautioned to consider carefully the unique context presented by the schools when evaluating intervention effectiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of the bases of evidence-based interventions.

Notes that school psychology has proposed a system to aid in the identification of evidence-based interventions (T. R. Kratochwill and K .C. Stoiber, this issue; G. Lewis-Snyder, K. C. Stoiber, and T. R. Kratochwill, this issue; E. S. Shernoff, T. R. Kratochwill, and K. C. Stoiber, this issue; see records 2003-01789-005, 2003-01789-007, and 2003-01789-006). In this commentary, issues related to the politics of exclusion, design and theory, methods, and multiculturalism are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based parent and family interventions in school psychology: A commentary.

Do the authors provide us with convincing evidence that parent and family interventions change children's behavior and learning at school? The answer is not a simple or straightforward one. First off, there appears to be more support for interventions that are part of a multi-component program, that are highly focused in scope, and that entail active collaboration between parents, students, and the schools; hence, more support appears to be available for family/parent consultation and family-school collaboration/partnership programs than for the more unidirectional and limited parent education and parent involvement programs. Second, although 100 studies are examined, it is readily apparent that the studies reported on in the various reviews are characterized by numerous methodological shortcomings that compromise their scientific integrity and the conclusions we can safely draw from them. Third, it is evident that nearly all of the efficacious treatments are behavior or cognitive-behavioral ones. Fourth and finally, it will be important to begin to identify the students, families, and schools that are most likely to benefit from the various interventions and to examine the specific mechanisms of change in each of the proposed interventions. In sum, it seems safe to conclude that evidentiary support for the effectiveness of parent and family interventions in school psychology is mixed at best. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based interventions in school psychology: An illustration of task force coding criteria using group-based research design.

Applies the criteria in the Procedural and Coding Manual for Review of Evidence-Based Interventions, established by the Task Force on Evidence-Based Interventions (EBIs) in School Psychology, to a group-based design intervention study. Specifically, the School Psychology EBI group-based criteria were applied to a research study conducted by the Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group (CPPRG, 1999a, 1999b) that examined the effects of the Fast Track intervention program on Grade 1 students. The group-based coding criteria are explicated and described through demonstrating the basis for coding decisions. In general, the application of the Procedural and Coding Manual criteria to the CPPRG investigation of the Fast Track program suggested promising evidence in support of the program. Considerations for interpreting the results of the coding process are discussed with particular attention to implications for practitioners and researchers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based interventions in school psychology: State of the art and directions for the future.

Introduces articles in this special issue of School Psychology Quarterly which is designed to provide a current snapshot of the accomplishments and controversies pertaining to evidence-based intervention in school psychology. It is argued that evidence-based intervention guidelines will prove to be akin to professional codes of ethics in that they are both works that will always be unfinished rather than being completed in any ultimate sense. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based interventions in school psychology: An illustration of Task Force coding criteria using single-participant research design.

Illustrates the application of the Task Force on Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology coding criteria using a single-participant research design study. Specifically, the authors review and evaluate a study by M. L. Kelley and A. P. McCain (1995) according to the Procedural and Coding Manual for Review of Evidence-Based Interventions (T. R. Kratochwill and K. C. Stoiber, this issue; see record 2003-01789-005). Following application of the Procedural and Coding Manual to the Kelley and McCain study, the authors conclude that this study possessed several important strengths, including a strong research design, identifiable intervention components, and strong intervention effects for several participants. Limitations to the study, in addition to issues regarding the evaluation of the single-participant investigation are discussed within the context of the coding criteria. Challenges in coding single-participant studies are presented in the context of future work for the Task Force on Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching evidence-based interventions: Perceptions of influences on use in professional practice in school psychology.

This study examined perceptions of school psychologists regarding their use of evidence-based interventions in school settings after completing a graduate course in school-based psychosocial interventions. Ninety-four individuals who completed the course during the 10 years prior to the study were asked to complete a survey that focused on personal and organizational factors affecting the implementation of evidence-based interventions through assessment of (a) the extent of their use of interventions in professional school psychology practice, (b) perceptions of facilitators to implementation, and (c) perceptions of barriers to implementation. Fifty-four responded (a 57% response rate); analyses were conducted on the responses of 34 individuals who indicated that they were currently school psychologists working in schools. Results indicated that school psychologists’ personal beliefs about the interventions influenced their decisions to implement them. Several evidence-based interventions were less likely to be used in urban practice settings. Training in evidence-based interventions should address the personal and contextual issues that are related to implementation, as well as the procedures of the interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identifying evidence-based interventions in school psychology: Building a bridge or jousting with windmills?

The outcomes of current efforts at identifying evidence-based interventions (EBIs) within school psychology remain uncertain. The political and professional contexts, diversity of settings in which school psychologists function, wide variety of intervention objectives, and multiple constituencies served by school psychologists present unique challenges to this endeavor. As the EBI process evolves, it is predicted that vigorous debate will continue over basic epistemological questions, methodological rigor, and professional use of EBI reviews. It is argued that such discussion is critical if the EBI project is to be relevant to both researchers and practitioners. Although a complex task, the effort to identify EBIs can facilitate a more data-based, problem-solving approach to school psychological services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based parent and family interventions in school psychology: Overview and procedures.

This special issue, entitled "Evidence-Based Parent and Family Interventions in School Psychology," examines the data that support the use of interventions as methods for changing children's school-related behavior and learning problems. Taken together, the articles reflect the work of the Parent and Family Intervention domain of the Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology Task Force. Across the articles in this special issue, the categories of coding criteria in the Manual were used to organize the presentation of results. Six review articles on the evidence base for parent and family intervention appear next; these are followed by commentary from distinguished scholars and a brief reflective comment from the special issue editors. Parent intervention is the exclusive focus of the reviews of parent education and parent consultation. Two reviews focus on the home-school relationship including the articles on parent involvement and home-school collaboration. Two reviews include both parent and family treatments: early childhood family-focused interventions and parent training and family systems interventions. Commentary was sought from the current co-chairs of the Task Force, an expert in evidence-based practice in child clinical psychology, a researcher in family-school linkages and parent consultation, and a methodologist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluating evidence-based interventions in school psychology.

Argues that the tactics adopted by the Task Force on Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology have advantages in terms of literature coverage and providing data on multiple dimensions that school researchers and practitioners should find useful. Two suggestions to improve Task Force efforts are offered in terms of the specification of key outcomes and the use of effect sizes to gauge the impact and value of interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based parent and family interventions in school psychology: State of scientifically based practice.

The purpose of this special issue was to examine the scientific base that supports the use of parent and family interventions that are implemented in schools or coordinated with school settings, and to demonstrate a change in the school-related behaviors and learning problems of children and youth. Reviews have been conducted in the six sub-domains: parent education, parent involvement, parent consultation, family-school collaboration/partnership, family systems therapy and parent training, and early childhood family-focused interventions. To our knowledge this is the first time standard criteria have been applied across these subdomains to examine the empirical base for the broader family and parent intervention domain. From this review, it would be erroneous to conclude that there is no evidence for the use of parent and family interventions as methods for changing the school-related behavior and learning problems of children and youth. From this review, it is evident that parent and family interventions are multidimensional. In this review, we asked the question, "Do we find evidence that parent and family interventions change children's behavior and learning at school?" Our answer is "yes, but." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based parent and family interventions in school psychology: Conceptual and methodological considerations in advancing best practices.

Major national, state, and local systems reform efforts are under way to close the gap between science and service through implementation of a range of evidence-based practices (EBPs). A set of rhetorical distinctions and ensuing debates about the relevance of science versus service and efficacy versus effectiveness threatens to widen rather than close the gap. However, methodological and conceptual approaches, drawing upon strong theory-driven models, offer considerable promise for an integrated science on implementation effectiveness. This paper outlines some of the major scientific and policy challenges in strengthening the link between science and service in school psychology within the context of the papers in this series. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based practice in psychology.

This article focuses on the 2005 American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice in Psychology. After describing the rationale and results of this task force, the authors review the literature that has appeared following the approval of the Policy Statement on Evidence-Based Practice in Psychology by the American Psychological Association Council of Representatives, with reference to the implications for practitioners. Finally, the authors discuss the implications of the Policy Statement on Evidence-Based Practice in Psychology for graduate students and early career professionals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a focus on positive psychology in school psychology.

Introduces this special issue of School Psychology Quarterly and summarizes the articles contained in this issue. The major purposes of this special issue are twofold. One purpose is to illustrate that some of the various threads of positive psychology research related to children and youth, particularly focusing on the area of positive subjective experience (or subjective well-being: SWB). The second purpose is to underscore the importance of understanding the interrelationships of SWB of children and youth, and their various environmental contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based parent training and family interventions for school behavior change.

In this article the guidelines of the Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology Task Force were used to evaluate the efficacy of parent training and family intervention for changing children's school behavior. Nineteen parent training and five family intervention studies that were conducted in schools, had a school treatment component, or included measurement of school change were identified and coded. Results found one parent training program and one family intervention to be proven efficacious across two randomized clinical trials. Several family interventions were probably efficacious or promising. Despite the established link between the family environment and school behavior, parent training and family interventions are uncommon in schools, and clinic-based treatment studies infrequently measure generalization of parent and family interventions to the school setting. Future researchers are encouraged to address these limitations and to include samples representative of the diversity of the public schools in family-focused intervention studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Research in self-management: Applications in school psychology.

One of the most important psychological developments over the past 25 years has been the design of interventions that are, to one degree or another, self-administered. Much of the self-management research has focused on children and school-related problems, making this approach toward assessment and intervention of particular interest and relevance to school psychologists. The three articles in this miniseries reflect new developments in self-management research and practice. Collectively, these articles provide direction for future self-management research as well as break new ground with populations that have received little attention in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)