Commentary on "The 50th anniversary of the Thayer Conference: Historical perspectives and accomplishments".

This article comments on Thomas Fagan's historical account (see record 2005-12578-002) of the 1954 Thayer Conference. The Thayer Conference was an important milestone for school psychology and sought to deal with issues such as credentialing, role and function, and training issues for our field. The article provides an excellent framework for understanding this very important conference as well as elucidating how it applies to our current practice. With differences between nondoctoral- and doctoral-level school psychologists continuing, both groups support the field and the manner in which school psychologists are trained and credentialed. The movement to different assessment and treatment strategies is exciting, and the incorporation of research into practice provides not only an important development in our field, but also a reluctance on the part of many to take this type of step away from traditional practice to one that is based on empirically supported practice and intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal relationship instability and the school behavior of children from disadvantaged families.

This longitudinal study examined the relation between the instability of maternal intimate relationships and the school behavior of 3rd-grade children from economically disadvantaged families. After ecological correlates were controlled, chronic relationship instability predicted externalizing behavior for boys and girls and internalizing behavior for girls, but not academic competence. In addition, past and recent instability had independent effects: Recent instability moderated the relation for past instability, and child adjustment in highly unstable families varied with verbal ability and aspects of the family ecology. The theoretical implications concern conceptualizations of the diverse and dynamic nature of family arrangements experienced by disadvantaged children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based interventions in school psychology: Thoughts on thoughtful commentary.

Responds to comments by S. L. Cristenson, C. Carlson, and C. R. Valdez (see record 2003-01789-008); J. A. Durlak (see record 2003-01789-009); J. R. Levin (see record 2003-01789-010); J. R. Nelson and M. H. Epstein (see record 2003-01789-011); B. E. Wampold (see record 2003-01789-012); and G. E. Waas (see record 2003-01789-013) on the mini-series on evidence-based interventions (EBIs) in school psychology (T. R. Kratochwill and K. C. Stoiber [see record 2003-01789-005]; G. Lewis-Snyder, K. C. Stoiber, and T. R. Kratochwill [see record 2003-01789-007]; and E. S. Shernoff, T. R. Kratochwill, and K. C. Stoiber [see record 2003-01789-006]) . A conceptual framework for future operation of the Task Force on Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology (hereafter called the Task Force) is presented within the context of identification, review, coding, analyzing and synthesizing, and disseminating research related to EBIs. Reactions to the mini-series are discussed within the context of this framework. Some general comments on future directions of the Task Force are presented along with challenges and merits of EBIs for the practice of school psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preventing Disruptive Behavior in Elementary Schoolchildren: Impact of a Universal Classroom-Based Intervention.

A population-based, randomized universal classroom intervention trial for the prevention of disruptive behavior (i.e., attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems, oppositional defiant problems, and conduct problems) is described. Impact on developmental trajectories in young elementary schoolchildren was studied. Three trajectories were identified in children with high, intermediate, or low levels of problems on all 3 disruptive behaviors at baseline. The intervention had a positive impact on the development of all disruptive behavior problems in children with intermediate levels of these problems at baseline. Effect sizes of mean difference at outcome were medium or small. In children with the highest levels of disruptive behavior at baseline, a positive impact of the intervention was found for conduct problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child Psychopharmacology: How School Psychologists Can Contribute to Effective Outcomes.

Psychopharmacological treatments have been used with increased frequency to treat a variety of internalizing and externalizing disorders in children. Given the potential impact that medication has on children's school performance, school psychologists should be involved in helping physicians and families make effective decisions by assisting with (a) diagnostic decision-making and determining the need for medication; (b) evaluating medication effects and determining optimal dosage; and (c) integrating medical, psychosocial, and educational interventions. Potential barriers to the adoption of these roles are discussed as well as clinical, ethical, training, and legal implications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based parent consultation with school-related outcomes.

In this article, 18 studies using parent consultation to effect a change in children's school-related behavior were evaluated according to guidelines set forth by the APA's Task Force on Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology. Results indicate that parent consultation is an effective method of intervention delivery for a variety of school-related behavioral and emotional concerns with Caucasian students. The majority of studies yielded moderate to large treatment effects. Though a variety of parent consultation models were effective, the Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) model provided the strongest evidence for producing significant school-related outcomes. Noteworthy limitations of the evidence base for parent consultation are the lack of between-group designs and use of diverse populations. It is therefore recommended that the investigation of parent consultation effectiveness be expanded to include minority populations and between-group designs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Oral language and code-related precursors to reading: Evidence from a longitudinal structural model.

This study examined code-related and oral language precursors to reading in a longitudinal study of 626 children from preschool through 4th grade. Code-related precursors, including print concepts and phonological awareness, and oral language were assessed in preschool and kindergarten. Reading accuracy and reading comprehension skills were examined in 1st through 4th grades. Results demonstrated that (a) the relationship between code-related precursors and oral language is strong during preschool; (b) there is a high degree of continuity over time of both code-related and oral language abilities; (c) during early elementary school, reading ability is predominantly determined by the level of print knowledge and phonological awareness a child brings from kindergarten; and (d) in later elementary school, reading accuracy and reading comprehension appear to be 2 separate abilities that are influenced by different sets of skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Specialty Guidelines for the Delivery of Services by School Psychologists.

The present Specialty Guidelines are based on the generic Standards for Providers of Psychological Services originally adopted by the American Psychological Association (APA) in September 1974 and revised in January 1977 (APA, 1974b, 1977b). Together with the generic Standards, these Specialty Guidelines state the official policy of the Association regarding delivery of services by school psychologists. Specialty guidelines serve the additional purpose of providing potential users and other interested groups with essential information about particular services available from the several specialties in professional psychology. The present Guidelines are intended to educate the public, the profession, and other interested parties regarding specialty professional practices. They are also intended to facilitate the continued systematic development of the profession. These Guidelines have been established by the APA as a means of self-regulation to protect the public interest. They guide the specialty practice of school psychology by specifying important areas of quality assurance and performance that contribute to the goal of facilitating more effective human functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Praise and blame as incentives.

33 articles spanning 50 yrs. of research on the effects of praise and blame on the performance of school children are reviewed. Praise generally acts as a facilitator to performance, though often it is indistinguishable from practice effect. The single exception in recent years is the decrement in performance from praised underachievers. Exceptions to the generally decremental effect of blame on the performance of children are underachieving children, very bright adolescents, and Negro children working under Negro examiners. The problem of subject-reinforcement history is presented as a major contributor to the confusion in the literature, and the use of functional designs is suggested as a solution. (40 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effective curriculum policy and cross-curricularity: analysis of the new curriculum design of the Hellenic Pedagogical Institute

In this paper we perform text analysis on the new Cross Thematic Curriculum Framework Syllabus Design for compulsory education, which was constructed by the Hellenic Pedagogical Institute and is soon going to be applied in Greek schools. This curriculum text is treated as a policy text which introduces important changes in Greek school practice, mainly through the adoption of a specifically defined cross-curricular approach to syllabus design. The core argument of the policy actors involved in this reform is that this particular innovation is a good curricular practice that will contribute to the further modernization of compulsory schooling in Greece. It is also claimed that this intervention is based on the Greek educational context as well as European educational policy. We investigate this argument by examining the way the idea of cross-curricularity (or unifying school knowledge and teaching and learning across the curriculum) is introduced in the text as well as at the level of educational practice. In doing so the interrelationships of the various stages of implementation are investigated. The issues identified in the analysis that relate to the educational and policy basis of this change are finally presented in a comparative way.