Factors influencing the practice of school psychology are examined, and the suggestion is made that school psychology may serve as a basis for determining what lies ahead for all of professional psychology. Trends in training, manpower needs, and -practice are discussed. It is concluded that professional schools offer one important way to solve the entry-level problem in psychology; that the current disruptions in effective practice may lead to new ways of functioning not possible before; and that the dissolution of specialty practice in psychology is probable sometime in the future.
School psychology is at an impasse. Sharp differences exist within the field about its nature and about entry level for its independent practice. It is proposed that school psychology be acknowledged,as a profession apart from professional psychology and that a revision of the specialty concerned with the professional practice of psychology in education be undertaken within the American Psychological Association. The rationale for this argument is presented, and some suggestions are made for future directions.
part of an earlier report (Bardon, Costanza, & Walker, 1971) on institutions offering graduate training and financial aid in school psychology during 1970-1971, information was collected describing various characteristics of those programs responding to the survey questionnaire. The questionnaire was mailed in December 1970 to 140 graduate programs. The program list was based on a list printed earlier in 1968 (French, Smith, & Cardon, 1968) reporting 87 universities and colleges of the 241 members of the Council of Graduate Schools who had said they were offering formal programs to prepare school psychologists. This list was supplemented by the addition of institutions reporting school psychology programs in the American Psychological Association's bulletin on Graduate Study in Psychology, 1971-72, institutions listed in addenda published subsequent to the 1968 listing in the Journal oj School Psychology, and those mentioned in various journals and notices which indicated that new programs in school psychology were being developed. A second mailing was sent in March 1971 to nonresponding institutions. Eighteen institutions failed to respond to either the first or second mailing, four reported they did not have programs, and six had discontinued their school psychology programs. One hundred and twelve programs in school psychology were located, as compared with 87 in 196887 in and 79 in 196487 in (Smith, 1964. Program data presented are based on information about' the 1969-1970 academic year.
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