School Psychology for the 21st Century

Kenneth W. Merrell, PhD, until his death in 2011, was Professor of School Psychology and Director of the Oregon Resiliency Project at the University of Oregon. For 25 years, Dr. Merrell's influential teaching and research focused on social–emotional assessment and intervention for at-risk children and adolescents and social–emotional learning in schools. He published over 90 peer-reviewed journal articles; several books and nationally normed assessment instruments; and the Strong Kids programs, a comprehensive social and emotional learning curriculum. Dr. Merrell was a Fellow of the Division of School Psychology (Division 16) and the Society for Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (Division 53) of the American Psychological Association. He received the Senior Scientist Award from Division 16, the Division's highest honor for excellence in science.Ruth A. Ervin, PhD, is Associate Professor of School Psychology and Special Education at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Her professional teaching and research interests lie within the domains of promoting systems-level change to address research-to-practice gaps in school settings; collaborative consultation with school personnel, parents, and other service providers for the prevention and treatment of emotional and/or behavioral disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder via a data-driven, solution-oriented problem-solving approach; and linking assessment to intervention to promote academic performance and socially significant outcomes for school-age children. Emphasis in Dr. Ervin’s work has been placed on systems-level change and the merging of research and practice agendas to support school personnel in the timely provision of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention efforts to address student needs.Gretchen Gimpel Peacock, PhD is Professor and Department Head of Psychology at Utah State University. She served as program director of the School Psychology Program from 1997 to 2009. Her research, publications, and professional presentations focus on child behavior problems and associated family issues, as well as professional issues inschool psychology. She serves on the editorial advisory boards of several school psychology and related journals. Dr. Gimpel Peacock is coauthor of School Psychology for the Twenty-First Century, Second Edition, and Emotional and Behavioral Problems of Young Children, Second Edition, and coeditor of Practical Handbook of School Psychology, among other books.

1. Introduction to the Field of School Psychology
2. The Historical Context of School Psychology
3. The Changing Face of School Psychology: Responding Effectively to Cultural and Linguistic Diversity, with Elsa Arroyos

4. Becoming a School Psychologist: Training and Credentialing Issues
5. Working as a School Psychologist: Employment Trends, Opportunities, and Challenges
6. Legal and Ethical Issues in School Psychology
7. Facilitating Change through Data-Driven Problem Solving: A Model for School Psychology Practice
8. The School Psychologist’s Role in Assessment: Models, Methods, and Trends in Gathering, Organizing, and Analyzing Data
9. The School Psychologist’s Role in Prevention and Intervention: Part 1. Academic Skills
10. The School Psychologist’s Role in Prevention and Intervention: Part 2. Mental Health and Social–Emotional Behavior
11. The School Psychologist's Role in Collaboration, Consultation, and Facilitation of Systems Change
12. The School Psychologist’s Role in Research and Evaluation
13. Moving the Field Forward: Mapping the Future of School Psychology
Appendix A. American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (Revised 2010)
Appendix B. National Association of School Psychologists Principles for Professional Ethics (Revised 2010)