From Traditional Practice to Tiered Comprehensive Services for All: Developing a Responsive School Culture for the Future

• Published in: School psychology 2020-11, Vol.35 (6), p.428-439
• Main Authors: Hughes, Tammy L., Hess, Robyn, Jones, Janine, Worrell, Frank C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access to Health Care; Child Health; Competence; Cultural Awareness; Cultural Relevance; Educational Attainment; Educational Measures; Educational psychology; Evidence Based Practice; Future; Health disparities; History of Psychology; Human; Integrated Services; Intervention; Mental Health; Mental health care; Progress Monitoring; Role; School Counseling; School Culture; School Health Services; School Psychologists; School Psychology; Screening Tests; Social Emotional Learning; Social Psychology; Sociocultural Factors; Student behavior; Student Diversity; Student Evaluation
• ISSN: 2578-4218; 2578-4226
• DOI: 10.1037/spq0000410

In this article, we reflect on the evolution of school psychology practice from the past to the present, and share some thoughts about the future. Although school psychology programs provide training in consultation, prevention, social emotional development, counseling, and mental health interventions, school psychology practice is still dominated by assessment, and the specialty has yet to live up to its promise to address the multiple needs of an increasingly diverse student population. Today's practitioners need to be skilled in systems-level programing that is informed by cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary to responsibly work toward the best outcomes for students and families from all cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds. As the demand for mental health and other services in schools continues to increase, we argue for a wholescale adoption of culturally adapted evidence-based practices to address the expanding role of school-based practice. Finally, we offer considerations from the social psychology literature that will help school psychologists prioritize behavioral health while also reducing disparities in educational attainment. Impact and Implications Alongside the influence of (a) legislation, (b) advances in psychological science, and (c) advocacy for students (experiencing ACEs, ASD, ELL, LGBTQ, or the school-to-prison pipeline) voicing documented social inequities in school access and success, the adoption of the public health philosophy has greatly expanded school psychology practices. Considerations from the social psychology literature are presented for use by school psychologists in their need to prioritize child behavioral health while also seeking to reduce disparities in educational attainment for children from diverse backgrounds.