Provides an overview of this special issue that examines the implementation of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative in seven local communities. An overview of the SS/HS Initiative is provided. Critical lessons learned from the seven sites are discussed with a focus on the special role that school psychologists can play in…

Describes current perspectives on evidence-based practices in psychology, medicine, and education; discusses challenges in the implementation and dissemination of research-based findings into schools; describes differences between current models of organizational behavior as studied in children's mental health services and in education; and…

Presents commentary in response to the main articles of this target issue. Suggests that the recommendations of the authors are unrealistic for school psychology, given practical resource limitations. Or conversely, perhaps the recommendations speak to a needed role that is not currently being filled, which school psychologists are better prepared…

This study aims to ascertain the underlying factor structure of students' social interactions on scores on the Social Interaction Questionnaire (SIQ). Two independent factors emerged from the data: social/popular and confident/studious. There were no gender differences on these factors in the current data. Confirmation of the current factor…

Provides a historical overview of the development of functional analysis assessment methods. Discusses recent procedural developments that may make functional analysis more practical for psychologists in school or clinical settings. Reviews recent research extending functional analysis procedures to children with average intellectual functioning.…

Investigates construct, predictive, and differential validity for the Comprehensive Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test (CREVT). Adequate construct validity for the CREVT was documented, using the Wechsler Intelligence Test for Children-III as a criterion. Also, the CREVT effectively differentiated between students with disabilities. These…

Although functional behavioral assessments (FBA) have long been considered "best practice" in the field of applied behavior analysis, their use by school psychologists has a much briefer history. To assist school psychologists in becoming better acquainted with FBA, this article overviews the conceptual foundations and underlying principles of FBA…

Compares four methods of assessing children's friendships-peer nominations, peer ratings, reciprocal peer nominations, and social networking. Results found that there was high agreement between reciprocal peer nominations, peer ratings, and the social networking procedure. Implications of these results for use by school psychologists are…

Surveys school psychologists to determine if differences exist among practitioners in the various U.S. Census regions. Variability among the regions was noted for variables of demographic characteristics, current and preferred roles, job satisfaction, assessment practices, and system reform beliefs and attitudes. Findings are discussed in the…

Examines teachers' narratives concerning their relationships with children in relation to teacher's characteristics and observations of teachers' behavior with children in the classroom. The feature of teachers' responses to interview questions most frequently associated with classroom behavior was expressed negative emotion. Results are discussed…

The success of preventive and intervention programs for youth violence hinges upon recognizing and modifying aspects of school climate, teacher/school personnel interactions with students, and school structure. Several of these aspects are identified in this article and suggestions for improving the educational environment to prevent the…

Presents a description of the potential roles for school psychologists in school-based health centers. A detailed model for predoctoral internships and postdoctoral residencies for the professional preparation of pediatric school psychologists is presented. (Contains 33 references.) (GCP)

Families headed by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender parents are often invisible in or underserved by the school systems. To create important school-home partnerships, schools need to become better informed about these families. The use of anti-bias and informational training, new curricula, liaisons to outside organizations, and official…

Study explores how the use of school interpreters influenced the process of instructional consultation. Findings indicate that working with interpreters served as both a facilitator as well as a barrier during the instructional consultation process. The use of interpreters influenced the pace of the consultation process, the communication between…

Presents a conceptual model for school psychology based upon ecological and contextual considerations that frame the practice, training, and research agendas of the field. Argues that school psychology has failed to move toward effective prevention and intervention models of service. Suggests that school psychology be guided by an ecological…