Examining the Characteristics of School Psychology Programs Accredited by the American Psychological Association

The current study examined the characteristics of the 61 school psychology doctoral graduate programs that are accredited by the America Psychological Association (APA). The researchers examined the general characteristics of the 55 Ph.D. programs and 6 Psy.D. programs by conducting an extensive review of each program‘s website. For example, the investigators examined the number faculty members, highest degree held by professors, and graduate school professors attended. In addition, the researchers looked at which department houses the school psychology graduate program. While examining the faculty currently working at these accredited programs, it was discovered that 22 out of the 61 programs have homegrown professors. That is, professors who earned their graduate degree at the university for which they are now employed. In total, 36.1% of professors in the 61 programs obtained their degree from the university at which they currently teach. The two universities with the highest number of homegrown professors are University of California, Berkley and University of Missouri, Columbia. Additional findings will be discussed

Stigmatic Views for Mental Health Disorders in a College Population 2

Mental health stigma currently is a hindrance to individuals seeking treatment. Stigma can be defined as an individual trait that is viewed negatively by society. Mental health stigma is associated with psychological disorders and the negative stereotypes that go along with the disorders. There have been few studies on stigma related to psychological disorders beyond major depressive disorder. Numerous studies have compared depression and schizophrenia. These studies have found similar levels of self reported stigma associated with the two disorders. However, these studies neglected to determine if differentiation occurs between disorders. The purpose of this study is to further investigate stigma expressed by a college population related to mental health disorders. More specifically, it will compare stigmatic views for depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, and mania. Researchers will attempt to determine if symptoms of these separate disorders are confused with other mental health conditions or do individuals appreciate their ideographic nature. The researchers will give each participant a vignette that describes a person with symptoms of the disorder. After participants read the narrative, they will complete a questionnaire indicating their attitudes towards the person in the vignette. In addition, a control group will read a vignette on obesity to determine if mental health stigma is different than other forms of stigma. It is hypothesized that participants will hold the same stigmatic views of an individual regardless of psychological disorder symptomatology. It is hoped that with continued research and study, therapists and patients may find ways to reduce or eliminate stigma associated with psychological disorders

Surveying Special Education Teachers about Pre-service Training in Response to Intervention

Response to intervention (RTI) is an alternative method school districts may now use to identify children with learning disorders. In the RTI model, a student with academic difficulties is provided one or more empirically supported interventions. The student’s academic performance is monitored to see if the student progresses. If the student’s performance does not improve, then the failure to respond may be viewed as evidence of an underlying learning disability. The objective of the study was to determine whether special education teachers are receiving adequate training regarding RTI services. A survey was mailed to a nationally stratified random sample of 1000 special education teachers in the United States. The survey contained questions that examined the respondents’ satisfaction with the pre-service training in RTI and the daily activities implemented to deliver RTI services. Descriptive and correlation analyses were conducted on all returned surveys. The results highlight the strengths and weaknesses in the quality of pre-service RTI training of special education teachers. The findings also identify the daily RTI activities of special education teachers as well as the barriers they face administering these services. The findings may be used to inform teacher training programs about the skill areas that need further development so special education teachers can be better prepared to work in schools today

Surveying School Psychologists about Pre-service Training in Response to Intervention

The objective of this project was to obtain detailed information regarding the pre-service training of school psychologists pertaining to Response to Intervention (RTI). RTI is a three tiered model for providing intervention that has recently been identified as an alternative method for identifying children with learning disabilities. Surveys were sent to a nationally stratified random sample of school psychology practitioners. School psychologists were asked to provide information related to their training within the area of RTI. Descriptive and correlation analyses were conducted on all returned surveys. Results from this project were synthesized to determine if school psychologists are adequately trained. In addition, relative strengths and weaknesses of current training practices were identified. The results provide information pertaining to current pre-service RTI training; reported levels of satisfaction with pre-service training, as well as actual time spent providing RTI services. The findings highlight areas that need to be addressed to improve the quality of pre-service training of school psychologists. Therefore, the results may be used to inform graduate training programs what skills school psychologists need further training in to be better prepared to work in today’s schools