Reflections on the Futures Conference from the Perspective of a School Psychology Educator

1
Reflections on the Futures Conference from the
Perspective of a School Psychology Educator

• Joel Meyers
• Georgia State University
• Jpmeyers_at_gsu.edu

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Comparisons to the Spring Hill Symposium

• Many issues discussed here have been discussed
  previously at the Thayer Conference, the Spring
  Hill Symposium and the Olympia Conference, but
  the following important perspectives may be
  important differences.
• Focus on Empirically Based Interventions
• Focus on Intervention and Prevention More than
  Assessment
• A Constructivist Perspective (even empirically
  based interventions must be implemented,
  evaluated and modified based on local situations
  qualitative research)

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Additional Comparisons to Spring Hill

• A Sharper Focus on Families (suggesting needs for
  future research in this area)
• A context of predicted shortages in school
  psychologists and school psychology educators
• Context of Violence and Fear (post-Columbine and
  post-September 11th)
• Focus on subjective well-being
• Technology

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Other Useful Ideas

• Diversity has multiple potential effects on all
  elements of our field and must be taken seriously
  in training and practice
• We must have input from those who have been
  marginalized..the missing voices (parents,
  students, teachers)
• We must have input from practicing school
  psychologists
• If we are to change schools then we must change
  universities as well..Interdisciplinary Training
  for School Psychologists

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Other Useful Ideas (continued)

• Reasonable expectations? Change is the
  responsibility of each of us, not the conference.
  Individuals must decide what, if anything, to
  implement following the conference (i.e.,
  practitioners, university faculty, state and
  local organizations) What can we do on Monday?
• Emphasize meaningful linkages between assessment
  and intervention
• We have tried to focus on outcomes for children,
  families and schools rather than the profession
• Emphasis on ecological and systems theories.
  Child in family and
  school within the context of community culture

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Other useful ideas (continued)

• Consultation, competence enhancement and
  prevention (focus on children from birth and
  potential parents from middle school use
  ecological context)
• Include families in assessment and intervention
• Our focus on intervention must include
  consideration of social validity (treatment
  acceptability) and treatment integrity
• Create research communities in schoolspractitione
  r-researchers. Use (and teach) research
  methodologies that are relevant to practitioners
• Sophisticated ideas about advocacy and lobbying

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What needs more attention?

• How do we organize and deliver psychological
  services given projected shortages in school
  psychologists? Does the focus on specific goals
  keep us from some big ideas?
• Productive futures require adaptability and
  flexibility the ability to make rapid change in
  response to changing circumstances. How can this
  be accomplished by institutions like
  universities, schools and our profession?
• Consideration of treatment integrity in
  intervention research and practice.
• What are effective approaches to practicum and
  internship? Need creativity and data.
• Crisis response and violence prevention
• Training Dilemma What to leave in and what to
  leave out?