Embracing Our Diversity to Become a More Supportive Graduate Program

Year: 2022

Issue: Vol. 39 Issue. 2

Journal Name: School Psychology Training and Pedagogy

Title: Embracing Our Diversity to Become a More Supportive Graduate Program

Citation: Guiney, M. C., & Zibulsky, J. (2022) Embracing Our Diversity to Become a More Supportive Graduate Program. School Psychology Training and Pedagogy, 39 (2), 73-93.

Abstract: This article reviews how several years of self-reflection have informed development of a multi-tiered system of both universal and individualized supports designed to foster an inclusive graduate program culture and promote development of professional work characteristics for school psychologists in training at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Consistent with best practices for recruiting and retaining graduate students from minoritized backgrounds, we strive to foster mentorship connections within our student body that allow for both the development of knowledge and skills as well as opportunities to understand the hidden norms of our programs and our field, particularly as less experienced students navigate the process of socializing or acculturating to the profession of school psychology. Implications and recommendations for other school psychology graduate programs seeking to strengthen their student supports are considered.

Keywords:   multi-tiered systems, REM graduate students, recruitment and retention, mentorship

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