Collaborative Relationships Between University Educators and Field-based practitioners as the key to demystifying and revitalizing both graduate training and service delivery

Year: 2023

Issue: Vol. 40 Issue. 1

Journal Name: School Psychology Training and Pedagogy

Title: Collaborative Relationships Between University Educators and Field-based Practitioners as the Key to Demystifying and Revitalizing Both Graduate Training and Service Delivery

Citation: Simon, D. J., Prus, J. S., & Swerdlik, M. E. (2023) Collaborative Relationships Between University Educators and Field-based Practitioners as the Key to Demystifying and Revitalizing Both Graduate Training and Service Delivery. School Psychology Training and Pedagogy, 40 (1), 8-22. 

Abstract: School psychology has experienced significant research-to-practice and training-to-practice gaps. Despite recommendations by professional organizations and legal requirements, the adoption of Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) remains low, reflecting both gaps. These two gaps impact all domains of practice included in the NASP Standards (NASP, 2020). Misperceptions by both university faculty and school-based practitioners (including hidden norms in both academia and school-based practice) lead to systemic barriers that contribute to these gaps and interfere with opportunities for university educators and school district psychologists to effectively collaborate to implement best practices in both training and service delivery. Expanded structured collaborative relationships can reduce both gaps and in turn revitalize and improve school psychology graduate programs. This paper highlights key collaborative activities that have mutual benefits for field sites/supervisors and university training programs/faculty and can overcome barriers to implementation of evidence-based practices benefitting the students, families, and educators they serve.

Keywords: school psychology field training, research-to-practice gap, training-to-practice gap, Developmental Ecological-Problem Solving Supervision Model (DEP)

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