Changing a Field of Change

Abstract

School Psychology: A Blueprint for Training and Practice III (Ysseldyke et al., 2006) continues an over 20-year tradition of reenvisioning school psychology. This latest edition focuses with great clarity on school psychology as, ideally, a profession devoted to the prevention of school-based difficulties for children and capacity building for educational professionals. A reflection on Blueprint III is presented in this article using a brief overview of the history of consultation research as a backdrop to argue for more research attention to implementation realities in schools. These contexts, which change regularly based on characteristics of students, schools, teachers, and federal and state policy, may play a primary role in dictating service delivery patterns. Contextual forces may overwhelm even consultation models found to be effective in clinical trials—especially if school psychologists are not practicing skills that might ready systems for consultation. Further, school psychology training models may require scrutiny in the face of continuing challenges to establish a workforce capable of both knowing about and implementing consensual and evidence-based best practices. Finally, the expert practice of consultation by experienced school psychologists may be an underutilized source of information that should be tapped by consultation researchers who care about both identifying and disseminating efficacious practices into school settings.