The educational specialist (EdS) program in school psychology is fully committed to the goal of training, in the practitioner-scholar model, school psychologists and behavior analysts who are thoroughly and carefully prepared to meet the challenges of school psychological service and practice in the 21st century.
The explicit mission of the programs is, in a spirit of commitment to excellence, to prepare school psychologists and behavior analysts who are uniquely capable and committed to the provision of high quality, effective, ethical and professional school psychological services in educational and mental health settings. This includes a full range of direct and indirect services ranging from assessments to consultations with teachers and parents on various academic and environmental issues. Moreover, the programs strive to prepare students to collaborate and form partnerships with families, educators, healthcare providers and the community at large. The programs seek to bring the best of the discipline and practice of school psychology to understanding and enhancing the development of all children. As such, the graduate is fully prepared to assume the role and responsibility of the school psychologist.
The outcomes of the EdS program in school psychology are:
To prepare students to become general practitioner-scholars such that school psychological practice is firmly grounded on the knowledge base and ethical standards of psychology, education and behavior analysis.
To prepare students to provide both direct and indirect school psychological services based on data-based decision-making and empirically supported strategies and interventions.
To prepare practitioner-scholars who are capable of being an integral part of interdisciplinary teams that collaborate and form partnerships with families, healthcare providers and the community.
To prepare practitioner-scholars to provide school psychological services in the context of a multicultural, pluralistic society such that inter-individual differences and differences in culture, religiosity, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status and sexual orientation are understood and respected.
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