Featured Sessions

Tuesday, March 2

4:00 p.m.–4:50 p.m.
Featured Session 01
Increasing Understanding of Multiculturalism to Promote School Psychologists’ Competence With Diverse Children and Families [D]
Presenter: Sherrie L. Proctor, PhD, Georgia State University, Atlanta

Changing population demographics require school psychologists to increasingly incorporate multicultural practices into their repertoire of skills. NASP’s Principles for Professional Ethics emphasizes the need for school psychologists to have the sensitivity, knowledge, and skills to work with clients from diverse backgrounds. To successfully serve diverse populations, however, school psychologists must first develop an understanding of multiculturalism. The purpose of this presentation is to explore the concept of multiculturalism; identify why it is important to school psychologists and their work with children, families, and schools; and provide participants with tools to aid in developing multicultural competency. The presenter will use examples from her work with diverse school populations in both urban and suburban school districts to illustrate how multicultural understanding can influence service delivery to children, families, and schools.

Sherrie L. Proctor, PhD, recently completed her degree from the Georgia State University School Psychology Program. Prior to pursuing the doctorate, she was a school psychologist in the School District of Philadelphia. Her research focuses on the recruitment, retention, and attrition of people of color in school psychology programs. Dr. Proctor was the first recipient of the NASP-ERT Minority Scholarship.

Wednesday, March 3

2:30 p.m.–3:20 p.m.
Featured Session 02
NASP Legends in School Psychology Address: Focusing on the Big Picture—Understanding Systems and Systemic Change [D]
Presenter: Michael J. Curtis, PhD, NCSP, University of South Florida, Tampa

Human behavior doesn’t exist in isolation but must be understood within the context in which it exists. That principle should represent a core belief that guides our understanding of the present as well as our actions in pursuing the future. It is critical in understanding and improving the performance/behavior of an individual student—but equally so in understanding the present state and pursuing a desired future for the field of school psychology. The learning experience of students in individual classrooms and the professional practices of school psychologists both are influenced significantly by their contextual situations. More than two decades ago, in his insightful chapter in the NASP publication Alternative Educational Delivery Systems, Jack Bardon noted “the increasing importance of ecological and systems principles … for understanding schools and how they operate.” He went on to expound on the same need for understanding the present and pursuing the future of school psychology. Dr. Curtis will share his views regarding the history of systems change efforts as reflected in decisions and actions of organizations like NASP as well as the critical role of understanding systems and systems change in determining the future of school psychology and education.

Michael J. Curtis, PhD, NCSP, currently serves as professor emeritus of school psychology and co-director of the Florida Statewide Problem Solving/Response to Intervention, Healthy Schools, and Student Support Services Projects at the University of South Florida. He is a past president of NASP, the Ohio School Psychologists Association (OSPA), and the Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs (CDSPP). He has also served in leadership positions with the Division of School Psychology of the American Psychological Association, Journal of School Psychology, National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the Society for the Study of School Psychology. Curtis specializes in consultation, collaborative planning and problem solving, systems change, and school-based service delivery models, and has served on the editorial boards of Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, Professional School Psychology, School Psychology Quarterly, and School Psychology Review. He has worked with more than 100 schools, school districts, community agencies, and professional organizations in implementing planning, problem solving, and organizational change programs. He is a recipient of the NASP Lifetime Achievement Award and nine NASP Presidential awards for leadership and contributions to the field of school psychology.

Thursday, March 4

8:00 a.m.–9:20 a.m.
Featured Session 03
Beyond “Lazy and Unmotivated”—Why Parents and Teachers Need to Know About Executive Skills
Presenter: Peg Dawson, EdD, NCSP, Center for Learning and Attention Disorders, Portsmouth, NH

Executive skills refer to the cognitive processes required to plan and organize activities, including task initiation and follow through, planning/organization, working memory, performance monitoring, inhibition of impulses, and self-regulation. These skills are at the heart of what is seen as independent problem solving, goal directed persistence, and motivation. Students with weak executive skills are called many things, including learning disabled, ADHD, lazy, and unmotivated. They are seen as willful or not caring when they lose assignments, forget to do them, or leave them to the last minute and run out of time. In working with students with executive skill deficits, we have found parents and teachers are most receptive to our suggestions when we place the frustrating behaviors these underachieving students exhibit in the context of the developing brain. This presentation will summarize what current brain research has to say about how and when executive skills develop across the first two decades of life and make a case for why it’s important to give parents and teachers—and even kids themselves—a neuro-developmental perspective for understanding why so many students appear “smart but scattered.”

Peg Dawson, EdD, NCSP, is a past president of both the National Association of School Psychologists and the International School Psychology Association. She is a recipient of the NASP Lifetime Achievement Award and was a planning committee member for the 2002 Conference on the Future of School Psychology. Dr. Dawson has published and presented extensively on many topics, including professional issues in school psychology and children’s executive functioning. Her latest book, Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential (co-authored with Dr. Richard Guare), was published in 2009.

11:00 a.m.–11:50 a.m.
Featured Session 04
NASP Distinguished Lecture: Engaging With Parents—The Power of Information, Responsiveness to Parental Need, and Ongoing Support for the Enhanced Competence of All Students
Presenter: Sandra L. Christenson, PhD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

The inextricable link between home and school for enhancing optimal student learning is well known and seldom debated as irrelevant. Despite the past 10 years of improved research in family-school partnerships, home and school are two systems that generally operate autonomously. Three initiatives in education and psychology—the evidence-based intervention movement, Response to Intervention reforms, and the desire to promote family-school partnerships—are far too often viewed as disparate practices rather than as an integrated, cohesive framework. To address educational disparities and enhance academic, social, behavioral, and emotional learning competence for all children, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners must account for and intervene at the level of the family-school interface. Based on 18 years of research on Check & Connect, a three-tiered approach for engaging parents and fostering constructive family-school relationships will be presented. In particular, specific lessons learned about the power of and strategies for creating trusting and sustained relationships with disengaged, marginalized families will be underscored.

Sandra L. Christenson, PhD,is a faculty member in the University of Minnesota’s School Psychology Program and has received APA Division 16’s Lightner Witmer Award and Senior Scientist Award. Her research focuses on interventions that enhance student engagement with school and learning and identification of family and school contextual factors that facilitate student engagement and increase the probability for student success in school. Her extensive publications include research articles in school psychology and related journals and several books, most recently the Handbook on School-Family Partnerships (co-edited with Dr. Amy Reschly), which will be published in October 2009.

1:30 p.m.–2:50 p.m.
Featured Session 05
NASP Town Hall Meeting: Competence and Opportunities for School Psychologists—Our Accomplishments and Next Steps for the Future
Moderator: Patti Harrison, NASP 2009–2010 president, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa Presenters: Deborah Crockett, Fayette County Schools, GA; Michael Curtis, University of South Florida, Tampa; Beth Doll, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Tom Fagan, University of Memphis, TN; Susan Sheridan, University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

The NASP Town Hall Meeting will provide attendees with opportunities to learn from and interact with speakers who are well-known and influential leaders in school psychology and have made significant contributions to the strength of our profession. Each speaker will describe key events that have shaped school psychology and predictions about future directions and challenges for school psychology. The audience will be asked to share personal perspectives about the field and issues to which they believe school psychology must respond.

3:00 p.m.–4:20 p.m.
Featured Session 08
How We Know Our Services Work: Evidence-Based Practice by School Psychologists
NASP thanks Division 16 of the American Psychological Association for cosponsoring this session
Presenters: Thomas Power, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Beth Doll, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Kristen Varjas, Georgia State University; Joel Meyers, Georgia State University; Thomas Kratochwill, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Effectiveness in school psychology is characterized by a full circle of evidence, including applying research as a foundation to guide our practices and using valid techniques to monitor and evaluate the outcomes of specific services in our local settings. Evidence-based practices are grounded in theory and guided by partnerships among researchers, practitioners, and participants stakeholders (e.g., teachers, students, parents, etc.) The presenters of this session will define key characteristics of evidence-based practice and will use case studies to illustrate data collection techniques for evaluation of interventions and other services. Hallmarks of evidence-based practices, including acceptability for stakeholders, feasibility/integrity of implementation, effectiveness, sustainability, and application across context and culture. Other significant factors in school settings also will be highlighted, and the session will conclude with suggestions for communication and dissemination of evidence-based practices with local school administrators and colleagues. This session is a collaborative effort between NASP and Division 16 of APA.

Friday, March 5

9:30 a.m.–10:50 a.m.
Featured Session 06
Featured Panel Presentation: Preserving Capacity and Protecting Jobs in School Psychology—Lessons Learned From the Frontlines
Moderator: Leigh Armistead, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC
Panelists: Joan Kappus, Miami-Dade Schools, FL; Gil Lopez, Miami-Dade Schools, FL; Tracy Hobbs, Lake Orion Community Schools, MI; Rhonda Armistead, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, NC

As budget cuts, accountability standards, RTI, and numerous other factors are having impacts on schools, it is critical that school psychologists promote and preserve their roles as essential and valued school personnel who provide needed, effective services for children’s learning and mental health. A panel of school psychologists who have experienced threats and challenges to positions and services in their school districts will present their resources and techniques to advocate for school psychology and their strategies to protect the positions and roles of school psychologists. Audience members will be asked to describe experiences and outcomes related to jobs and services in their school districts.

2:30 p.m.–3:50 p.m.
Featured Session 07
Positive Psychology in Schools: Promoting Student Resilience, Optimism, and Achievement
Presenter: Karen Reivich, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Positive psychology is gaining widespread recognition as a functional, strength-based approach to improving outcomes for children and youth. Focusing on children’s strengths builds their capacity for optimism and enhances problem-solving, coping, and resilience. These principles fit naturally within the learning environment, shape positive school climates, and underlie effective programs such as Positive Behavior Supports. Dr. Karen Reivich will discuss the latest research in positive psychology and new ways in which the principles are being imbedded in successful strategies for parents and schools. She will highlight easy to use resources and programs, such as the Goldfish Fishful Thinking, which provides parents with tools to promote their children’s optimism and resilience. NASP is partnering with Dr. Reivich and Goldfish Fishful Thinking to bring these strategies into schools.

Karen Reivich, PhD, is the co-director of the Penn Resiliency Project and a research associate in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Reivich is also an instructor in the Masters of Applied Positive Psychology Program and a lead author of the Penn Resiliency Program for Adolescents. She is a coauthor of the books The Optimistic Child, and The Resilience Factor with Dr. Andrew Shatt. Her current work focuses on helping parents and educators promote well-being in children and adolescents. She was hired by the Pepperidge Farm corporation to develop the Goldfish Fishful Thinking program www.fishfulthinking.com. Dr. Reivich lectures extensively and her work is widely published in scholarly journals. She puts her work to practice every day as the mother of four children, ages 10 (twins), 7, and 3.