NASP President's Greeting

Welcome to the NASP website!

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) represents more than 26,000 school psychologists from across the United States and abroad. NASP supports school psychologists and their capacity to enhance the mental health and school success of all children, particularly those with barriers to learning. Partnering with all who share our commitment to children and youth is critical to our work. This website supports that effort. We hope you find it a useful resource in your efforts to help children and youth achieve their best in school, at home, and in life.

School Psychologists Are Essential Members of the School Teamm

School psychologists are uniquely qualified members of school teams that support teachers’ ability to teach and children’s ability to learn. We provide direct educational, behavioral, and mental health services for children and youth, as well as work with families, school administrators, teachers, and other professionals to create supportive learning and social environments for all students. We have particular expertise in data collection, analysis and interpretation for student achievement and school improvement.

Examples of specific issues that school psychologists address include:

• Assessing struggling learners and designing and evaluating interventions to help
• Consulting with teachers on instruction and classroom management
• Promoting positive behavior on an individual student and school-wide basis
• Assessing eligibility for special education and providing supports for students with disabilities and their families
• Monitoring student’s academic and behavioral progress and adjusting strategies as necessary
• Working with administrators to create positive and safe school climates, including bullying prevention and effective discipline
• Helping families to support their children’s school success, and connecting them community resources when needed
• Helping to identify and provide counseling for students struggling with mental health problems such as depression and anxiety
• Preventing and responding to crises
• Participating on the school improvement teams
• Promoting the resilience, wellness, and positive life skills of all students.

Positive Relationships – School Success

Our work is accomplished through building strong, productive relationships with students, families, teachers, administrators, and community members. Positive relationships are critical to school success, which is why I have made this my presidential theme. NASP and school psychologists seek to help all stakeholders in children’s lives work more effectively together. We strive to build mutual trust, respect, reliability, and collaboration. We advocate for policies and practices that enable schools to create positive climates, where students feel safe and fairly treated, are connected to their peers and adults, and are engaged academically and socially. There are many resources on our website to support this effort.

School Psychologists Are a Ready Resource

School psychologists offer a broad range of services that are delineated in the NASP Model for Comprehensive and Integrated School Psychological Service. The NASP Practice Model can help educators, families, and policymakers better understand the extent of school psychologists’ training, and our ability to help improve outcomes across a spectrum of issues. It also offers a flexible framework within which schools can make the best, most cost-effective use of school psychologists’ skills and expertise, which are an existing resource.

As NASP president and as a NASP member for many years, I am proud of the information and resources we provide to our members, educators, families, and the general public. I hope that you find it valuable. Working together, we can develop the kinds of positive, productive relationships that build a web of supports around students so that they can reach their fullest potential.

Thank you for visiting NASP.

Kathleen Minke, Ph.D., NCSP
NASP President, 2010-11