In the profession of school psychology a clearly defined set of activities and functions has not yet emerged. Although much has been written concerning the desirable function of the school psychologist, little has been published describing his actual practice. It seems clear that a discussion of the activities which ought to be pursued would have more meaning if it were cast against a background of the present day to day activity of the school psychologist.In an attempt to survey a group of school psychologists concerning their training and present functions a questionnaire was developed and mailed to all persons employed as school psychologists in the state of Colorado. A total of 57 such persons in active status was identified from a list distributed by the Colorado Department of Education. These psychologists were employed by 20 different school districts with 37 psychologists located in the Denver metropolitan area. Returns were received from 30 psychologists representing 53 per cent of the original mailing. Although the psychologists were not identified by name, returns came from 15 of the 20 districts and included approximately one half of the persons employed in each of the 12 large districts employing more than one psychologist. One other bit of information is available for evaluating the adequacy of this sample. Seven persons or 23 per cent of the respondents indicate that they hold a doctorate. In the total group of 57, the corresponding figures were 10 persons and 18 per cent. Thus it appears that the sample is geographically representative although there may be some overemphasis from the more highly trained psychologists.
RESULTS
Teaching ExperienceOnly 4 of the 29 individuals who responded to this question claimed no prior teaching experience. The median was 8 years with 4 persons indicating more than 20 years of classroom experience. There was a nearly even split between experience in the elementary and secondary levels with 11 having taught at the elementary level and 15 at the secondary level. Five had taught special education classes, and three had had coIlege teaching experience. Subjects taught include mathematics (3), science (2), social studies ( 6 ) , English (3), and physical education (2).
PreparationWhat kind of undergraduate background do school psychologists bring to their positions? Although education with 7 and psychology with 7 are the most frequent majors, a large number of others are reported: English (4), science (4), mathematics (3), home economics (2), social studies (2), business education (l), German (l), philosophy (1), sociology (1), and humanities (I). There is no typical undergraduate major.A summary of the level of training shows that only three persons or 10 per cent do not have at least a master's degree, and the majority (73 per cent) have two years or more of graduate work. There were 3 with the B.A. plus 40 hours graduate work,
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