Infusing global and intercultural perspectives to transform school psychology and school psychologists.

Abstract

School psychology has been criticized for limited attention to and limited evidence-based resources for diverse populations in domestic and international settings, in part because of its foundations on psychological knowledge generated primarily in North America and Western Europe. Moreover, in the past 25 years, the profession has made insufficient progress in changing its focus toward an ecological systems perspective as initially envisioned by Conoley and Gutkin in 1995 and revisited in this issue. In this article, we embrace and expand that vision to include the infusion of global and intercultural perspectives into school psychology research, training, practice, policy, and advocacy as a means to address cultural diversity within local contexts across the globe, with a particular focus on school psychology within the United States. We begin with a discussion of terminology that addresses international and cross-cultural issues related to diversity. We then examine past and present perspectives and approaches to cultural diversity and globalization within school psychology and propose future directions for research, training, practice, policy, and advocacy within a global-intercultural perspective. We conclude with our reflections about transforming school psychology and school psychologists. Impact and ImplicationsThis article discusses the representation of ecological-systems, international, and cross-cultural perspectives in the past, present, and future of school psychology research, training, practice, policy, and advocacy. The authors propose a global perspective for understanding culture in domestic and international contexts, which relies on negotiating differences in values, beliefs, and norms to achieve shared understandings and inform individual perspectives.

Introduction to special issue on the history of the future of proactive school psychology: Transcending the past, excelling in the present, and transforming the future.

“…To foster knowledge regarding terminology relevant to the delivery of culturally responsive services, Nastasi, Chittooran, Arora, and Song (2020) provided an impressive account of critical constructs associated with embracing a global and intercultural perspective. These authors, who have been leaders in international and cultural school psychology initiatives, explained that building intercultural competence requires engagement at a metacultural level, whereby school psychology professionals continuously reflect on and revise their attitudes and expectations.…”

History of the future of proactive school psychology: Historical review at our 75th APA anniversary to transcend the past, excel in the present, and transform the future.

“…As has been widely debated, transformation has been advocated since the birth of school psychology with recent world and societal events adding to the urgency of change (Nastasi et al, 2020). From the APA DSP and NASP partnership, Sheridan and D'Amato (2003) summarized what they understood from the field was needed to help solve the many school, child, and family related issues that trouble society and lead to continued educational inequalities.…”

“…School psychologists must become effective change agents and consultants when offering primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions for teachers, parents, and students (Hughes et al, 2020; Nastasi et al, 2020). We envision more system-wide screening for early intervention and the expansion of psychological services for children ages 0 to 3 and their parents.…”

Considerations for school psychology to realize its promise: Commentary on the special issue from early career school psychologists.

“…The School Psychology Unified Anti-Racism Statement and Call to Action (Garcia Vazquez et al, 2020) identified several steps for the profession of school psychology to actively engage in antiracism. To begin, school psychologists must practice intercultural competence, defined by Nastasi and colleagues (2020) as a process of personal cultural awareness, open engagement with others, and willingness to reconsider assumptions and viewpoints. To genuinely enact equity for students and their families, school psychology scholars and practitioners must engage in continued learning and self-reflection and must commit to making this work a foundational component of our profession.…”