School Psychology Graduate Training: A Comprehensive Analysis

This article describes a comprehensive study of the nature of graduate training in school psychology. A historical perspective is presented. Demographic information on current trends in school psychology training at the master's, specialist, and doctoral levels is provided. A discriminant analysis of the curriculum for doctoral and specialist programs is examined, and conclusions are drawn with regard to the relation between the content at these two levels of training. It is concluded that school psychology training has advanced significantly in the past 10 years and is moving gradually to the doctoral level. A discussion of the implications of these data for professional psychology is provided. Suggestions are made for organizational changes that will facilitate the accreditation of school psychology programs and ameliorate the historical concern regarding the appropriate entry level for practice.