School Psychologists: Advancing Policy and Practice to Support ALL Students
In This Section
As mentioned in previous Policy Matters updates, and in the recent CQ article, The Every Student Succeeds Act: Opportunities for School Psychology, the Every Student Succeeds Act contains significant opportunity and funding for states and districts to improve school and student outcomes, support safe and supportive learning environments, and improve student mental and behavioral wellness by implementing comprehensive school psychological services. ESSA's inclusion of these policies is the direct result of the consistent leadership and advocacy of school psychologists at the local, state, and federal level.
Now it's time to strap on your advocacy boots once again to make sure that the policies in ESSA are translated into effective policy and practice at the state and local level. ESSA takes effect at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year, and although the Department of Education will be releasing regulations outlining additional requirements for specific parts of the law, states have already begun to consider what changes must be made to comply with the new law and to improve school and student outcomes. It is critical that key decision-makers understand how school psychologists can help develop and implement comprehensive data-based service delivery systems that hold all students to high expectations and offer the necessary supports to ensure those expectations are met. To help support your efforts, NASP is creating a series of fact sheets about specific portions of the law and the important role of school psychologists. For each key topic, there is a fact sheet to help educate school psychologists about their role in ESSA and a companion fact sheet for school administrators and other key decision makers that articulates specific ways school psychologists can help with effective ESSA implementation and, most importantly, improve outcomes for all students.
These fact sheets, contact information for key stakeholders in your state, and other resources related to ESSA implementation are available in the ESSA Implementation Resources.