Welcome!
At the Indiana University School Psychology program, we prepare educational leaders who are committed to improving outcomes for all students in today's changing schools. Program graduates integrate research and practice to help solve problems associated with the personal, social and educational development of children and youth from all cultural, economic, racial and ethnic backgrounds. Students in the program are also prepared to take an active role in restructuring organizations and systems that serve children, to advocate for students from groups that have been traditionally underserved, and to contribute to the knowledge base in psychology. Our application deadline is December 1.
A Commitment to Social Justice:
The Indiana University School Psychology program’s faculty and students have a strong commitment to social justice as an integral part of our training. Longstanding patterns of oppression and discrimination have left our nation with inequities that continue to plague our schools and society. We believe that school psychologists have a responsibility to develop an identity that incorporates a commitment to social justice. This dedication to equity cannot be an add-on or a single course in diversity. Rather, the commitment to cultural responsiveness and advocacy must be an integral part of the training and role of the school psychologist, as central as our commitment to evidence-based practice and effective collaboration. Thus, we train our students the concept of a continuum of care to provide the most effective evidence-based services for all individuals, but also to act as an advocate and systems change agent, actively monitoring the quality of the educational experience and outcomes for students from groups who have been under-represented or marginalized.
Accredited by the American Psychological Association, the Ph.D. program in school psychology is a specialization within educational psychology. Graduates of the program are eligible for a broad array of positions, including teaching and research as university faculty members and clinical and administrative practice as school psychologists or directors of school psychology in public school systems, mental health centers, and state departments of public instruction. Graduates may also become eligible for licensure as psychologists in independent practice.
This program leads to licensure as a school psychologist in Indiana and eligibility for licensure in other states. Graduates of our Ed.S. program provide psychological services in public school settings. Our specialist level graduates may be found as far north as Alaska, from Washington state to New Jersey, and south to Florida. The Ed.S program is recognized by the National Association of School Psychologists.
Research Opportunities
As a scientist-practitioner program, we seek to prepare leaders in the field through experience in field-based research programs. Our students have the opportunity to participate as research assistants contributing to the project conceptualization, data collection, data analysis, writing, and presentation on a number of federal-, state-, and University-funded research projects. Recent research projects include:
- Educational Equity. Under the direction of Dr. Russell Skiba at the Equity Project , student research assistants contribute to research exploring the disproportionate representation of students of color in special education and school suspension/expulsion. Funded projects include the Indiana Disproportionality Project and the Children Left Behind Project.
- School Discipline and School Violence. Dr. Skiba has also directed federal and foundation-funded research on the critical topics of school violence and school discipline. Projects that School Psychology students have contributed to in this area include the Safe and Responsive Schools Project and Children Left Behind.
- Response to Intervention. Working with Dr. Rebecca MartÃnez Reid, Director of the Institute for Child Study, graduate students participate in the Academic Well Check Program began in the Fall of 2004 and is being carried out at local elementary schools. Student research assistants working on the project assist in global screening of students' academic progress using curriculum based measurement. Research assistants also conduct field-based interventions and implement research projects in their area of interest. Findings have been presented at state and national conferences and published in various venues.
- Autism Spectrum Disorders. Students interested in autism spectrum disorders have the opportunity to conduct research under the supervision of Dr. Scott Bellini. Dr. Bellini coordinates the research efforts of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism, which is part of a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Graduate students have the opportunity to work on a variety of research projects ranging from program evaluation, social skill interventions, video self-modeling, the development of anxiety, test construction, and large population based surveys.
- Internet as a Tool for School Psychologists. Dr. Jack A. Cummings is exploring ways school psychologists can use various digital tools to extend their effectiveness. A continuing project is finding ways to actualize the goals of the Multi-Site School Psychology Futures Conference that was hosted by Indiana University in 2002. Another effort underway is planning for the 2012 School Psychology Futures Conference. Similar to the 2002 conference the 2012 conference will be webcast and include the nationally and internationally prominient speakers.
-
Anxiety Disorders and Depression. Dr. Thomas J. Huberty is interested in typical anxiety and how it develops and changes over time to become anxiety disorders that are associated with depression and with their effects on social, personal, and academic functioning. He is also interested in developing, implementing, and evaluating evidenced-based interventions for anxiety disorders based on cognitive-behavioral therapy methods that can be used in various settings.
Related Sites of Interest:
Contact Information:
Dr. Thomas Huberty, Director
School Psychology Program
Wright Education Building, Room 4062
201 N. Rose Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47405-1006
Phone: (812)856-8332
Fax: (812)856-8333