School Psychology International

Characteristics of school bullies and victims identified in the professional literature vary widely. This study turned these characteristics into a survey that included 70 potential characteristics. A world-wide group of 14 experts were asked to rate the importance of each characteristic in identifying either bullies or victims. The results demonstrated strong agreement on 19 characteristics for bullies and 19 for victims. Results of the study are discussed as well as the potential value of this data for increasing understanding of these groups, early identification of potential problem students, and the relationship of the results to prevention and intervention models.

This study examined who has been publishing in the major school psychology journals, the universities where they received their graduate training, and the categories of publications of graduates of selected universities as one measure of the quality of graduate education in school psychology. The journals included were the Journal of School Psychology, School Psychology International, School Psychology Revieuw, School Psychology Quarterly, Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, and Psychology in the Schools as these are the major journals representingthe profession. Results indicated E. Scott Huebner as the most prolific author in the school psychology literature during the period under investigation and graduates of the University of Georgia as making the greatest contribution to the literature. Results are discussed in relation to previous research and surveys evaluating graduate program quality.

The effectiveness of the Portage Program, a home-based prescriptive-teaching secondary-prevention program based on behavioral principles and designed to promote development in infant and children who display general cognitive and related disabilities, was examined over a five year period. The progress of 396 children with handicapping conditions who reside in the Gaza Strip was followed. Children in the three lowest levels of ability made little change in their rates of development while those in the two highest levels displayed decrements in their rates of development. Additional empirical studies on the Portage Program are warranted to determine the types of children and the environmental conditions associated with its effects.

Clinical supervision represents a critical training component to the development and professionalization of a school psychologist. For graduate students, university and field-based clinical supervision represents one praxis for training and development. Similarly, clinical supervision for practitioners can provide a valuable opportunity to further competence. This article considers the concept of school-based clinical supervision for school psychologists and explores opportunities for the future.

Violence as a function of vulnerability and delinquency was examined in a sample of 2066 ninth-graders. Vulnerability was examined by several proxy measures (being hit, attacked, or touched inappropriately at school; being exposed to weapons at school; the absence of the father from the home; and mother's educational attainment). Violence was a composite measure of the frequency of hitting a student, hitting or shoving a teacher, carrying a weapon at school, group fighting, and armed robbery. Vulnerability indicators explained 48% of the variance in violence in the first step of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Delinquency measures (crime involvement, punishment at school, and drug involvement) and attitudes toward school increased the explained variance to 74%. Vulnerability is posited as a potential central mechanism for the development of violent behavior. Prospective study of this mechanism is recommended.

The goal of partnership in education is to enhance learning and educational development as well as to promote international understanding. Partnership in education depending upon local, national, or international setting, reveals different psychological and sociological dynamics. Partnership at a local level focuses upon family, school dynamics and community issues. Partnership at a national level is concerned with such issues as control of education at the local and state level, democratic vs authoritarian philosophy, concern for exceptional learners and minority population. Partnership from an international perspective involves many issues of sociopolitical, economic and philosophical nature. It is clear that the scope of programs available is directly related to the socioeconomic level of the society.

This paper presents a systemic perspective for understanding the pervasive problem of victimization in schools by clarifying adult attitudes toward childhood aggression, examining victimization as a continuum of behavior, and emphasizing the interpersonal relationship between victims and victimizers. In addition, the rationale and description of a preventive program dealing with children as victims and victimizers is presented.

Bullying happens all the time

In class, at home, or in the lunch line

Bullies punch, kick, threaten, and steal

Then I don't have money for my lunch meal

They try to be cool by making others hurt

And that makes you feel like dirt

I don't know how they can stand to do such

If I tried bullying, I'd feel bad too much.

Tracy, Amy and Phil, Age 11

Fair Play Program Participants