Linda Neiheiser
OSPA President
2009-2010

“I’m like a Skiff on the Ocean tost, Now high, now low, with each Billow born, With her Rudder broke, and her Anchor lost, Deserted and all forlorn.” The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay (1685-1732), published 1728. Air XLVII, Act III, Scene 7: Having Lost My Way (Spacks, 1986).

Some of you may recall a former Wechsler (1974) comprehension question: “Why is it better to give money to a well-known charity rather than to a street beggar?” The acceptable responses ranged from the possibility for greater social outreach to the perceived tendency of beggars to spend money on illegal substances. What was not addressed in this culturally-biased, and subsequently dismissed, query was why we have street beggars at all.

Mental health is, by collective definition, a state of psychological and emotional well-being in which a person’s cognitive and emotional capabilities allow him/her to function in society and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life (US Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). Street beggars evidence a temporary or long-term paucity in these characteristics. When walking past one of these individuals, it is easy to forget that each one was once a school-aged child, perhaps in need of school psychology support during that critical developmental time.

While cognitive testing and psychological assessment have framed the role of the school psychologist in the past, the expanse of RtI and other latter-day service delivery models define a new trajectory for us, aligned with general education at the heart (Cash, 2009). There is a schism within our field regarding not the efficacy of RtI but rather our role in it. The long-term prospective of school districts’ need for “school psychologists” as currently titled, as opposed to lesser-degreed educational technicians, must be carefully metered. So, too, must the mental health piece to address children’s psychological and emotional deficits underscoring student learning. Since child and adolescent brain activity – decision-making/reasoning abilities and memory/learning capabilities – is altered by such variables as emotionally-traumatic events, self-medication, and physical injury (Drury & Giedd, 2009), we are first responders within the schools to assist in recovery.

To quote former NASP president Gene Cash (2008), “School psychologists know more about psychology than anyone else in education; and we know more about education than anyone else in psychology.” As we bridge these two distinct but convergent disciplines, let us continue to address student needs to the best of our ability and school psychology training, and not to deflect from the psychology within our title.

My general goals as president of OSPA for 2009-2010 include the following:
• Strengthen OSPA’s membership numbers, as well as joint membership in OSPA and Regionals;
• Attend each Regional’s general and/or Executive Board meetings at least once;
• Ensure that members are familiar with OSPA governing rules, for their benefit;
• Have active Regional participation (in addition to Reps) on each OSPA committee;
• Make OSPA relevant to its members’ needs, beginning with active committee work; and
• Address legislative and state issues as they affect the field of school psychology, such as the American Psychological Association’s model licensure act revisions.

My special interest goals, as always, remain the following:
• Emphasize the role of the school psychologist as comprehensive psychological evaluator;
• Promote the role of the school psychologist as mental health specialist in the schools;
• Expand knowledge for all regarding mental disorders and their effect on learning; and
• Advance awareness regarding the specialized needs of foster care/adopted students.

I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible during my visits to each Regional in the upcoming school year and to celebrate your accomplishments. Working together within a framework of school psychology mental health supports, let us strive to eliminate a “beggar” outcome for some of our students and offer, instead, a formula for success in life.

Now that we are nearing the second decade of the 21st century, OSPA finds itself at a crossroads. Change is not always a welcome visitor to some, especially to those who find great comfort in stability and continuity. This is true within some segments of the OSPA community. While it is important to retain all the aspects of OSPA that have proven successful in the past, a clear eye to the future is essential so that our organization can be receptive to its newest and youngest members, the “e-generation.”

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything” (Pearson, 1963). So said George Bernard Shaw, Irish to the core, who knew a thing or two about rustling the feathers of a staid Victorian-era/Edwardian- period world. As a critic of the arts, a novelist, playwright and political force, Shaw eschewed prosaic methods and searched for alternative solutions to advancing societal and governmental change. He challenged others to use their skills and abilities to make a difference, and he believed that personal gratification came not from honors or awards but, rather, from effecting positive change for others.

Your OSPA Executive Board did just that when its members convened for an allday planning session in August, for the purpose of addressing sustainability of the Association, developing a plan for stronger fiscal responsibility, and focusing on greater relevance to its membership. Rather than falling back on the defensive posturing of, “But this is how it’s always been done” or “It works fine – why change it?” your leaders recognized the need to think proactively, especially when challenged to develop solutions for impending concerns.

In compliance with OSPA’s Operations Manual, your Committee Chairs developed Annual Objectives to meet OSPA’s Annual Goals for this year, comprised of adherence to our Constitution and Operations Manual, fiscal stability, services to meet members’ interests, greater Regional engagement, IUC participation, expanded committee involvement, and increased overall membership. These Annual Goals address the Long Range Plan of OSPA, which focuses on projections for the health of our profession in general and Ohio-related implications for school psychologists in particular. At the next Executive Board meeting, scheduled in November, we will select key strategies from our proposed solutions and enact them, for the purpose of creating a more responsive and responsible Association. It is essential to recognize that nothing is perfect and everything can be improved, including OSPA’s services to its members. This is where you come in.

OSPA’s Executive Board – consisting of Elected Officers, Regional Representatives, Committee Chairs, and Liaisons – is comprised of both veteran and new school psychologists who are committed to serving you. While experience is valued, invigoration is also welcomed. Henry Ward Beecher, a 19th century American social reformer and abolitionist, believed that one should adapt oneself to the changing culture of the times. He expressed, “Our days are a kaleidoscope. Every instant a change takes place, new harmonies, new contrasts, new combinations of every sort occur. The most familiar people stand each moment in some new revelation to each other, to their work, to surrounding objects” (Applegate, 2006).

OSPA’s kaleidoscope moment is now. New members are needed to serve – in leadership roles, as representatives, on committees, and as liaisons for complementing organizations. If alive today, Shaw might very well proffer, “A call to serve is being presented to you, OSPA members, and your participation is not only welcomed but expected. What say you?”

Please email me at Linda@OSPAonline.org if your response is a resounding, “Count me in!”

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) recently posed a question to some of its members, asking how to best solidify our professional identity. Its leaders queried whether the focus should be on establishing school psychology as a separate profession or as a field within the profession of psychology.

While most of us are too busy engaged in clerical work at our schools (!) to contemplate such a future-focused issue, some are actively participating in evidence-based practices using the latest paradigms offered from scientific study, while still others are broadly envisioning the trajectory of our current practice through research findings. Pondering NASP’s question, I find it worthy to provide a bit of historical account regarding how our professional organizations were founded and to review the steps that have already been taken to determine our professional identity.

As should all of you, I take great pride in the Ohio School Psychologists Association’s status as the first school psychology association in the nation, organized in 1943. Our history can be found online at http://www.ospaonline.org/pdf/ history.pdf. This development followed decades of Ohio school districts offering child study clinics or departments since approximately 1911, as well as the Ohio Legislature creating the position of Chief Psychologist for the state in 1939, appointing P.O. Wagner to the role. His vision of school psychologists as “diagnosti-cians, consultants, and counselors” encapsulated an identity that was to remain for years (Alexander et al., 1992).

Following the inception of OSPA, two national psychology conferences were held – one in Boulder, Colorado in 1949 (“Boulder Conference on Graduate Education in Clinical Psychology”), establishing the scientist-practitioner model, and a second at The Hotel Thayer, West Point, NY in 1954 (APA’s “Thayer Conference on School Psychology”), focusing on consideration for children and schooling, which was neglected at the Boulder conference (Fagan, 2004; Fagan, 2005; Semrud-Clikeman, 2005).

You should also know that OSPA was the sponsor of the groundbreaking National Invitational Conference of School
Psychologists in 1968 in Columbus, from which NASP was created and a identity was formed (Farling, 1969; Street, 1994). Quite amazing, this state organization of ours!

The nationwide gatherings following this landmark meeting – primarily, the “Future of Psychology in the Schools: Spring Hill Symposium,” Wyzata, MN, 1980, and the “Olympia Conference on the Future of School Psychology,” Oconomowoc, WI, 1981 – supported role expansion beyond
diagnostic assessment (Phillips, 1981; Weinberg & Ysseldyke, 1984; Ysseldyke & Weinberg, 1981).

Current NASP President Patti Harrison and other NASP leaders addressed our professional identity once more, at the 2002 Conference on the Future of School Psychology, bookended by publications of Blueprint(s) I & II, in 1984 and 1997, respectively, and Blueprint III of 2006. Greater systemic consultation, prevention, and intervention services were promoted, coupled with evidence-based practice, thus framing the most recent identity of the school psychologist
(Dawson et al., 2004).

Current paradigm shifts, possible continuance of the APA Model Licensure Act exemption debate, minority recruitment, school psychologist-to-student service ratio, and projections of 15,000 unfulfilled practitioner/trainer positions in the US through 2020 force us to delineate our role and function once again. Should our specialized training be elevated to Ph.D. status for all, meeting APA vision, or do
we continue to serve within a “Three-Tier” model of Master’s/Specialist/Ph.D., while grandfathering the 20th century-based MA/ MS/M.Ed. version of practitioners’ training? What of expanded service delivery to students,
given that school psychologists now actively engage in RtI, which encompasses all students in schools? As our provision of service expands, so too does our caseload.
Is the 21st century school psychologist to be a Jack of all trades but master of none?

Traversing the NASP/APA Division 16 (and practitioner/graduate educator) “Great Divide,” it is clear that school psychology’s bifurcation impedes our identity
development. A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe that NASP must overcome this dichotomy as well as
dismiss any consideration for splintering into a totally separate profession at this time, since both are counterproductive and since we are all psychologists at the
core. School psychology is, and has been, an applied specialty in professional psychology. If any separation is to occur, it should be at the sub-specialty level, with
NASP-supported certification/diplomate status for advanced training, similar to school-neuropsychology, so that we may
offer enhanced services to those students with targeted needs.

As you ponder NASP’s question regarding the ever-changing professional identity of school psychology, consider how far advanced we really are in identity-formation, compared to our geographic neighbor.
Ontario-born media theorist Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) said it best: “Canada is the only country in the world that knows how to live without an identity” (Stearns, 1968).

Linda

References:

Alexander, P., Bashian, A., Cote, M., Chrin, M., Coolahan, S., Curtis, M., Farling, W., Fiscus, E., Garwood, B., Goff, W., & McPherson, D. (1992). Untitled document on the history of the Ohio School Psychologists Association. Retrieved 01
December 2009 from: http://www.ospaonline.org/pdf/history.pdf.

Dawson, M., Cummings, J.A., Harrison, P.L., Short, R.J., Gorin, S., & Palomares, R. (2004). The 2002 multisite conference on the future of school psychology: Next steps. School Psychology Review, 33(1), 115-125.

Fagan, T.K. (2004). Thayer conference: 50th anniversary. The School Psychologist, 58(4), 134-135.

Fagan, T.K. (2005). The 50th anniversary of the Thayer conference: Historical perspectives and accomplishments. School Psychology Quarterly, 20(3), 224- 251.

Farling, W.H. (1969). NASP is here. The Ohio School Psychologist, 13(3), 2.

Phillips, B.N. (1981). Spring Hill revisited. Professional Psychology, 12(2), 288-290.

Semrud-Clikeman, M. (2005). Commentary on “The 50th anniversary of the Thayer conference: Historical perspectives and accomplishments.” School Psychology Quarterly, 20(3), 256-263.

Stearns, G.E. (Ed.). (1968). McLuhan: Hot and cool. London: Penguin.

Street, W. R. (1994). A chronology of noteworthy events in American psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Weinberg, R.A., & Ysseldyke, J.E. (1984). What happened at Spring Hill? School Psychology International, 5(3), 125-130.

Ysseldyke, J.E., & Weinberg, R.A. (1981). The future of psychology in the schools: Proceedings of the Spring Hill symposium. School Psychology Review, 10(2), 127-137.

“Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.”- The Count, in The Marble Faun: The Romance of Monte Beni by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), Chapter 24: The
Towers Among the Apennines.

As we mark another trip around the sun, let us take account of some of this year’s OSPA endeavors:

General goals were achieved related to not only increasing OSPA’s overall membership numbers, but also expanding the number of joint OSPA-Regional memberships; ensuring that Executive Board members were familiarized with OSPA governing rules; enhancing OSPA’s relevance to members’ needs through surveys, surveys, with subsequent enactment of member preferences; increasing committee participation from the general membership as well as ensuring Regional representation; instilling strong fiscal responsibility within our organization; and addressing legislative and state issues related to school psychology.

Specialized goals were also attained as they relate to sharing information with Ohio school administrators as to the comprehensive role of the school psychologist in serving students; promoting school psychological mental health service delivery in the schools; expanding knowledge for school educators regarding mental disorders and their effects on learning; and advancing awareness regarding the
unique needs of foster care and adopted students.

To illustrate just one of the aforementioned endeavors:TOSP Editor & former OSPA President Dr. Rob Kubick, OSPA Technology Committee Chair & Web Administrator Jeff York, and I successfully navigated the learning curve with our inaugural web-based, on-line survey of all state members. OSPA members were provided the opportunity to have their voices clearly heard (albeit via e-communication!) with regard to school psychology issues and OSPA practices that ranged great and small.

For example, members were queried as to the wisdom of continuing to host two conferences (one Fall, one Spring), in light of sweeping changes throughout most other state organizations in the nation yielding to the one-conference per year model. Given the advent of multi-state-linked webinar conferences and other options, it is clearly time to rethink our old model of bookended conferences to the school year, thereby acceding to our members’ wishes. Nearly 80% of the responding membership indicated a change was needed from our current conference structure (Fall in Columbus; Spring in rotating cities), with more than
30% suggesting options of webinars or elimination of the Spring offering altogether.

Members were also asked their preference as to the timing of Awards ceremonies during Conferences. The resounding
response was, “Not during my lunch hour!”There is certainly something to be said (not well, that is) with regard to handing
out the Clyde V. Bartlett Distinguished Service Award to a well-deserving recipient amid the clatter of china & silverware and the chatter of bustling servers & OSPA Conference attendees who have been quiet as church-mice for the three previous hours of “Invited Speaker” time. A challenge, indeed, this poses to Conference Committee Chairs and their helpful members, but one that is worthy of change for the elevation of the Awards ceremony.

It was invigorating to see how many members indicated their willingness to assist on OSPA committees!One hundred and
seventy seven OSPA members pinpointed his/her committee of choice on the survey, and Committee Chairs followed up responsibly, offering a selection of ways in which these volunteers could become more active in OSPA’s inner sanctum.

Beyond the cyber-world of on-line surveys, your Executive Board participated in behind-the-scenes OSPA decisions this year that included revising (once again!) the OSPA Constitution and Operations Manual, which can be found on our website; addressing the yet-to-be-fullyresolved MLA/APA Great Debate, which affects professional identity as “School Psychologists” for those minus the Ph.D. degree; supporting the Center for Effective Discipline’s ban on school corporal punishment (Ohio is now the 30th state in the country to ban corporal punishment in schools); chartering a course for OSPA with regard to its Long-Range Plan, Annual
Goals, and Annual Objectives for each member of the Board; and expanding our on-line resources to OSPA members.

Strengthened relations between Regionals and OSPA also occurred this year. Your Regional Presidents came out en masse to our Winter Executive Board meeting, for the purpose of discussing with fellow Presidents the common challenges affecting Regional Associations, proposing solutions to these challenges, and proactively planning for Regional growth and services to its members.

At this sunset hour of my Presidency, I would like to thank each and every OSPA member for his/her continued support
of our professional association—and for helping Ohio’s schoolchildren. Your attendance at conferences, participation on our listserv, volunteerism within committee work, submittals for TOSP, and willingness to seek elected office are the hallmarks of a truly dedicated member of this premier organization. I strongly urge each of you to continue to offer your time, talents, and professional skills for the betterment of OSPA now and in years to come.

There are no closed doors on the Executive Board. Committee Chair and Liaison positions are for one year only, and are offered as appointment by each new President. Please consider joining a committee now, with the expressed interest of leading it at a future time, and consider
“making a run for it” with regard to elected office, whether as an Elected OfficerPresident-Elect, Secretary, or Treasurer)
or as a Regional Representative. As I wrote before to you, “While experience is welcomed, invigoration is also valued. ”Please consider offering your services to OSPA, so that this organization—one of which I am so grateful to be a part—can continue to experience a trajectory of success in serving you, its members.

As for those “experienced” OSPA Executive Board members, especially Business Manager Cheryl VanDenBerge and OSPA’s Director of Legislative Services & Professional Relations, Ann Brennan:There are no words to truly convey my respect for and appreciation of all their countless hours of work for the betterment of this association. I have been awed and humbled by their brilliant minds as they think through every issue, missing not one facet of a challenge, at each Board meeting.

Said W. Alton Jones (1891-1962), industrialist, philanthropist, and close friend of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, “The person who achieves the most satisfactory
results is not always the one with the brilliant single mind, but rather the one who can best coordinate the brains and talents of his/her associates” (Albertson, 1963). “Brains and talent” -- how true in the case of this 2009-2010 Executive Board, one and all. As you read this quarterly TOSP, please take the time to review each person’s name on the last pages of this edition, to fully acknowledge them for all they do for you.

Thank you once again for affording me the opportunity to serve you as OSPA President this year.

Linda

References:
Albertson, D. (Ed.) (1963). Eisenhower as president. New York: Hill & Wang.

Hawthorn, N. (1860; reprint 1990). The marble faun: The romance of Monte Beni. New York: Penguin Books USA.