The following was originally published in the Spring 2012 TOSP.
I have a simple notion that you can obtain your Ph.D. from a renowned graduate program in school psychology, memorize and even understand every detail in every chapter of the latest Best Practices in School Psychology, have articles accepted to the premier peer-reviewed journals in our discipline and such accomplishments would not guarantee that you would be an effective practitioner school psychologist. Science and knowledge can take you only so far. There is an art to being successful in this discipline. A strong scientific background is necessary, albeit not sufficient, to prosper. Scientists and scientist-practitioners both know that tomatoes are classified as fruit but the scientist-practitioner does not put tomatoes in fruit salad. The science of school psychology is relatively circumscribed; the art of school psychology is personal and contextual. The science of school psychology practice will likely be similar in California, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Ohio. The art of school psychology will likely look different between two schools in the same district, each served by the same school psychologist.
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