The Legal Quality of Articles Published in School Psychology Journals: An Initial Report Card

Abstract.

As a follow-up to a companion study (Zaheer & Zirkel, in press) that focused on the legal content in school psychology, this analysis examined legal quality. The companion study found that only 35 of the more than 7,000 articles in five leading journals of school psychology for the period 1970–2013 met rather relaxed standards for being law based. This analysis assessed the legal quality of these 35 articles based on my subjective judgment according to three component criteria: accuracy, completeness, and citations. The findings included the following: (a) slightly fewer than half of the 35 articles had at least one author with a law degree; (b) the average legal quality ratings, in terms of traditional letter grades, were B− for accuracy, B for completeness, B− for citations, and B for the overall composite; and (c) the ratings were notably higher for the articles with one or more authors with law degrees than those without such authors. After identifying the most frequent areas warranting improvement for each of the three designated criteria, I offered various professional practice recommendations specific to the field and specific to the journals, including a leadership role for the National Association of School Psychologists in developing more collaboration with legal specialists as authors and reviewers. Finally, I listed several suggestions for further research, including systematic investigation of the specific sources and level of school psychologists' applicable legal knowledge.

Acknowledgment

While retaining sole responsibility for the contents of this article, I acknowledge with appreciation the review and suggestions of colleagues with special, dual expertise—law/psychology professor emeritus (and APA past president) Donald N. Bersoff, IDEA hearing officer Erin H. Leff, parent attorney Lenore Knudtson, school (and former parent) attorneys David T. Painter and Sharon L. LaPointe, and education professor Lewis M. Wasserman.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Perry A. Zirkel

Perry A. Zirkel, PhD, is a professor of education and law at Lehigh University, where he formerly was dean of the College of Education and more recently held the Iacocca Chair in Education for its 5-year term. He has a PhD in Educational Administration and a JD from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Laws degree from Yale University. Having more than 35 years of experience as an impartial specialist in education law, with a subspecialty in special education law, Dr. Zirkel has written more than 1,400 articles for publications and made invited presentations in all 50 states. He has received multiple awards from the American Educational Research Association and the Edwin M. Bridges Award from the University Council for Educational Administration. Dr. Zirkel's research currently focuses on empirical and practical studies of special education law, with secondary attention to more general education law.