Multicultural Issues in School Psychology Practice

SUMMARY

This special volume provides theoretical and empirical models for multicultural school psychology practice, based on the work of the contributing authors who are engaged in efforts to address multicultural or cross-cultural issues in practice and/or to provide culturally specific or culturally embedded services in schools. This introductory article describes the foundations of a participatory culture-specific model for school psychology practice: ecological-developmental theory, ethnographic and participatory action research, and participatory consultation (PCSM; Nastasi et al, 2004). These foundations provide a framework for the remaining articles in this collection, which address multicultural issues related to assessment, intervention, consultation, systems/community intervention, home-school partnerships and adoption of evidence-based interventions. The article concludes with a discussion of the school psychologist's role in multicultural practice and implications for development of culturally competent school psychologists.

Key Words:

• Culture
• ethnicity
• language
• schools
• school psychologists