Recruiting and retaining these professionals is critical for students and their families. The solutions can be found at the local, state, and federal levels.
U.S. students are facing a mental health crisis, and school psychologists play a critical role in addressing that crisis in schools. With expertise in both education and mental health, school psychologists are uniquely qualified to provide universal services that promote academic success and student wellness, as well as needed supports and interventions to address the needs of specific students. But shortages in the workforce threaten students’ access to these services.
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) recommends a ratio of one school psychologist per 500 students. And if school psychologists provide more comprehensive and preventative services, there should be fewer students per psychologist. Unfortunately, we know that U.S. schools are not meeting this standard. The average ratio is more than twice NASP’s recommendation nationally, with one school psychologist for every 1,127 students. Meanwhile, according to NASP’s most recent data, only one state met the recommended ratio. Many states lag significantly behind even the national average. (You can learn more about each state’s ratio by viewing NASP’s State Shortages Dashboard at www.nasponline.org/about-school-psychology/state-shortages-data-dashboard#.)
Many positions at schools go unfilled. By NASP’s estimates, the U.S. needs approximately 63,000 more school psychologists to meet the recommended ratio and ensure every student has access to comprehensive school psychological services. The potential exists for the need to become even more severe. The percentage of school psychologists who were predicted to reach 35 years of total work experience and, thus, to retire soon, was more than 20% in 2015 (Castillo, Curtis, & Tan, 2014). In Florida, retirements and attrition of school psychologists are outpacing school psychologists entering the field, leading to a growing deficit. Across the state, nearly 42 positions went unfilled over five years (Mann, Castillo, & Myers, 2019).
By NASP’s estimates, the U.S. needs approximately 63,000 more school psychologists to meet the recommended ratio and ensure every student has access to comprehensive school psychological services.
The impact of the shortage is clear: U.S. public schools are increasingly limited in their ability to meet the comprehensive academic, mental health, and behavioral health needs of their students. The number of students experiencing poverty and trauma is growing, as is the prevalence of mental and behavioral health challenges in youth. The services school psychologists provide are becoming more integral to children’s success in school, and it is urgent that we address these shortages.
As with so many institutional or systemic examples, these workforce shortages also have the potential to disproportionately affect students who have been historically marginalized or minoritized as the pool of school psychologists diverges further from the population of students that they serve. About 86% of school psychologists are white, only 8% are Hispanic, and 92% are only fluent in English (Goforth et al., 2021). Among those who are fluent in a second language, only about 12% provide services in that language (Goforth et al., 2021).
Until this problem is addressed, the already limited field of school psychologists will continue to be spread thin, working with unmanageable caseloads and unable to provide prevention and early intervention services or regularly consult with families and teachers. In addition to the impacts on underserved children, these workforce shortages and increased caseloads contribute to poor working conditions and burnout. Those conditions spur even more school psychologists to leave the profession or seek alternative employment sooner than they planned, making the issue even more acute.
As a result, students who need access to mental and behavioral health services may be unable to receive the supports they need, and the services that school psychologists provide will focus primarily on legally mandated special education practice. We need to address this crisis before it gets worse.
What can we do about shortages?
Long-term solutions to the shortage of school psychologists will require a multifaceted approach at the local, state, and federal levels. NASP has developed several strategies to promote the recruitment and retention of school psychologists to meet the needs of students, families, and schools. Given the variable nature of the causes and impacts of the shortages in different parts of the country, public school districts, state agencies, and the federal government each have a role to play in meeting this challenge.
First, we need to spotlight the personal and professional benefits of being a school psychologist. School psychologists receive competitive salaries, have ample job opportunities, experience a high degree of job satisfaction, and can serve in a range of employment contexts. School psychology is an exciting and rewarding field that many prospective students simply aren’t aware of. It is important when promoting the field of school psychology that we try to help potential applicants understand the positive impact they can have in children’s lives and the community. We know this is generally why people go into the field, and it should be part of how we talk about pursuing a career in school psychology (Bocanegra, Newell, & Gubi, 2016). This is especially important in job descriptions, which rarely describe the many unique characteristics that could help in recruiting high-quality applicants. That is why NASP created a sample job description with suggestions for writing one focused on recruitment and alignment with the NASP Practice Model.
State and federal education leaders should pay attention to regional differences in root causes of shortages, the severity, and the negative impact they have. For example, the availability of graduate programs differs substantially by state. New York has 26 and California has 37 universities offering a school psychology program, but many states have only one program, and some don’t have any. Faculty for university programs are in short supply, which limits efforts to expand existing or launch new graduate education programs. Similarly, regional differences exist in the availability of internship stipends, despite their importance as a recruiting tool.
State and federal agencies can create incentives for people entering the profession of school psychology. These include financial incentives, internship stipends, comprehensive benefits packages, support to obtain ongoing professional development, and other benefits. Similarly, state departments of education, institutions of higher education, and state school psychology organizations can create formal re-specialization programs that allow for changing specialties within psychology (such as changing from a clinical psychologist to a school psychologist), increase the availability of distance learning for people without programs nearby, develop stronger internship programs, and use financial incentives to recruit candidates in high-need areas (Morrison, Davies, & Noltemeyer, 2020).
NASP and state school psychology associations are urging lawmakers on Capitol Hill to allocate federal funds to grant programs that will assist state leaders in remedying shortages. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act included a $1 billion investment in the School Based Mental Health Services Grant Program and the School Based Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Grants, both critical tools to help schools and communities remedy the shortages of school psychologists, counselors, and social workers. These investments support efforts to recruit, train, and retain school mental health professionals. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 14,000 new school mental health professionals will be trained within the first cohort of grantees. This is laudable to be sure, but it represents only a fraction of the number of professionals we need to support our students. Ongoing funding for these two grant programs is critical, and we must work to ensure that these funds not only remain available to current grantees, but also that they increase to ensure they can meet growing demand.
The need for diversity
The school psychology workforce should reflect the communities it serves. As stated previously, data show that school psychologists are 86% white, and 92% are fluent only in English. We must create representative and inclusive programs to attract a diverse pool of graduate students to pursue a career in this field and retain them throughout their studies and early careers. We can start by evaluating the programs themselves and the faculty who teach them.
Successful universities prioritize recruiting and retaining underrepresented minoritized faculty. Success in retaining these faculty includes creating opportunities to collaborate, supporting their professional and leadership development, and protecting them from excessive requests for service. Those requests include being asked to serve as a diversity representative on numerous committees without a reduction in other responsibilities or expectations. Research suggests that racially and ethnically minoritized faculty spend a considerable amount of time mentoring minoritized students but receive little credit for this service. This is particularly the case at universities that prioritize research and publication over teaching and mentoring. This structural barrier to tenure and promotion must be acknowledged, and institutions must recognize and give credit for the mentoring services racially and ethnically minoritized faculty provide (Proctor et al., 2021).
Similarly, the graduate programs that train school psychologists should be attractive to students from racially and ethnically minoritized backgrounds. NASP recommends that at least one faculty member in these programs be actively conducting research related to multiculturalism, equity, and social justice and that graduate students be encouraged to participate in this research. Evidence shows that the percentage of racially and ethnically minoritized students in school psychology programs is positively correlated with the percentage of racially and ethnically minoritized faculty and the number of required multicultural courses (Malone & Ishmail, 2020; Smith et al., 2016). School psychology programs must foster an inclusive learning environment and program climate. These values must be pervasive and authentic and must move beyond surface-level efforts.
The importance of retention
Finding more people to become school psychologists and diversifying the workforce is only part of the solution. Once these individuals have been trained and begin serving school communities, school systems must provide positive working conditions to avoid gaps, transience, and burnout and to promote retention. This includes access to professional collaboration; the ability to attend professional development offerings and national conferences; peer mentors, especially for early-career professionals; and the ability to practice within a comprehensive model that ensures all students have access to a full range of services. Although sometimes challenging to achieve, collaborative school cultures promote trust and respect among colleagues and increase professional satisfaction.
The NASP Practice Model outlines the comprehensive skill set and roles that school psychologists should play in schools. The model promotes and advances the consistent implementation of school psychological services to help ensure their maximum effectiveness, efficiency, and quality in schools nationwide. Implementation of the model allows districts to use the complete skill set of school psychologists to support all students and improve school and student outcomes. School psychologists who are more integrated into a school system are likely to have a more comprehensive role and are less likely to experience burnout. Our Practice Model Implementation Guide provides a range of strategies that school systems can work toward to effectively implement a role and ratio that aligns with the model.
Critical part of the team
Achieving excellence in education requires that every student is ready to learn and every teacher is empowered to teach. School psychologists work with students, educators, and families to support the academic achievement, positive behavior, and mental wellness of all students, particularly those who struggle with barriers to learning. They are a critical part of the school team that makes high-quality education accessible for all students.
Shortages in school psychology, like those in related education and mental health professions, potentially could undermine the availability of high-quality services to students, families, and schools. Fortunately, there are several solutions available to address this challenge from the local to federal level. With effective advocacy, focus on systems change, and increased awareness, we can address these critical needs in the years to come.
References
Bocanegra, J.O., Newell, M.L., & Gubi, A.A. (2016). Racial/ethnic minority undergraduate psychology majors’ perceptions about school psychology: Implications for minority recruitment. Contemporary School Psychology, 20, 270-281.
Castillo, J.M., Curtis, M.J., & Tan, S.Y. (2014). Personnel needs in school psychology: A 10-year follow-up study on predicted personnel shortages. Psychology in the Schools, 51, 832–849.
Goforth, A.N., Farmer, R.L., Kim, S.Y., Naser, S.C., Lockwood, A.B., & Affrunti, N. (2021). Status of school psychology in 2020: Part 1 demographics of the NASP membership survey. National Association of School Psychologists.
Malone, C.M. & Ishmail, K.Z. (2020). A snapshot of multicultural training in school psychology. Psychology in the Schools, 57 (7), 1022-1039.
Mann, A., Castillo, J., & Myers, M.A. (2019). A case example of one state’s efforts to measure and address the critical shortage of school psychologists. Psychology in the Schools, 56 (10), 1716-1736.
Morrison, J.Q., Davies, S.C., & Noltemeyer, A. (2020). An analysis of the workforce pipeline in school psychology. Contemporary School Psychology, 26, 14-21.
Proctor, S.L., Collins, T.A., Vega, D., Wang, C., & Worrell, F. (2021). Succeeding as a person of color in school psychology. In R. Floyd & T. Eckert (Eds.), Handbook of university and professional careers in school psychology. Routledge.
Smith, L.V., Blake, J.J., Graves, S.L., Jr., Vaughan-Jensen, J., Pulido, R., & Banks, C. (2016). Promoting diversity through program websites: A multicultural content analysis of school psychology program websites. School Psychology Quarterly, 31 (3), 327-339.
This article appears in the November 2023 issue of Kappan, Vol. 105, No. 3, p. 20-23.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Seth Lipkin
SETH LIPKIN is the director of communications at the National Association of School Psychologists, Bethesda, MD.
