It's a New Era for School Psychology. And This Professor Wrote the Book.

The "bible in school psychology" has a new lead editor: Professor Lea Theodore, PhD, whose work is helping to guide practitioners in this evolving field.

The field of school psychology has changed dramatically since its inception-and an Adelphi professor is playing a prominent role.

Once relegated to testing and placing students, school psychologists today must deal with bullying, crisis intervention, homeschooling, juvenile justice, neuropsychology, cultural diversity and a host of other childhood issues.

Now, a new must-have resource for today's school psychologists is available to support them, helping to transform the way practitioners, researchers and students understand school psychology.

Derner professor leads the change

Edited by Lea Theodore, PhD, professor in Adelphi's Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology, the Desk Reference in School Psychology is an 800-plus-page compendium published in 2024 by Oxford University Press. Essentially the bible of school psychology, the Desk Reference doesn't just provide a much-anticipated update to its predecessor, the venerable Handbook of School Psychology; it's also a first-of-its-kind resource in scope and coverage of cutting-edge research.

"The Desk Reference explores the expanded roles and functions school psychologists face, as well as diverse practice settings in which they work, and the unique populations they serve," said Dr. Theodore, a licensed psychologist. "There has been an absence of anything this comprehensive in school psychology, making the Desk Reference a much-needed source of relevant and current information, much like the Physicians' Desk Reference in medicine."

Dr. Theodore's editorship is another outstanding example of leadership from the Derner School, recognized as the nation's first university-based professional school of psychology. It also marks the latest accomplishment in Dr. Theodore's expansive career. In 2019, she won the Jean Baker Mid-Career Service/Practice Award presented at the annual American Psychological Association (APA) convention and became an APA fellow in 2021.

A new reference work for a new era in school psychology

The Desk Reference reflects the myriad changes in school psychology over the past 15 years. School psychologists now work in a diverse range of settings, for example, public and private schools, clinics, private practices, hospitals, and juvenile justice systems. They're also grappling with modern technological challenges like computerized assessment, scoring and electronic record keeping.

Most notably, however, many practitioners continue to use outdated and ineffective assessment and treatment procedures and methods that are not supported by research.

"Simply stated, the personal and societal cost of failing to provide evidence-based practices results in deleterious long-term consequences," Dr. Theodore said. "[It can lead to] less favorable outcomes and often cumulative deficits that, over time, further impede healthy development and growth."

The Desk Reference aims to change that shortcoming by providing a 46-chapter, step-by-step guide to evidence-based practices. "This detailed emphasis on promoting what science has shown to work ensures that school psychologists can implement evidence-based interventions with integrity and in the manner in which intervention are intended to be employed," Dr. Theodore said.

In fact, Dr. Theodore has centered her career focusing on the importance of evidence-based practice. She was chosen to edit the Desk Reference in part due to the success of her sole-edited 2017 book, The Handbook of Applied Interventions for Children andAdolescents, which focuses on applying these practices in school and clinical settings.

Focusing on the Well-Being of Children

For Dr. Theodore, the most difficult part of editing an 800-plus-page Desk Reference wasn't actually the scale of the project; it was the global pandemic, which understandably prolonged the time it took to complete and publish the book. However, she also noted the unique challenge of editing each of the 46 chapters to render a common voice throughout the diverse chapters.

"Once finalized by the lead editors, each chapter was forwarded to Oxford University Press, whose staff also edited and returned the chapters for additional revisions as needed," she said. "This process was tedious and incredibly time-consuming, particularly toward the end of the project."

In addition to serving as lead editor, Dr. Theodore co-authored the Desk Reference's preface and two chapters, "Academic Interventions: Homework and Study Strategies" and "Homeschooling."

"My research agenda originates from my passion and commitment to enhancing the overall functioning and well-being of children," she said. "I am particularly interested in understanding and influencing individual and class-wide interventions for these children and developing techniques that can be easily adopted by teachers and generalized to children experiencing various difficulties." She will continue to explore these new and evolving evidence-based practices as the field of school psychology and her career continue to evolve.

Meanwhile, the Desk Reference should continue to serve as a foundational resource for mental health professionals and students for years to come.

"The most rewarding part of working on the Desk Reference was working with my various academic colleagues and actually completing the book!" Dr. Theodore said. "Given the pandemic, eventual publication seemed implausible."