School Psychologists as Child Advocates School Psychologists support the right of all children to a free and appropriate education. School Psychologists share assessment information reflecting a child's current functioning levels and provide recommendations to optimize a child's school experience. They work with teachers to develop appropriate learning experiences for individual children. They offer academic recommendations as well as direct intervention which might include behavior management or developmental counseling. They evaluate the effectiveness of intervention plans.
School Psychologists promote open communication between the child's home and school.
They help parents understand their child's special needs and help them to them in identify additional resources outside the educational setting. Due to their extensive training in research and evaluation, the School Psychologist is often called upon to help develop and evaluate educational programs and materials for the entire school system as well as for an individual child. They are often instrumental in designing and evaluating intervention and prevention programs for common childhood problems due to divorce, relocation, or a family member's death. By utilizing knowledge of current educational findings, sound recommendations can be made to improve educational programs for all children. Some School Psychologists work independently in private practice, through private clinics or universities, however, most are currently employed by public schools.