The Results of a Federally Funded Long-Term Consultation Training Model

Abstract

ABSTRACT For over 10 years, and prior to the release of the 2020 NASP standards, school psychology faculty at California State University, Long Beach have sought to broaden the training and preservice experiences of our students in consultation and systems change. The coauthors sought and obtained federal funding to provide scholarships for our students to engage in extensive readings, discussions, and fieldwork activities that went beyond our core program to increase students’ skill development and confidence in promoting a multitiered system of support (MTSS). Simultaneously, we sought to recruit, retain, and graduate more diverse school psychology students. Our nontraditional training and recruitment activities as well as the short- and long-term outcomes of this project are described. The results of this initiative include a significant increase in diverse school psychologists, curriculum changes to incorporate training grant opportunities for all program students, and alumni who report competence in engaging in consultation at the systems-level.