Handbook of Multicultural School Psychology ─ An Interdisciplinary Perspective

The second edition of the Handbook of Multicultural School Psychology: An Interdisciplinary Perspective continues the mission of its successful predecessor, i.e., to offer a comprehensive, interdisciplinary view of the emerging field of multicultural school psychology. The revised organizational structure includes the following: History, Professional, and Ethical Issues (2 chapters); Consultation (3 chapters); Interventions Focused on Academic and Mental Health Issues (6 chapters); Data-based Decision Making (3 chapters); System Issues (5 chapters); Training and Research (4 chapters); and Future Perspectives (2 chapters). 17 of the 25 chapters in this edition are new.

Comprehensive – 25 chapters organized into 7 sections address theoretical, research, and practical concerns in a wide range of areas that include multicultural and bilingual issues, second language acquisition, acculturation, parent collaboration, research, and systemic issues.

Chapter Structure – Chapter authors follow a uniform structure that includes theoretical and research issues and implications for practice. Recent practice and training guidelines including Blueprint for Training and Practice III [2006], NASP Model for Comprehensive and Integrated School Psychological Services [2010], APA Multicultural Guidelines [2003] are covered.

Interdisciplinary Perspective – Contributing authors are from a wide range of related fields that include school psychology, special education, general education, early childhood education, educational psychology, clinical psychology, counseling and mental health thus exposing readers to theory and research from various perspectives and approaches.

Changes – New to this edition is a section focusing on systemic issues such as overrepresentation of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students in special education, prejudice, response to intervention (RTI) for CLD and ELL students, and end-of-chapter discussion questions.

Emilia Lopez is Professor in the School Psychology Program at Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY), US.