Merging Research and Practice Agendas to Address Reading and Behavior School-Wide

Abstract

This paper describes a 4-year project that partnered psychologists based in universities and those in educational service districts to support development and implementation of school-wide academic and behavioral support systems in four elementary schools across four districts, representing different communities with varying demographic characteristics within one state in the north central region of the United States. We describe the methods for capacity building and sustainability embedded within the project, its course, and preliminary evaluation data, with discussion of successes, indicators of increased capacity and sustainability, lessons learned, and future directions for practice and research. Implications for the potential role for school- and university-based child-serving professionals in facilitating organizational change efforts, and subsequent implications for training and professional development of these professionals, are considered.