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Retention and Job Satisfaction of School Psychologists

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Title: Retention and Job Satisfaction of School Psychologists
Language: English
Authors: Young, Ellie L. (ORCID 0000-0002-2408-8305), Moulton, Sara E. (ORCID 0000-0001-6835-8074), Julian, Alexander, Smith, Alivia, Butler, Rachel
Source: Psychology in the Schools. Mar 2021 58(3):585-600.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 16
Publication Date: 2021
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: School Psychologists, Persistence, Labor Turnover, Job Satisfaction, Self Efficacy, Administrator Attitudes, Work Environment, Teamwork, Participative Decision Making
DOI: 10.1002/pits.22465
ISSN: 0033-3085
Abstract: Retention of current school psychologists is a vital strategy for addressing shortages in the field. Understanding what contributes to why school psychologists stay in the field has the potential to influence leaders and administrators to ensure that they are targeting what matters most to school psychologists. Survey results from 134 school psychologists indicated that they stay in the field because they enjoy working with children and believe their work makes a difference. These generally satisfied school psychologists also shared that they work with teams that facilitate effective and creative problem solving and were acknowledged for their contributions. For the few school psychologists who expressed dissatisfaction, their responses communicated a lack of professional self-efficacy: their opinions were not valued, they did not believe they were effective in their roles, administrators did not value their contributions, and they did not believe they could make a difference for students. Implications for practice highlight the need for district and building administrators to ensure that school psychologists have manageable caseloads that allow them to work directly with children and to be a part of teams that solve problems.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2021
Accession Number: EJ1284110
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0148430756;pis01mar.21;2021Feb03.03:30;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0148430756-1">Retention and job satisfaction of school psychologists </title> <p>Retention of current school psychologists is a vital strategy for addressing shortages in the field. Understanding what contributes to why school psychologists stay in the field has the potential to influence leaders and administrators to ensure that they are targeting what matters most to school psychologists. Survey results from 134 school psychologists indicated that they stay in the field because they enjoy working with children and believe their work makes a difference. These generally satisfied school psychologists also shared that they work with teams that facilitate effective and creative problem solving and were acknowledged for their contributions. For the few school psychologists who expressed dissatisfaction, their responses communicated a lack of professional self‐efficacy: their opinions were not valued, they did not believe they were effective in their roles, administrators did not value their contributions, and they did not believe they could make a difference for students. Implications for practice highlight the need for district and building administrators to ensure that school psychologists have manageable caseloads that allow them to work directly with children and to be a part of teams that solve problems.</p> <p>Keywords: employee satisfaction; retention of school psychologists</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-2">SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST SHORTAGES</hd> <p>Shortages in the field of school psychology have been problematic for some time and are expected to continue through at least 2025 (Castillo et al., 2014) and possibly indefinitely (Fagan, 2004). In fact, there may have never been a time when there were sufficient school psychologists available. Understanding and addressing this shortage is a priority for national and local education leaders to the extent that the topic was included in the 2017 strategic plan of the National Association of School Psychologists (National Association of School Psychologists, 2017a). However, the shortage is not just a guild issue for the profession; the shortage can have a notable impact on the academic and emotional wellbeing of students (Fagan, 2004).</p> <p>The shortages of school psychologists can be understood not only by tracking the number of ongoing vacant positions but also by considering whether there are enough school psychologists to meet the needs of students. Meeting the needs of pre‐K‐12 students is increasingly important as the role of school psychologists moves beyond the traditional role of testing to determine eligibility for special education (Fagan, 2004). Rather than viewing the shortage of school psychologists as a simple supply and demand problem, the shortage needs to be considered in light of opportunities for graduate training, determining the effectiveness of promoting the profession to potential school psychologists (National Association of School Psychologists, 2017b), and ensuring that current school psychologists remain in the field (Dickison et al., 2009). Empirical data that summarize school psychology attrition patterns have not been available (Castillo et al., 2014), yet reasons for staying in or leaving the field are important contributors to our understanding of the shortage of school psychologists.</p> <p>The opportunities for graduate training are integrally connected to understanding the many facets that contribute to the shortage of school psychologists. Castillo et al. (2014) summarized trends in the number of school psychologists available to begin practicing and noticed that in the late 1990s training programs graduated about 1,900 students; beginning in about 2010, the numbers increased to approximately 2,300 and were expected to stay at about that level due to the number of faculty and graduate programs available. Closely related to the opportunities for graduate training is the effectiveness of recruiting strong applicants to training programs. A survey of psychology undergraduates (Bocanegra et al., 2015) revealed that these psychology students had notably less awareness of school psychology than they did of counseling and clinical psychology, but that those with an awareness of school psychology were more likely to apply to a school psychology program. This lack of awareness has important implications for addressing the shortage. Furthermore, effective recruiting and training could ensure that those who enter the field remain in the field (Bocanegra et al., 2017).</p> <p>One of the outcomes of the 2002 Future of School Psychology Conference (Castillo et al., 2014; Curtis, 2002) was a continued and accentuated concern about the short‐term consequences of shortages to the field that would impact service delivery in schools, and the long‐term challenges to the wellbeing and strength of the profession if the shortages were not adequately addressed. If shortages persist, practitioners are likely to prioritize legally mandated services, such as special education eligibility evaluations, while comprehensive service delivery (e.g., early intervention and prevention work, consultation and collaboration, systems change) is likely to have low precedence. When school psychologists are able to provide a range of services, especially those services that focus on prevention and early intervention, they may find that they are completing fewer special education evaluations (VanDerHeyden et al., 2007). School psychologist shortages may also be a significant contributor to larger caseloads, which can contribute to stress and burnout (Bocanegra et al., 2017).</p> <p>Shortages may also encourage districts to contract with professionals outside the school district, who tend to be less aware of school culture and the contextual variables that are key to understanding students' needs. Outside professionals may also be less available to offer and provide follow up services that are integrated into the school experience of struggling students. Similarly, emergency credentials may be issued to underqualified professionals who require additional supervision from licensed school psychologists, pulling them away from other essential responsibilities. School psychologist positions that remain vacant for too long may also be reclassified so that other related service providers (e.g., behavior analysts, school social workers) are hired and retain the position (Bocanegra et al., 2017).</p> <p>National Association of School Psychologists (2017b) has long been aware of this shortage and has worked to address the challenges in a variety of ways. The association has developed resources for addressing school psychologist shortages by emphasizing the need to retain current practitioners through the following activities: "providing both professional and administrative supervision and mentorship, increasing opportunities for high‐quality professional development, and ensuring positive working environments" (National Association of School Psychologists, 2017b, p. 3). While these strategies are vital, National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) resources do not identify what specifically contributes to school psychologists' job satisfaction that may influence their continued employment in the field, which is the purpose of this study.</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-3">JOB SATISFACTION</hd> <p>Although there are school psychologist shortages, there is some evidence, although not recent, showing that school psychologists are mostly content with their employment. Results from a 2009 study (Dickison et al. 2009) reported that school psychologists were generally satisfied with their jobs, planned to stay in the field, and believed their jobs were important. More specifically, the school psychologists in this study shared that helping and counseling students and having summers off were the primary reasons they continued to work in the field (Dickison et al., 2009).</p> <p>Worrell et al. (2006) reported that school psychologists' job satisfaction is quite high and has been improving. A review of school psychologists' job satisfaction from 1982 to 2004 revealed that in 2004, approximately 91% of participants in the sample were satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs. In comparison, approximately 86% of school psychologists were satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs in 1982. School psychologists were most satisfied with the aspects of their positions that included social services, being independent, and the moral value (e.g., working in ways that align with personal values; Weiss et al., 1967) aspects of their roles.</p> <p>On the other hand, two distinct components contributed to school psychologists' job dissatisfaction: (a) policies and practices of school districts and (b) opportunities for advancement, neither of which could be easily nor directly controlled by practitioners (Worrell et al., 2006). Worrell et al. also suggested that the policies and practices may be a source of dissatisfaction because the policies are often developed without input from school psychologists and may not reflect their broad training and desire to provide a range of direct services, such as individual and group counseling, ongoing consultation with teachers and parents, or systems work that focuses on early intervention and prevention. Similarly, budgets may drive how school psychologists function in the school, but are often primarily developed by administrators who may lack understanding of how a comprehensive service delivery model can benefit students, schools, and communities. Furthermore, budgets may reflect priorities determined by state directives or influential groups both within and outside the school district (Merrell et al., 2011), rather than enhance the services school psychologists aspire to provide.</p> <p>The National Association of School Psychologists (2016) has emphasized several other factors that contribute to job satisfaction for school psychologists. These factors included accessing professional development through attending conferences or professional networking, mentoring and helpful supervision, opportunities for leadership and recognition through awards, school psychology awareness week, and other local and state forums. Other authors posited that job settings that are supportive, positive, inclusive, and encourage the school psychologist to provide a range of intervention and prevention services are likely to contribute to the retention of school psychologists (Bocanegra et al., 2017). One strategy noted by Hughes (2018) suggested that administrators effectively encouraged job satisfaction when they minimized micromanagement, provided opportunities for school psychologists to lead out on special projects, and encouraged them to serve on school or district teams. Despite these efforts, there is limited research that addresses the retention of school psychologists.</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-4">SUMMARY</hd> <p>Addressing the shortage of school psychologists has been an important issue in the field for many years. National leaders (National Association of School Psychologists, 2016) have worked to identify strategies to recruit and retain practitioners. However, data that help us understand why school psychologists remain in the field and what contributes to their job satisfaction are lacking. This study surveyed school psychologists in one state experiencing a shortage of practitioners to identify factors that contribute to their job satisfaction. The following research questions were asked:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> (<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref1">1</reflink>). What are the top reasons school psychologists stay in the field of school psychology?</item> <p></p> <item> (<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref2">2</reflink>). How engaged and satisfied are school psychologists with their jobs?</item> <p></p> <item> (<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref3">3</reflink>). How do school psychologists describe how they spend their work time?</item> <p></p> <item> (<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref4">4</reflink>). What do state and district leaders need to know about recruiting and retaining school psychologists?</item> </ulist> <hd id="AN0148430756-5">METHOD</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0148430756-6">Participants and sample</hd> <p>To gather information relevant to our research questions, a request to complete an online Qualtrics survey was sent to approximately 177 school psychologists with publicly available email addresses in one state in the intermountain west region of the United States of America. Survey requests were sent during the 2016–2017 school year. Of those who received survey requests, approximately 75% (<emph>n</emph> = 134) responded to the survey. The data collection and analysis procedures used in this study were approved by the authors' university Institutional Review Board.</p> <p>The final dataset used for analysis included complete survey responses from 134 school psychologists. These participants represented 18 school districts, three specialty/charter schools, and the state department of education. Respondents reported spending an average of 56.4% (<emph>SD</emph> = 36.77) of their time in elementary schools, 18.73% (<emph>SD</emph> = 29.29) of their time in junior high or middle schools, and 11.45% (<emph>SD</emph> = 22.28) of their time in high schools. Females comprised 64.9% (<emph>n</emph> = 87) of the sample. The majority of participants who responded were White (87.3%; <emph>n</emph> = 117). Respondents collectively had an average of approximately 10.5 (<emph>SD</emph> = 8.9) years of experience working as a school psychologist and the majority of respondents (54.5%; <emph>n</emph> = 73) had an educational specialist degree in school psychology. In comparison, a NASP member survey completed in 2015 indicated that 83% of respondents were female, the average age was 42.4, and 87% were White, and 55% had an educational specialist degree or equivalent (Walcott et al., 2016).</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-7">Measure</hd> <p>A survey was adapted by the study's first author to explore reasons why some school psychologists continue working in the field while others do not. A previous study (Dickison et al., 2009) asked similar research questions that focused on school psychologists' reasons for job retention and job satisfaction. Our survey contained 66 total items. Participants were asked to rate statements relating to their experience as a school psychologist on 42 items using a Likert (two items) or Likert‐type (40 items) scale with response options ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Additionally, one ranking item allowed participants to rank order the top five reasons they stay in the field of school psychology. Participants also responded to 14 demographic (e.g., age, ethnicity) and informational (e.g., amount of time spent in specific activities as a school psychologist) items. Finally, participants responded to nine open‐ended items relating to the profession of school psychology.</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-8">Data analysis</hd> <p>Ranking items were analyzed first by computing the frequency of responses indicating which item was selected first as the most important reason for staying in the field of school psychology. Additionally, we computed an average rank for each item along with its standard deviation. For closed‐ended items, we computed response frequencies as well as overall item means and standard deviations for each item. Two items ("I think about leaving school psychology" and "Being a school psychologist is a stressful job") were negatively worded and therefore reverse coded for ease of interpretation. Percent of time reported in each work activity and number of psycho‐educational evaluations completed were summarized by computing descriptive statistics. Additionally, some subgroup comparisons were done by computing descriptive statistics for specific subgroups and comparing groups using <emph>t</emph>‐tests. For these analyses, alpha was set to.05.</p> <p>For open‐ended responses and items, we used a content analysis approach. Members of the research team, including the authors and graduate research assistants, segmented the data in codable units. Some responses included several distinct ideas that were coded separately. After reading the responses to each question, the research team developed initial categories with inclusionary criteria (Gall et al., 2007; Krippendorff, 1980) allowing categories to emerge from the data (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Interrater reliability was established by having two trained coders from the research team independently code 25% of the responses. If the interrater reliability was above 90% the coders continued coding the rest of the responses to that question. If the interrater reliability was below 90%, inclusionary and exclusionary criteria were reviewed to increase clarity of the criteria. Then, the responses that were originally coded were coded again until at least 90% interrater reliability was achieved.</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-9">RESULTS</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0148430756-10">Staying in the field</hd> <p>In response to research Question 1, the item most frequently ranked as the most important reason for staying in the field of school psychology was "Enjoy working with children" (<emph>n</emph> = 36). This item also had the highest (i.e., closest to 1) mean ranking (2.22; <emph>SD</emph> = 1.31). This item was followed by "Making a difference for students" (<emph>n</emph> = 29; <emph>M</emph> = 2.34, <emph>SD</emph> = 1.36); "Feeling of success and satisfaction in helping students" (<emph>n</emph> = 22; <emph>M</emph> = 2.48, <emph>SD</emph> = 1.35); "Being part of a team that creatively solves problems that lead to improved student outcomes" (<emph>n</emph> = 13; <emph>M</emph> = 2.98, <emph>SD</emph> = 1.19); and "Summers and holidays off" (<emph>n</emph> = 9; <emph>M</emph> = 3.63, <emph>SD</emph> = 1.38).</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-11">Engagement and satisfaction</hd> <p>Data relating to research Question 2 were summarized according to scale type. These items described participants' engagement and satisfaction with their jobs. Table 1 shows participants' responses to items about the importance of their job and overall job satisfaction. These responses indicated that the majority of respondents agree or strongly agree that work as a school psychologist is important (<emph>n</emph> = 128; 95.5%), and they are satisfied with their jobs (<emph>n</emph> = 99; 73.8%).</p> <p>1 TableLikert scale item frequencies and means</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead valign="bottom"><tr valign="bottom"><th align="left">Item</th><th align="left">Frequency (%) <italic>n</italic> = 134</th><th align="left">Mean (<italic>SD</italic>)</th></tr><tr valign="bottom"><th align="left">Strongly disagree</th><th align="left">Disagree</th><th align="left">Neither agree nor disagree</th><th align="left">Agree</th><th align="left">Strongly agree</th></tr></thead><tbody valign="top"><tr><td align="left">My job is important</td><td align="left">1 (0.7%)</td><td align="left">3 (2.2%)</td><td align="left">2 (1.5%)</td><td align="left">43 (32.1%)</td><td align="left">85 (63.4%)</td><td align="left">4.55 (0.71)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Overall, I am satisfied with my job as a school psychologist</td><td align="left">1 (0.7%)</td><td align="left">17 (12.7%)</td><td align="left">17 (12.7%)</td><td align="left">68 (50.7%)</td><td align="left">31 (23.1%)</td><td align="left">3.83 (0.95)</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>The Likert‐type scale items are summarized in Table 2. Items are displayed in descending order according to item mean. Items in this section reflect school psychologists' perceptions of feeling acknowledged by others, job stress, job perceptions, feelings of success, colleagues and coworkers, making a difference, and work schedule and workload. Overall, the highest rated items by participants were enjoyment of working one‐on‐one with students (<emph>M</emph> = 4.75; <emph>SD</emph> = 0.45) and liking the population of students with whom the school psychologist works (<emph>M</emph> = 4.64; <emph>SD</emph> = 0.57). Respondents also indicated feelings of success and satisfaction in helping students (<emph>M</emph> = 4.56; <emph>SD</emph> = 0.68), a high level of enjoyment working in schools (<emph>M</emph> = 4.56; <emph>SD</emph> = 0.69), and enjoyment of mentoring new school psychologists (<emph>M</emph> = 4.56; <emph>SD</emph> = 0.70).</p> <p>2 TableLikert‐type scale item frequencies and means (in order of descending means)</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead valign="bottom"><tr valign="bottom"><th align="left">Item</th><th align="left">Frequency (%)</th><th align="left">Mean (<italic>SD</italic>)</th></tr><tr valign="bottom"><th align="left">Strongly disagree</th><th align="left">Somewhat disagree</th><th align="left">Neither agree nor disagree</th><th align="left">Somewhat agree</th><th align="left">Strongly agree</th></tr></thead><tbody valign="top"><tr><td align="left">I enjoy working one‐on‐one with students</td><td align="left">0 (0.0%)</td><td align="left">0 (0.0%)</td><td align="left">1 (0.7%)</td><td align="left">31 (23.1%)</td><td align="left">102 (76.1%)</td><td align="left">4.75 (0.45)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I like the population of students with whom I work</td><td align="left">0 (0.0%)</td><td align="left">1 (0.7%)</td><td align="left">3 (2.2%)</td><td align="left">39 (29.1%)</td><td align="left">91 (67.9%)</td><td align="left">4.64 (0.57)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I have feelings of success and satisfaction in helping students</td><td align="left">0 (0.0%)</td><td align="left">2 (1.5%)</td><td align="left">8 (6.0%)</td><td align="left">37 (27.6%)</td><td align="left">87 (64.9%)</td><td align="left">4.56 (0.68)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I enjoy working in schools</td><td align="left">0 (0.0%)</td><td align="left">3 (2.2%)</td><td align="left">6 (4.5%)</td><td align="left">38 (28.4%)</td><td align="left">87 (64.9%)</td><td align="left">4.56 (0.69)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">When I have the opportunity to mentor new school psychologists, I enjoy the experience0002</td><td align="left">0 (0.0%)</td><td align="left">3 (3.2%)</td><td align="left">2 (2.2%)</td><td align="left">28 (30.1%)</td><td align="left">60 (64.5%)</td><td align="left">4.56 (0.70)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I believe I can make a difference for students</td><td align="left">0 (0.0%)</td><td align="left">3 (2.2%)</td><td align="left">2 (1.5%)</td><td align="left">47 (35.1%)</td><td align="left">82 (61.2%)</td><td align="left">4.55 (0.64)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I am a good school psychologist</td><td align="left">0 (0.0%)</td><td align="left">1 (0.7%)</td><td align="left">5 (3.7%)</td><td align="left">56 (41.8%)</td><td align="left">72 (53.7%)</td><td align="left">4.49 (0.61)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I appreciate having opportunities to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students and families</td><td align="left">0 (0.0%)</td><td align="left">1 (0.7%)</td><td align="left">15 (11.2%)</td><td align="left">39 (29.1%)</td><td align="left">79 (59.0%)</td><td align="left">4.46 (0.72)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">When I have the opportunity to supervise practicum students or interns, I enjoy the experience0003</td><td align="left">1 (1.1%)</td><td align="left">3 (3.4%)</td><td align="left">4 (4.6%)</td><td align="left">31 (35.6%)</td><td align="left">48 (55.2%)</td><td align="left">4.40 (0.83)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I enjoy working with my coworkers</td><td align="left">0 (0.0%)</td><td align="left">2 (1.5%)</td><td align="left">8 (6.0%)</td><td align="left">60 (44.8%)</td><td align="left">64 (47.8%)</td><td align="left">4.39 (0.67)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I can engage in creative problem‐solving as a school psychologist</td><td align="left">0 (0.0%)</td><td align="left">3 (2.2%)</td><td align="left">6 (4.5%)</td><td align="left">61 (45.5%)</td><td align="left">64 (47.8%)</td><td align="left">4.39 (0.68)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I enjoy being a school psychologist</td><td align="left">1 (0.7%)</td><td align="left">6 (4.5%)</td><td align="left">7 (5.2%)</td><td align="left">46 (34.3%)</td><td align="left">74 (55.2%)</td><td align="left">4.39 (0.84)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">My university training prepared me for the profession</td><td align="left">1 (0.7%)</td><td align="left">6 (4.5%)</td><td align="left">4 (3.0%)</td><td align="left">63 (47.0%)</td><td align="left">60 (44.8%)</td><td align="left">4.31 (0.80)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I am effective in my role as a school psychologist</td><td align="left">2 (1.5%)</td><td align="left">8 (6.0%)</td><td align="left">4 (3.0%)</td><td align="left">57 (42.5%)</td><td align="left">63 (47.0%)</td><td align="left">4.28 (0.90)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">My opinions are valued at my schools</td><td align="left">1 (0.7%)</td><td align="left">6 (4.5%)</td><td align="left">12 (9.0%)</td><td align="left">57 (42.5%)</td><td align="left">58 (43.3%)</td><td align="left">4.23 (0.85)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">My job accommodates my life and family responsibilities</td><td align="left">6 (4.5%)</td><td align="left">9 (6.7%)</td><td align="left">5 (3.7%)</td><td align="left">49 (36.6%)</td><td align="left">65 (48.5%)</td><td align="left">4.18 (1.08)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I believe I can make a difference for teachers</td><td align="left">1 (0.7%)</td><td align="left">7 (5.2%)</td><td align="left">9 (6.7%)</td><td align="left">69 (51.5%)</td><td align="left">48 (35.8%)</td><td align="left">4.16 (0.82)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I participate in teams that communicate well</td><td align="left">1 (0.7%)</td><td align="left">10 (7.5%)</td><td align="left">11 (8.2%)</td><td align="left">64 (47.8%)</td><td align="left">48 (35.8%)</td><td align="left">4.10 (0.90)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I would recommend school psychology as a profession to someone else</td><td align="left">4 (3.0%)</td><td align="left">9 (6.7%)</td><td align="left">19 (14.2%)</td><td align="left">55 (41.0%)</td><td align="left">47 (35.1%)</td><td align="left">3.99 (1.02)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Others perceive my job as important</td><td align="left">0 (0.0%)</td><td align="left">14 (10.4%)</td><td align="left">13 (9.7%)</td><td align="left">72 (53.7%)</td><td align="left">35 (26.1%)</td><td align="left">3.96 (0.88)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I plan on staying in the field of school psychology until the end of my career</td><td align="left">3 (2.2%)</td><td align="left">12 (9.0%)</td><td align="left">23 (17.2%)</td><td align="left">46 (34.3%)</td><td align="left">50 (37.3%)</td><td align="left">3.96 (1.05)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I have meaningful opportunities for continuing education and professional development</td><td align="left">3 (2.2%)</td><td align="left">17 (12.7%)</td><td align="left">8 (6.0%)</td><td align="left">62 (46.3%)</td><td align="left">44 (32.8%)</td><td align="left">3.95 (1.05)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I can infuse evidence‐based practices within educational systems</td><td align="left">3 (2.2%)</td><td align="left">12 (9.0%)</td><td align="left">12 (9.0%)</td><td align="left">76 (56.7%)</td><td align="left">31 (23.1%)</td><td align="left">3.90 (0.94)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I feel supported by the district/LEA</td><td align="left">8 (6.0%)</td><td align="left">11 (8.2%)</td><td align="left">17 (12.7%)</td><td align="left">57 (42.5%)</td><td align="left">41 (30.6%)</td><td align="left">3.84 (1.13)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Administrators acknowledge me for a job well done</td><td align="left">7 (5.2%)</td><td align="left">17 (12.7%)</td><td align="left">14 (10.4%)</td><td align="left">52 (38.8%)</td><td align="left">44 (32.8%)</td><td align="left">3.81 (1.18)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I am satisfied with my professional organizations (e.g., NASP, [state] Association for School Psychologists)</td><td align="left">3 (2.2%)</td><td align="left">12 (9.0%)</td><td align="left">35 (26.1%)</td><td align="left">45 (33.6%)</td><td align="left">39 (29.1%)</td><td align="left">3.78 (1.04)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I have a healthy and reasonable work and home life balance</td><td align="left">8 (6.0%)</td><td align="left">22 (16.4%)</td><td align="left">8 (6.0%)</td><td align="left">53 (39.6%)</td><td align="left">43 (32.1%)</td><td align="left">3.75 (1.24)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I have enough opportunities for professional development that are supported by the district/LEA</td><td align="left">8 (6.0%)</td><td align="left">22 (16.4%)</td><td align="left">13 (9.7%)</td><td align="left">53 (39.6%)</td><td align="left">38 (28.4%)</td><td align="left">3.68 (1.22)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I work a reasonable number of hours each week</td><td align="left">13 (9.7%)</td><td align="left">16 (11.9%)</td><td align="left">17 (12.7%)</td><td align="left">44 (32.8%)</td><td align="left">44 (32.8%)</td><td align="left">3.67 (1.31)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">My work schedule is generally flexible</td><td align="left">7 (5.2%)</td><td align="left">23 (17.2%)</td><td align="left">17 (12.7%)</td><td align="left">48 (35.8%)</td><td align="left">39 (29.1%)</td><td align="left">3.66 (1.21)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I have opportunities to help school teams develop and implement school‐wide prevention and intervention programs</td><td align="left">12 (9.0%)</td><td align="left">21 (15.7%)</td><td align="left">16 (11.9%)</td><td align="left">58 (43.3%)</td><td align="left">27 (20.1%)</td><td align="left">3.50 (1.23)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">My district provides sufficient coaching, mentoring, or professional development to help me be an effective school psychologist and improve my skills</td><td align="left">12 (9.0%)</td><td align="left">22 (16.4%)</td><td align="left">16 (11.9%)</td><td align="left">55 (41.0%)</td><td align="left">29 (21.6%)</td><td align="left">3.50 (1.25)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Parents acknowledge me for a job well done</td><td align="left">7 (5.2%)</td><td align="left">20 (14.9%)</td><td align="left">25 (18.7%)</td><td align="left">65 (48.5%)</td><td align="left">17 (12.7%)</td><td align="left">3.49 (1.06)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Teachers acknowledge me for a job well done</td><td align="left">7 (5.2%)</td><td align="left">25 (18.7%)</td><td align="left">23 (17.2%)</td><td align="left">60 (44.8%)</td><td align="left">19 (14.2%)</td><td align="left">3.44 (1.11)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">My job‐related stress is usually reasonable</td><td align="left">13 (9.7%)</td><td align="left">28 (20.9%)</td><td align="left">10 (7.5%)</td><td align="left">66 (49.3%)</td><td align="left">17 (12.7%)</td><td align="left">3.34 (1.22)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I think about leaving school psychology0004</td><td align="left">29 (21.6%)</td><td align="left">25 (18.7%)</td><td align="left">17 (12.7%)</td><td align="left">47 (35.1%)</td><td align="left">16 (11.9%)</td><td align="left">3.03 (1.38)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I have a good balance among assessing students, providing counseling, and consulting</td><td align="left">25 (18.7%)</td><td align="left">30 (22.4%)</td><td align="left">18 (13.4%)</td><td align="left">42 (31.3%)</td><td align="left">19 (14.2%)</td><td align="left">3.00 (1.37)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I have enough time to provide counseling to students</td><td align="left">41 (30.6%)</td><td align="left">41 (30.6%)</td><td align="left">11 (8.2%)</td><td align="left">34 (25.4%)</td><td align="left">7 (5.2%)</td><td align="left">2.44 (1.30)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I am satisfied with my salary</td><td align="left">47 (35.1%)</td><td align="left">44 (32.8%)</td><td align="left">11 (8.2%)</td><td align="left">29 (21.6%)</td><td align="left">3 (2.2%)</td><td align="left">2.23 (1.21)</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Being a school psychologist is a stressful job0004</td><td align="left">0 (0.0%)</td><td align="left">4 (3.0%)</td><td align="left">9 (6.7%)</td><td align="left">51 (38.1%)</td><td align="left">70 (52.2%)</td><td align="left">1.60 (0.75)</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>1 <emph>Note</emph>: For all items, <emph>n</emph> = 134 except.</p> <ulist> <item>2 a Where <emph>n</emph> = 93.</item> <item>3 b Where <emph>n</emph> = 87.</item> <item>4 c For these items, overall item means were computed by reverse coding the scale (i.e., 1 is strongly agree and 5 is strongly disagree).</item> </ulist> <p>The lowest rated items by participants indicated that being a school psychologist is a highly stressful job (<emph>M</emph> = 1.60; <emph>SD</emph> = 0.75) and that school psychologists in this sample are largely dissatisfied with their current salaries (<emph>M</emph> = 2.23; <emph>SD</emph> = 1.21). One additional item mean was below the neither agree nor disagree response option (i.e., below 3 on the rating scale) which indicated that participants in our sample did not feel they have enough time to provide counseling to students (<emph>M</emph> = 2.44; <emph>SD</emph> = 2.23). Further examination of the data showed no statistically significant differences between females' and males' responses regarding school psychologists' overall job satisfaction nor in their dissatisfaction with their salary.</p> <p>Differences in item ratings between those who were satisfied overall with their jobs and with those who were not, further illustrated where dissatisfaction may occur. Only 18 (13.4%) respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that they are satisfied with their jobs. An additional 17 (12.6%) respondents indicated that they were neutral in their overall satisfaction. We combined responses from these 35 (26%) participants and compared their responses to the remaining 99 who indicated overall job satisfaction. Respondents from the dissatisfied/neutral group reported significantly lower item means than their satisfied peers on 24 of the 40 Likert‐type scale items. The largest significant item mean difference between the two groups (−1.26) was whether respondents would recommend school psychology as a profession, <emph>t</emph>(<reflink idref="bib132" id="ref5">132</reflink>) = −6.21, <emph>p</emph> < .01. Table 3 displays all results of <emph>t</emph>‐tests comparing item means for these two groups.</p> <p>3 TableResults of statistically significant item mean differences by overall job satisfaction</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead valign="bottom"><tr valign="bottom"><th align="left">Item</th><th align="left">Dissatisfied/neutral</th><th align="left">Satisfied</th><th align="left">Difference</th><th align="left"><italic>t</italic>(132)</th><th align="left"><italic>p</italic></th></tr><tr valign="bottom"><th align="left"><italic>M</italic></th><th align="left"><italic>SD</italic></th><th align="left"><italic>M</italic></th><th align="left"><italic>SD</italic></th></tr></thead><tbody valign="top"><tr><td align="left">I would recommend SP as a profession to someone else</td><td align="left">3.06</td><td align="left">1.11</td><td align="left">4.31</td><td align="left">0.75</td><td align="left">−1.26</td><td align="left">−6.21</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I have a healthy and reasonable work and home life balance</td><td align="left">2.91</td><td align="left">1.36</td><td align="left">4.05</td><td align="left">1.04</td><td align="left">−1.14</td><td align="left">−4.50</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I think about leaving SP (reverse‐coded)</td><td align="left">2.20</td><td align="left">1.26</td><td align="left">3.32</td><td align="left">1.30</td><td align="left">−1.12</td><td align="left">−4.51</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I am effective in my role as a school psychologist</td><td align="left">3.46</td><td align="left">1.12</td><td align="left">4.57</td><td align="left">0.57</td><td align="left">−1.11</td><td align="left">−5.60</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I feel supported by the district/LEA</td><td align="left">3.03</td><td align="left">1.29</td><td align="left">4.12</td><td align="left">0.92</td><td align="left">−1.09</td><td align="left">−4.60</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">My job accommodates my life and family responsibilities</td><td align="left">3.40</td><td align="left">1.33</td><td align="left">4.45</td><td align="left">0.82</td><td align="left">−1.05</td><td align="left">−4.39</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I have good balance among assessing students, providing counseling, and consulting</td><td align="left">2.23</td><td align="left">1.40</td><td align="left">3.27</td><td align="left">1.25</td><td align="left">−1.04</td><td align="left">−4.11</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I plan on staying in the field of SP until the end of my career</td><td align="left">3.26</td><td align="left">1.25</td><td align="left">4.20</td><td align="left">0.86</td><td align="left">−0.94</td><td align="left">−4.16</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I enjoy being a school psychologist</td><td align="left">3.71</td><td align="left">1.15</td><td align="left">4.63</td><td align="left">0.53</td><td align="left">−0.91</td><td align="left">−4.52</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">My work schedule is generally flexible</td><td align="left">3.00</td><td align="left">1.24</td><td align="left">3.90</td><td align="left">1.12</td><td align="left">−0.90</td><td align="left">−3.97</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">My job‐related stress is usually reasonable</td><td align="left">2.69</td><td align="left">1.39</td><td align="left">3.58</td><td align="left">1.07</td><td align="left">−0.89</td><td align="left">−3.45</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I work a reasonable number of hours each week</td><td align="left">3.03</td><td align="left">1.40</td><td align="left">3.90</td><td align="left">1.20</td><td align="left">−0.87</td><td align="left">−3.27</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">My district provides sufficient coaching, mentoring, or PD to help me be an effective SP and improve my skills</td><td align="left">2.89</td><td align="left">1.28</td><td align="left">3.72</td><td align="left">1.17</td><td align="left">−0.83</td><td align="left">−3.53</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Administrators acknowledge me for a job well done</td><td align="left">3.31</td><td align="left">1.32</td><td align="left">3.99</td><td align="left">1.07</td><td align="left">−0.68</td><td align="left">−2.72</td><td align="left">.01</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I have opportunities to help school teams develop and implement school‐wide prevention and intervention programs</td><td align="left">3.03</td><td align="left">1.40</td><td align="left">3.67</td><td align="left">1.13</td><td align="left">−0.64</td><td align="left">−2.43</td><td align="left">.02</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I enjoy working in schools</td><td align="left">4.17</td><td align="left">0.79</td><td align="left">4.70</td><td align="left">0.60</td><td align="left">−0.53</td><td align="left">−3.61</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">My opinions are valued at my schools</td><td align="left">3.86</td><td align="left">1.09</td><td align="left">4.35</td><td align="left">0.71</td><td align="left">−0.51</td><td align="left">−2.57</td><td align="left">.01</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I have feelings of success and satisfaction in helping students</td><td align="left">4.20</td><td align="left">0.87</td><td align="left">4.69</td><td align="left">0.55</td><td align="left">−0.49</td><td align="left">−3.11</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I have meaningful opportunities for continuing education and PD</td><td align="left">3.60</td><td align="left">1.22</td><td align="left">4.07</td><td align="left">0.96</td><td align="left">−0.47</td><td align="left">−2.07</td><td align="left">.04</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I can engage in creative problem‐solving as a school psychologist</td><td align="left">4.06</td><td align="left">0.77</td><td align="left">4.51</td><td align="left">0.61</td><td align="left">−0.45</td><td align="left">−3.48</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr><tr><td align="left">My job is important</td><td align="left">4.23</td><td align="left">0.97</td><td align="left">4.67</td><td align="left">0.55</td><td align="left">−0.44</td><td align="left">−2.52</td><td align="left">.02</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I believe I can make a difference for students</td><td align="left">4.23</td><td align="left">0.91</td><td align="left">4.67</td><td align="left">0.48</td><td align="left">−0.44</td><td align="left">−2.72</td><td align="left">.01</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I participate in teams that communicate well</td><td align="left">3.80</td><td align="left">1.08</td><td align="left">4.21</td><td align="left">0.80</td><td align="left">−0.41</td><td align="left">−2.38</td><td align="left">.02</td></tr><tr><td align="left">I am a good school psychologist</td><td align="left">4.20</td><td align="left">0.72</td><td align="left">4.59</td><td align="left">0.54</td><td align="left">−0.39</td><td align="left">−3.34</td><td align="left"><.00</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>5 Abbreviations: PD, professional development; SP, school psychology/school psychologist.</p> <p>In comparing differences between these same two groups on time spent on specific tasks, those who were dissatisfied or neutral in terms of overall job satisfaction indicated that they spent significantly less time than their satisfied peers participating on teams that develop intensive individual interventions, <emph>t</emph>(<reflink idref="bib131" id="ref6">131</reflink>) = −3.38, <emph>p</emph> < .01. There were no other statistically significant differences between the two groups on amount of time participating in specific activities or tasks. Additionally, there were no statistically significant differences between these two groups on any of the demographic variables (i.e., age, gender, years in field, or level of education).</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-12">Work time</hd> <p>Respondents' data relating to research Question 3 (i.e., how school psychologists spend their work time) indicated the largest proportion of school psychologists' work time is spent planning, administering, and summarizing individual assessments for special education eligibility (<emph>M</emph> = 30.48%; <emph>SD</emph> = 21.33). On average, a much smaller proportion of school psychologists' time is spent counseling individual students (<emph>M</emph> = 10.05%; <emph>SD</emph> = 11.20), leading student counseling groups (<emph>M</emph> = 9.93%; <emph>SD</emph> = 13.59), participating on teams that develop IEPs (<emph>M</emph> = 9.47%; <emph>SD</emph> = 6.92), and consulting with teachers and administrators about student issues and concerns (<emph>M</emph> = 7.99%; <emph>SD</emph> = 5.96). In addition to these activities, school psychologists reported administering an average of 56.98 (<emph>SD</emph> = 47.64; range was 0–250) psycho‐educational evaluations during the school year.</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-13">Retaining and recruiting</hd> <p>Results from research Question 4 indicated that participants hoped state leaders know that school psychologists are satisfied with their jobs (<emph>n</emph> = 94; 289 codable ideas, 39% of responses) and believe they can make a difference in the lives of others. This was followed closely by enjoying working with students (32% of responses), collaboration with others (16%), and having good coworkers (13%). One participant's comment is representative of responses to this item: "I get a lot of freedom to help students in the best way I can. I think my work is important to children, families, and the community."</p> <p>To ensure school psychologists continue to feel satisfied in their work, respondents (<emph>n</emph> = 119; 222 codable ideas) indicated that their schools could help decrease school psychologists' workload (14% of responses), help school psychologists feel valued and included (12%), ensure building administrator support (11%), help build capacity of teachers (10%), and provide better salary/incentives for school psychologists (9%). The remaining responses indicated that schools could continue their current practices (19% of responses) or provide other specific support, such as changes in working conditions/materials, changes to professional development, or support from district level administrators (25% of responses). One representative comment highlighted the importance of administrative support, "Appropriate support from an administrator is a critical factor in whether or not I stay with a school. I currently work with an excellent administrator in one of my buildings, and I choose to stay in that building, in large part, because of her."</p> <p>At the district level, survey respondents (<emph>n</emph> = 126; 238 codable ideas) indicated that districts/LEAs could best help retain school psychologists by increasing their salaries (24% of responses). In addition to salary increases, respondents also suggested decreasing workload (e.g., serving only one school, reducing assessment load and corresponding paperwork; 22% of responses), helping school psychologists feel valued (12%), providing more opportunities for high‐quality professional development (10%), and having more responsive leadership (8%). An additional 24% of responses included a response to the "other" option on this item. Responses in this category suggested ideas, such as expanding the role of the school psychologist and providing more flexibility and autonomy.</p> <p>Finally, at the state level, respondents to this item (<emph>n</emph> = 131; 307 codable ideas) indicated that to retain school psychologists, state leaders should primarily increase the salary of school psychologists (39% of responses) and decrease current work demands (25%). Additionally, respondents felt that state leaders could provide more support/respect for school psychologists (13% of responses), decrease their testing loads (7%), and "other" ideas (16%) (e.g., adequate office space, opportunities for leadership).</p> <p>In terms of recruiting future school psychologists, respondents to this item (<emph>n</emph> = 116; 194 codable ideas) suggested that having a competitive salary would best attract school psychologists to the state (34% of responses). An additional 18% of responses focused on showing respect, value, and support for school psychologists in the state while another 13% of responses indicated that having a reasonable workload would help recruit school psychologists. Respondents also indicated (11% of responses) that state leaders need to know there is a current shortage of school psychologists nationwide and recognition of the broad role of school psychologists (10% of responses) also serves as a way to recruit school psychologists to the state. A comment representative of responses to this item is as follows:</p> <p>Our position in the school is important and valued by teachers and administrators. There is a shortage of School Psychologists nationwide. [This state] has to be competitive with salary, caseload, and work conditions to recruit school psychologists to our state.</p> <p>They [administrators] need to be aware of all the services offered by school psychologists and consider their role in various initiatives including licensure and educator evaluation decisions.</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-14">DISCUSSION</hd> <p>Overall, these results show that a strong majority of school psychologists in this sample tend to be satisfied or very satisfied with their work, and this satisfaction comes from working directly with students and believing that their work has a positive impact. The participants also highlighted how effective teams and supportive administrators contributed to their satisfaction. These results are consistent with previous findings (Dickison et al., 2009; Worrell et al., 2006) and have the potential to guide current strategies for recruiting and retaining school psychologists. Our data also provided insights on what factors contribute to dissatisfaction.</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-15">Job satisfaction</hd> <p>Participants' job satisfaction appears to be closely connected to opportunities to work directly with children and youth and making a difference for these students. Counseling and supporting students seem to be linked to feelings of fulfillment and contributes to the sense that their work is important and facilitates positive change. Overall, the participants appeared to have a strong sense of self‐efficacy regarding their contributions to children's well‐being and reflects a sense that they believe they are capable. Almost 70% indicated they were not satisfied with their salary yet still find their professional life rewarding. Despite this dissatisfaction with their salary, 72% agreed or strongly agreed that they planned to stay in the field until the end of their careers. Despite stress and low salaries, the participants' responses painted a picture of a positive work milieu: administrators acknowledge their contributions, opportunities for professional development are available, their teams communicate well, their opinions are valued, they appreciate working with diverse students and families, and they highlight their feelings of success when helping students.</p> <p>Even though a majority plan to remain in the field, almost half (47%) do think about leaving school psychology, indicating some conflicting feelings about their professional lives. Stress may be one reason some school psychologists think about leaving the field; just over 30% of these school psychologists indicated that their job‐related stress was unreasonable and 90% agree or strongly agree that being a school psychologist is a stressful job.</p> <p>For those participants who indicated they were not satisfied or neutral regarding their work, they were likely to endorse items centered around lower professional efficacy, a less than supportive work environment, and a poor home‐work‐life balance. The results presented in Table 3 communicate that those who are dissatisfied with their jobs tended to have a diminished sense of effectiveness in their role: their opinions may not be valued, administrators may not acknowledge their contributions, they do not believe their job is important, they may not believe they can make a difference for students, they did not have sufficient opportunities to engage in creative problem‐solving, and they believed they were not good school psychologists. This group also endorsed items indicating their jobs were stressful, work schedules were inflexible, they did not work a reasonable number of hours each week, and they did not have a healthy and reasonable work‐home‐life balance. Dissatisfaction appears to be multi‐faceted and related to feelings of competence, being supported, making a positive difference, and a meaningful balance between work and home responsibilities. Caution is warranted in generalizing this aspect of the results, which is based on 18 (13.4%) respondents.</p> <p>Low salaries were noted as a frequent concern that district and state leaders needed to be aware of. However, despite hoping for higher salaries, the participants did not seem eager to leave the field and were mostly satisfied with their professional life. If salary and other benefits are perceived to be adequate and fair, salary does not tend to be a motivator to increase production or satisfaction (Pink, 2011). The perceptions of insufficient salary may also be related to work loads and stress. If school psychologists believe they are working more than a reasonable number of hours, which 22% of our participants did, then salary may not feel adequate and fair. Just over 90% of the sample indicated that being a school psychologist is a stressful job; however, this stress does not appear to be driving school psychologists in this sample from the field. The dissatisfaction with salary seems to be related to workloads and job‐related stress, both of which are often beyond the control of the school psychologist.</p> <p>Effective collaboration may be another factor that contributes to job satisfaction. Over 90% of the school psychologists in this sample indicated that they enjoy working with coworkers and can creatively problem solve. Over 85% of the sample indicated their opinions are valued and that they can make a difference for teachers. Ninety percent of school psychologists in this sample indicated they valued opportunities to supervise practicum students and interns, another opportunity for collaboration with training programs.</p> <p>One of the challenges related to the profession of school psychology is the rather narrow range of opportunities for career advancement (Worrell et al., 2006). Relatively few school psychologists hold positions as administrative district leaders (Castillo et al., 2014) and moving to a job outside of a school district (e.g., private practice) appears to be rare and complicated by state professional licensing rules. School psychologists may be inclined to stay in school‐based positions because, realistically, they have few other options. Even with limited career options, working directly with students is fulfilling and makes a significant contribution to job satisfaction for these participants.</p> <p>Overall, job satisfaction reflects several integrated factors, and these factors were not related to demographic characteristics (e.g., gender, age). For example, responsive leadership contributes to reasonable workloads that allow school psychologists to provide a range of services and to work individually with students. Effective administrators also contribute to job satisfaction by ensuring that school psychologists have a sense of autonomy and flexibility. These administrators also acknowledge the contributions of school psychologists and, although not explicitly stated, it seems likely that they contribute to and lead teams that communicate effectively. The specific contributions and actions of effective administrators to the job satisfaction of school psychologists warrants further examination.</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-16">Training and professional development</hd> <p>Over 90% of the participants reported that their graduate program prepared them for the profession, indicating that a preponderance of school psychologists believe they have the foundational skills to work as a school psychologist. Given that these school psychologists felt prepared to enter the field, professional development opportunities possibly need to focus on advanced skills or services specific to certain student populations, school, or community needs.</p> <p>The National Association of School Psychologists (2016) has indicated that ensuring that current practitioners have sufficient opportunities for professional development and continued learning are important retention strategies. Over 60% of respondents seemed to be satisfied with their opportunities for continuing education. Just 22% of participants disagreed or strongly disagreed with a statement indicating their district provided sufficient professional development. Interestingly, those who were dissatisfied with their work as school psychologists were less likely to endorse a statement indicating they had meaningful opportunities for continuing education and professional development. These results point to a general satisfaction of professional development, but also present an opportunity for district and state leaders to collaboratively ensure the professional development meets the specific needs of their school psychologists.</p> <p>Teachers are often mandated to participate in instructional coaching (Desimone & Pak, 2017) to change teacher practices; however, coaching is not mentioned by National Association of School Psychologists (2016) as a way to retain school psychologists. Rather, NASP does allow mentoring or supervised experiences to count as continuing professional development towards renewal of the Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential (National Association of School Psychologists, n.d. (a)). For those NCSPs renewing the credential for the first time, one year of mentoring or continued supervision is required (National Association of School Psychologists, n.d. (b)). Our respondents seemed to be mostly satisfied with professional development, but a fair portion were not. Coaching, mentoring, continued supervision, or other job‐embedded learning may be types of professional development that better meet the needs of professionals rather than the traditional workshop, conference, or one‐time presentation.</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-17">Implications for practice</hd> <p>Having a case load that ensures practitioners have plenty of opportunities to work in meaningful ways seems to be one of the primary activities for administrators and leaders to retain school psychologists. Focusing on services that make a difference and improve student outcomes creates a win‐win for district leaders and school psychologists. Unfortunately, budgets, having sufficient applicant pools, and school needs will influence the caseloads of school psychologists. When heavy caseloads are the norm, administrators would do well to consult with their school psychologists to determine ways to manage their caseloads through increased secretarial support, having paraeducators collect appropriate student data, score protocols, or schedule meetings. These heavy caseloads are likely to produce stress, a byproduct of either heavy caseloads or ineffective teams or a combination of both. As district, state, and national leaders focus on the shortage, one of the first priorities should be considering how to maximize opportunities to provide direct services to students by assuring reasonable caseloads.</p> <p>Another important contributor to job satisfaction was ensuring that school psychologists worked with teams that facilitated creative and productive problem‐solving. Effective teams are likely to be led by effective building administrators who ensure that teams have sufficient time to meet, have resources to meet students' needs, and acknowledge the contributions and work of team members. Retaining school psychologists may require district and building administrators to gather data about the efficacy of their teams and address concerns in a timely manner. Similarly, these teams could also focus on celebrating success and improved student outcomes.</p> <p>Finally, for school psychologists who are dissatisfied with their work, administrators may want to acknowledge that these professionals feel ineffective and communicate a lack of influence related to their work. Effectively addressing dissatisfaction will require administrators to consider how to build and maintain healthy work environments that contribute to increased self‐efficacy, supportive teams, acknowledgment for contributions, and targeted professional development, if needed.</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-18">Implications for future research and limitations</hd> <p>Research that identifies the specific reasons why school psychologists leave the field or why current professionals are dissatisfied would contribute to understanding explicit strategies to address retention issues. Including both practitioners and administrators in this study would provide a multi‐faceted answer to what is needed to retain school psychologists. Rigorous qualitative research may be more informative than descriptive surveys that may miss currently unidentified reasons for dissatisfaction.</p> <p>The extant research literature has not yet fully explored how building and district administrators contribute to job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Future research with satisfied practitioners could specifically identify what administrators do to facilitate job satisfaction, ensure effective team functioning, and acknowledge contributions in meaningful ways. Understanding how administrators encourage self‐efficacy, manage caseloads, create effective teams, and address stressful situations and chronic stress would be key to identifying key strategies for retaining current employees. Similarly, 90% of the participants agree that the job is stressful, but the survey did not identify what specifically contributes to that stress.</p> <p>Several limitations of this study warrant caution when interpreting the results. Although the sample was from only one state, most of the demographic characteristics align with respondents from national surveys (Walcott et al., 2016), with the exception of our sample having more males. The survey was distributed in May, the end of the school year, but job satisfaction may vary across the school year. The survey did not collect information about salary, the number of contract days, and other specific information about caseloads that could contribute to understanding how caseloads contribute to job satisfaction.</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-19">CONCLUSION</hd> <p>Our findings support previous research (Worrell et al., 2006) that school psychologists are generally satisfied with their work, and this satisfaction is due to a sense of making a positive difference for children and youth. Other factors that contribute to job satisfaction include working with effective teams and supportive administrators. Having summers and holidays off was another highly ranked reason for job satisfaction. In contrast, heavy caseloads and low salaries are noted areas of dissatisfaction.</p> <hd id="AN0148430756-20">CONFLICT OF INTERESTS</hd> <p>The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests.</p> <ref id="AN0148430756-21"> <title> REFERENCES </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref1" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Bocanegra, J. O., Grapin, S. L., Nellis, L. M., & Rossen, E. (2017). A resource guide to remediating the school psychology shortages crisis. Communiqué (Milwaukee, Wis.), 45 (6), 16 – 18.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib2" idref="ref2" type="bt">2</bibl> <bibtext> Bocanegra, J. O., Gubi, A. A., Fan, C. H., & Hansmann, P. R. (2015). Undergraduate psychology students' knowledge and exposure to school psychology: Suggestions for diversifying the field. 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Moulton; Alexander Julian; Alivia Smith and Rachel Butler</p> <p>Reported by Author; Author; Author; Author; Author</p> </aug> <nolink nlid="nl1" bibid="bib132" firstref="ref5"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl2" bibid="bib131" firstref="ref6"></nolink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Young%2C+Ellie+L%2E%22">Young, Ellie L.</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2408-8305">0000-0002-2408-8305</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Moulton%2C+Sara+E%2E%22">Moulton, Sara E.</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6835-8074">0000-0001-6835-8074</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Julian%2C+Alexander%22">Julian, Alexander</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Smith%2C+Alivia%22">Smith, Alivia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Butler%2C+Rachel%22">Butler, Rachel</searchLink>
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: Retention of current school psychologists is a vital strategy for addressing shortages in the field. Understanding what contributes to why school psychologists stay in the field has the potential to influence leaders and administrators to ensure that they are targeting what matters most to school psychologists. Survey results from 134 school psychologists indicated that they stay in the field because they enjoy working with children and believe their work makes a difference. These generally satisfied school psychologists also shared that they work with teams that facilitate effective and creative problem solving and were acknowledged for their contributions. For the few school psychologists who expressed dissatisfaction, their responses communicated a lack of professional self-efficacy: their opinions were not valued, they did not believe they were effective in their roles, administrators did not value their contributions, and they did not believe they could make a difference for students. Implications for practice highlight the need for district and building administrators to ensure that school psychologists have manageable caseloads that allow them to work directly with children and to be a part of teams that solve problems.
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