Ellie Young, an associate professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, has been appointed to the editorial board of School of Psychology Review (SPR), a refereed journal published quarterly by The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). According to NASP, the primary purpose of the journal is to provide a means for communicating scholarly advances in research, training, and practice related to psychology and education, more specifically to school psychology. This aspect appeals to Young not only because of her teaching experience, but also her years as a practicing school psychologist.

Of particular interest to SPR are articles presenting original, data-based research that can contribute to the development of innovative intervention and prevention strategies and the evaluation of these approaches. Young is currently working on developing one of those approaches with a school-wide screening system to help make earlier identification of emotional or behavioral disorders.

SPR presents important conceptual developments and empirical findings from a wide range of disciplines: e.g., educational, clinical, pediatric, community, and family psychology, as well as education and special education. The journal also communicates advances from the area of school psychology to the broader educational and psychological communities.

Articles submitted to this prestigious journal go through a review process, which involves several academic reviewers, editors, and student research reviewers.

Reviewers like Young then make recommendations for the SPR editor and send articles back to their authors to be revised and published.

“[Reviewing for the journal] gives me an opportunity to learn from reading others’ work,” Young said.  “Reviewing allows me to strengthen my skills and look at the field and see what new research is currently being conducted.  My career as an educator will be strengthened from the knowledge I gain from others in this field.”

May 15, 2012