The Changing Face of School Psychology: Trends in Data and Projections for the Future.

Trends in data from the past to the present are described for demographic variables (gender, race and ethnicity, preparation levels, credentialing, age and experience) and ratio of students to school psychologists. School psychology in the United States will continue to be characterized as primarily Caucasian, specialist-level and female through 2020. Projections of personnel needs based on estimates of new school psychologists entering the field through graduation from university programs, as well as those exiting the field through estimates of retirement and attrition, indicate that there will be a severe shortage of school psychologists through 2010, with the shortage then continuing but declining through 2020. Implications are discussed and possible strategies and directions are offered for the field. not even considered among the multiple scenarios. Nevertheless, “it is folly to attempt to prepare ourselves [and school psychology] for ensuing years without at least attempting to forecast, based upon our best judgments, what may be anticipated” (Cardon, 1982, p. 151). The Future of School Psychology 2002 Invitational Conference (Curtis, 2002) followed the last such gathering, the Olympia Conference, by more than 20 years. As the field once again engages in an attempt to consider its future(s), we recommend that readers revisit or read for the first time The Olympia Proceedings (Brown, Cardon, Coulter, & Meyers, 1982). The discussions and accomplishments of that conference would probably prove enlightening from a number of perspecMaking predictions about school psychology and professional practices in the future is challenging at best. Futurists would suggest that we examine historical patterns as well as current and potential forces, both internal and external, that might have an impact on the field to develop possible scenarios for the future. Rather than trying to predict the future, the goal is to describe different futures that might emerge. However, history would seem to suggest that we would be foolish in trying to gaze too far down the road. Any number of unanticipated developments, such as sweeping legislation, major judicial decisions, significant changes in society, or key advances in any number of areas like technology, could dramatically alter our path and lead to a future