Organizational Influences on the Practice of Psychology in Schools

Increasingly, school psychologists recognize that the process of schooling involves complex interactions between a range of personal, social, and ecological variables, occurring in an organizational context (Maher, Illback, & Zins, 1984). This recognition has led to concern that school psychologists be able to conceptualize problems and psychological interventions from an organizational perspective (Illback & Maher, 1984) and become more active participants in planned organizational change in schools and community settings (Maher & Illback, 1983). Seen as complementary to individual- and group-level approaches, the practice of organizational-level school psychology can assist in the development and improvement of the school organization as a service delivery system.