Gender and Race in School Psychology

In the past 2 decades the number of women in the field of school psychology has increased markedly, with some estimates suggesting that approximately 8 out of 10 school psychologists are women, but the percentage of school psychologists who are White has remained constant at approximately 90%. This study was conducted on behalf of the National Association of School Psychologists Research Committee to investigate how other characteristics of the field such as age, years of experience, or type of employment differ by race or gender. Results suggested that significant gender differences existed in terms of age, years of experience, primary employment as a university faculty member, and time worked in university settings. Significant differences related to race existed for the number of hours worked in state departments of education as well as the percentage of minority students served. Potential explanations for the findings are provided and implications for the field are discussed. ********** Gender and race (1) represent major variables that are critical to understanding the demographic composition of school psychology as a field. Yet, changes over time in each stand in stark contrast to one another. The gender composition of the field stands out as perhaps the most dramatic demographic change in the history of school psychology. In contrast, despite the critical role of race in shaping the history of school psychology, racial representation remains one of the field's slowest changing attributes. Gender In its early years, school psychology was largely a male profession (Fagan & Wise, 2007). As recently as 1981, men constituted a majority of the field (Smith, 1984). However, in less than 10 years, the representation of women increased markedly, constituting almost two out of three (65%) school psychologists (Graden & Curtis, 1991). That trend has continued. More than three out of four school psychologists (77%) were female during the 2009-2010 school year (Curtis, Castillo & Gelley, 2012). Moreover, Curtis, Hunley, and Grier (2004) noted that because approximately 80% of students enrolled in school psychology training programs were women, that trend would continue into the foreseeable future. The literature suggests that because of the dramatic changes in the field relative to gender, empirical investigation of a number of issues is merited. For example, the short time within which the percentage of women has grown so dramatically very likely has implications not only for a static snapshot of the field, but for its long-range characteristics as well. Hunley and Curtis (2005), based on National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) data for the 1999-2000 school year, reported that among both practitioners and university faculty, female school psychologists were significantly younger. This gender difference relating to age could have important implications for the field with regard to the severe personnel shortage that has been projected (Curtis, Hunley et al., 2004). Because the shift in gender has occurred over a relatively short time period, it is also possible that gender differences exist that relate to level of preparation and to credentialing. Between 1971 and 1991, doctoral degrees awarded to women for all areas of psychology increased from 25% to 61% (Pion et al., 1996). Moreover, data from the American Psychological Association (2010) indicate that for accredited doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, school and combined psychology in the United States, 77.7% of the students enrolled were female and for school psychology programs, 82.4% were female. Professional practice outside the schools often requires that the school psychologist hold psychological licensure at either the doctoral or nondoctoral level, depending on state law. Consequently, whether there are differences in the percentage of female and male school psychologists who are licensed is worthy of examination. …