Implementing Evidence-Based Practices in School Psychology: Excavation by De-Implementing the Disproved

Abstract

The scientist-practitioner model of practice is the most common approach to the profession of school psychology and embraces evidence-based practices as foundations of clinical practice. The focus on evidence-based practices involves not only using the preponderance of research to determine what works, but also how to implement these practices effectively. An important impediment to implementing innovative evidence-based practices is that interventions and practices that have been proved ineffective or of low value continue to be used in education and psychology. What are the issues that assist in discontinuing practices that are widely used, but have been disproved or are otherwise problematic? How can room be made for more effective, innovative, and evidence-based practices? This issue of the Canadian Journal of School Psychology is devoted to exploration of different forms of disproved, low value, or problematic practices, factors that keep these practices alive in schools, and how to best de-implement ineffective, low value, and problematic practices. If the scientist-practitioner model is to be defined largely by the implementation of evidence-based practices, then de-implementation will be a critical aspect in the evolution of the profession of school psychology.