Abstract
Problem. Over the last 40 years, the field of school psychology has seen very little change in the roles and job functions of school psychologists. Despite the recommendations by state and national school psychology organizations, trends in the field of education, and the preferences of school psychologists toward providing more preventive services, school psychologists continue to spend more than half of their time in assessment activities related to the placement of students into special education. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible link between school psychologists' perceptions of high-quality relationships with school principals in their current and preferred job roles and functions using the leader member exchange theory. Methodology. School psychologists were surveyed using the LMX-7, and their current and preferred job roles and functions. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was used to determine if a correlation existed between the respondents' results on the LMX-7 with the gap between their current and preferred job roles and functions. Findings. The study indicated that school psychologists continue to spend more than half of their time engaged in job functions associated with the assessment and placement of students into special education. However, they also continue to show a desire to decrease the amount of assessment, and to increase consultation and counseling services. School psychologists also rated their relationships with principals to be in the high range on the LMX-7; however, there was no correlation between their relationship with principals and the gap between their current and preferred job functions. Recommendations. School psychologists need to begin to advocate at a local and district level for changes in their roles and job functions. Universities and professional organizations need to begin to include leadership training for school psychologists to help facilitate their ability to become change agents within school systems. Conclusions. School psychologists need to have a paradigm shift in how they view themselves in the public school setting. School psychologists need to become the educational leaders of the future, which will benefit the field of school psychology, school systems, and ultimately, the students they serve.