W. Alan Coulter, Ph.D, Program Director 

Goal:
To support, assist, and train agency personnel, families, and others in meeting the educational and mental health needs of school-age children and their families and to provide coordination and technology for interdisciplinary training within the university affiliated program.

Intended Impact:
• Improve capacity of agencies and personnel to serve children and families
• Increase the intervention services provided by community agencies to school-age children
• Enhance interagency collaboration among child-serving agencies
• Utilize technology to effectively and efficiently train personnel

Topics/Areas of Expertise:
• Refinement and implementation of accredited school psychology internship program
• Development and implementation of programs to improve educational services in schools and state departments of education
• Development and dissemination of training to increase cross-cultural competence

Overview of Selected Activities/Accomplishments:
• More than 80 school psychologists recruited for vacant positions in local education agencies over the past six years, 78% of whom remain in Louisiana by an accredited internship program
• Internship program grew from one LEA consortium member to seven LEAs
• More than 600 existing agency personnel participated in training activities
• Cross-cultural competencies have been identified for selected school personnel and training modules developed in conjunction with national organizations
• College coursework has been designed and delivered via distance learning technology
• Tour state departments of education have received technical assistance in designing and implementing accountability programs for special education services
• Advocacy plaintiffs in two class action law suits have received technical assistance in recommending remedies to improve monitoring of special education

Directions for Future Program Development:
• Development of World Wide Web capability to increase knowledge dissemination and recruiting capacity
• Development of training materials that include demonstration and feedback components that utilize technology to increase efficiency and effectiveness
• Technical assistance in policy development and program implementation with special attention to efficient methods for monitoring outcomes
• Continued refinement of existing programs to improve recruiting capacity and retention of critical personnel

Revised November 2000

Program Faculty/Staff and Titles:
• W. Alan Coulter, Ph.D., Program Director
• Constance K. Patterson, Ph.D., Project Coordinator
• Alesia M. Williams, Ph.D., Supervisor
• Laurie Olson, Ph.D., Supervisor
• Gail Gillespie, Ph.D., Supervisor
• Cicily Prestridge, Ph.D., Supervisor
• Scuddy Fontenelle, Ph.D., Supervisor