Abstract
The purpose of this presentation is to summarize the literature related to the utilization of organizational consultation to produce systems-level changes in educational settings. It will include a discussion of
current research on organizational consultation including its incorporation of ecological factors, as well as a summary of the unique challenges presented by this type of consultation. The participants will
gain a better understanding of the considerations, skills, and knowledge needed by school personnel to successfully implement effective school-wide changes to promote an educational environment that
meets the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs of all students.
Literature Review
School-based organizational consultation is focused on implementing changes to the environment of a
school and is fundamentally an ecological approach. This type of service delivery ideally involves prevention
at the primary level to provide improved services for all children, and can potentially have a significant impact
on preventing social, emotional, behavioral, and learning difficulties for students (Graybill et al., 2012;
Hojnoksi, 2007).
Ecological theory provides a primary framework for organizational consultation in schools due to the
growing body of research that indicates that success and difficulties in areas of learning, behavior, socialemotional adjustment are best understood as products of students interacting with their environments (Gutkin,
2009). This demonstrates the importance of schools considering ecological factors when designing and
implementing organizational change, because a student’s environment can have a significant impact in a
number of areas, including their feelings of connectedness to the school and ability to learn. Environmental
factors to emphasize may include classroom and school climate, facilitation of home-school collaboration, and
increasing educational services to meet the needs of a diverse student body (Gavois, 2012).
Thus, due to the noted importance of student’s environment, it is important to provide organizational
consultation and implement systems change to improve the environment of the school; in order to implement
changes successfully, there are many concepts one should consider. Organizational consultation in schools
may present challenges because of the unique organizational nature of schools; there may be many barriers
to change, including lack of time or resources, scheduling problems, and competing agendas (Cowan &
Sheridan, 2004). Acceptability of interventions by school stakeholders is also crucial, and factors such as time
required and the complexity of the intervention may influence its acceptability. Change programs additionally
must reflect the complexity of schools, and meaningful change may take up to 2 years to be fully
institutionalized. Conversely, external pressures may potentially lead to rapidly adopting and discarding many
different programs before assessing their effectiveness (Hazel, 2007). Top-down approaches that impose
change typically do not work; approaches need to actively involve teachers, administrators, and other staff
(Bell, Roberts, & Salend, 1991)
There is a general consensus in the literature that serving as organizational consultants is an important
role that should be increased for school psychologists (Rosenfield, 1992). School psychologists are optimally
positioned to implement systemic changes and interventions in schools, and should address factors including
learning environment, curriculum, school climate, and school and district policies (Graybill, Huddleston,
Meyers, Meyers, & Proctor, 2012). It is essential they possess skills such as the ability to solve problems
cooperatively, establish partnerships, communicate effectively, and think beyond client-centered consultation
models (Hazel, 2007). Furthermore, in order to successfully provide organizational consultation services,
school psychologists need to have formal entry into the school system in that they have been given
permission to give consultation services by school administrators, as well as informal entry in that other staff,
such as teachers, accepts their role as a consultant. The success of both types of entry is critical to the
success of organizational consultation. In some cases, school psychologists many even need to collaborate
with outside agencies beyond the school system to implement meaningful change (Cosgrove, Eidle-Barkman,
Meyers, & Truscott, 2000). Overall, successful entry and an understanding of the unique issues and culture of
the school can optimally position school psychologists to offer important and appropriate system changes
(Cowan & Sheridan, 2004).
Methods
A review of the current literature and research on implementing systems changes through organizational
consultation in educational settings was conducted. The databases searched were PsychINFO,
PsychARTICLES, and Google Scholar, using key words “organizational consultation” and “schools” or
“education.”
Outcomes for Participants
Participants will gain an understanding of the importance of organizational consultation in schools and its
ecological framework. They will also increase their understanding of the skills and knowledge needed to
implement effective school-wide interventions. Finally, participants will learn about specific challenges and
considerations that are unique to organizational consultation in educational settings.
References
Bell, L. A., Roberts, G. W., Salend, S. J. (1991). Negotiating change for multicultural education: A consultation model. Journal of
Educational and Psychological Consultation, 2(4), 323-342.
Cosgrove, G., Eidle-Barkman, K. A., Meyers, J., Truscott, S. D. (2000). The acceptability of organizational consultation with prereferral
intervention teams. School Psychology Quarterly, 15(2), 172-206.
Cowan, R. J., Sheridan, S. M. (2004). Consultation with school personnel. Educational Psychology Papers and Publications, 32.
Retrieved from: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/edpsychpapers/32
Hazel, C. E. (2007). Timeless and timely advice: A commentary on “Consultation to facilitate planned organizational change in schools,”
an article by Joseph E. Zins and Robert J. Illback. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 17(2&3), 125-132.
Hojnoksi, R. L. (2007). Promising directions in school-based systems level consultation: A commentary on “has consultation achieved its
primary prevention potential?,” an article by Joseph E. Zins. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 17(2&3), 157-163.
Graybill, E. C., Huddleston, L., Meyers, A. B., Meyers, J., Proctor, S. L. (2012). Ecological approaches to organizational consultation and
systems change in educational settings. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 22, 106-124.
Gavois, T. A. (2012). Consultation services in schools: A can of worms worth opening. Consulting Psychology Journal, 64(1), 83-83.
Rosenfield, S. (1992). Developing school-based consultation teams: A design for organizational change. School Psychology Quarterly,
7(1), 27-46.
Contact information: kmdillon@bsu.edu