In one of the most comprehensive studies conducted in the field of school psychology, Lehigh’s College of Education came out a big winner.

That’s because two of the top 20 most productive authors in the field are current College of Education faculty. Edward Shapiro and George DuPaul ranked seventh and eighth, respectively, both authoring more than 20 articles between 1991 and 2003.

Two Lehigh graduates, Christopher Skinner of the University of Tennessee and John Hintze of the University of Massachusetts, also made the survey, meaning that four of the nation’s most prolific and respected researchers in the field of school psychology have ties to Lehigh’s College of Education.

“Students who apply and come to Lehigh’s school psychology program are among the nation’s most impressive and competitive applicants. Such rankings reinforce the notion that we attract some incredible students who help the faculty remain as strong as we’ve been,” Shapiro explains.

The study found that school psychologists tend to work in a collaborative manner. In fact, all but one of the top 20 researchers averaged more than two authors per article. According to the study, “supporting and mentoring graduate students was a key reason” for the high level of author collaboration.

“It's obviously very gratifying to be listed with such top-notch scholars,” DuPaul says. “It also is a testament to the high-quality colleagues with whom Ed and I collaborate here at Lehigh, and especially the outstanding graduate students who have worked with all of us over the years."

The study examined four of the most widely-read school psychology journals in conducting its research. Besides Lehigh, only two other institutions had two representatives in the top 20: the University of Connecticut and Vanderbilt University.

--Tom Yencho

Posted on Monday, January 9, 2006