Scholarly productivity of Rider’s school psychology program named fifth in nation

A recent journal article named Rider University’s school psychology program the fifth most productive program in the nation in terms of scholarly production.

The conclusion was published in the journal Research and Practice in the Schools. Programs were ranked according to the average number of journal articles published by faculty members.

In addition to the recognition for Rider’s program as a whole, Dr. Stefan Dombrowski of the school psychology program was ranked as the 12th-most productive school psychology researcher in the country. Researchers measured scholarly journals published from 2002-11 and focused their examination on the most productive faculty members in terms of authorship of double-blind, peer-reviewed articles.

“By spanning 10 years, this is one of the longest and most expansive studies examining the productivity of school psychology programs ever performed. Dr. Karen Gischlar and I have always maintained that we have one of the best programs in the region.  Now we can make a legitimate claim that we have one of the top five specialist programs in the nation,” Dombrowski says.  

Jeff Laurent and Elizabeth Runia of Western Illinois University examined scholarly productivity of the top 25 faculty members and the top 25 specialist level programs in the country out of 137. From 2002-2011, the researchers closely studied journal publications from each school and found which programs and faculty members were most productive.

The study notes that scholarly productivity is tied directly to a program's and faculty member’s reputation and is an important determinant of academic success and prestige among peers. The article further notes that the reputational status of a program and its faculty may influence the decision-making of prospective applicants to a program.

Rider’s School Psychology Program is one of only seven school psychology programs in the state of New Jersey with full accreditation by NASP, which is the world's largest organization of school psychologists. The organization represents more than 25,000 school psychologists, graduate students and related professionals throughout the United States and 25 other countries. It works to advance effective practices to improve students' learning, behavior and mental health.  

Rider’s school psychology program is dedicated to providing future school psychologists with traditional and contemporary training from faculty who are active researchers and well-regarded on the national landscape. The 64-credit program’s fundamental goals are to provide each graduate with the required assessment and intervention skills, professionalism, and awareness to become a productive member of the school psychology community.  

This recognition adds to the recent list of accolades received by Rider’s school psychology program, faculty and students.  In 2009, John Lestino '09, was the only individual selected across the nation by NASP to receive the school psychologist of the year award. In 2016, Helizhabeth Cabrerra received the nationally competitive NASP minority scholarship award.