Journal of School Psychology 52 (2014) 1–2

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Journal of School Psychology

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jschpsyc

Editorial

Children's rights and school psychology: An introduction to

the multiple journal series honoring the 25th anniversary of the
United Nations Convention on the rights of the child

“The primary purpose of the profession of school psychology is to improve the development and quality of life of children.
This purpose is given more specific direction by concepts of what is right for children and by the rights of children” (Hart &
Prasse, 1991, p. 344).

“It is important to recognize that each article of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has relevance for school life
and thus falls under the very broad umbrella of school psychological services” (Kant-Schaps, 2010, p. 39).

These statements were true when first made, and their truth deserves ever-greater attention and application. This year, 2014,
is the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child—the world's “positive ideology” and its
clearest statement of commitments to and respect and aspirations for the dignity of the child. To commemorate this landmark, a
program of articles by respected experts has been organized to advance understanding, appreciation, and policy and practice
investment in child rights approaches for psychology in schools.
Psychology and particularly school psychology have been strong supporters of children's rights in words and deeds. Among the
examples are the following. The International School Psychology Association (ISPA) established the Declaration of the Psychological
Rights of the Child as a contribution to the International Year of the Child in 1979, and its inclusions forecast many of the major themes
and elements of the United Nations Convention. ISPA, the United States' American Psychological Association (APA) and National
Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and the Network of European Psychologists in the Education System have all endorsed
and promoted children's rights. In 2001, the report of the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations Task Force on
Psychologists in Education made specific recommendations for implementing the rights of the child in education. NASP recently
strengthened its position statement on children's rights, championing child rights education and applications (NASP, 2012), while
Division 16 of the APA and ISPA have collaborated for several years in support of the development of child rights curricula and training
programs for school psychologists (International School Psychology Association & Child Rights Education for Professionals, 2010). The
2014 annual conferences of both ISPA and NASP will give special attention to children's rights.
A nearly 4000-year recorded history (Lewis, 2003) reveals the arduous path toward establishing human rights as a (possibly
“the”) primary guide for human expectations, aspirations, behavior, and relationships. Support for human rights has been found in
philosophy, psychology, and theology (e.g., Adler, 1981; Melton, 2010; Pappas, 1983). Additional reasons justifiably strengthen our
profession's particular interest in child rights. According to Hart and Hart (2014), “It provides the coherent and comprehensive
orientation to children and to service in their best interests (and that of our societies) that is presently incomplete in the ethos, ethics,
and human development conceptualizations of school psychology. A child rights orientation, based on the Convention, argues for
service continuity and depth to chart and promote the well-being (now) and becoming (future) of the child in ways which will realize
the child's full holistic potentials, uniqueness, and possibilities for responsible life in a free society” (p. 1).
The publication program announced here is a first of its kind for any profession. It is being achieved through the cooperation of
editors of respected United States journals and an international journal, all of which are primarily focused on psychological

☆ This introduction to the multiple journal series has reproduced in varying forms across many of the participating journals.
⁎ Corresponding author at: 405 White Hall, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
E-mail address: caven@kent.edu (C.S Mcloughlin).
Action Editor: Randy Floyd

0022-4405/$ – see front matter © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of Society for the Study of School Psychology.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2013.11.007
2 Editorial

service to children in schools. The articles are all being published in 2014. They will each bring into focus the particular
implications and advantages of having school psychology apply a child rights approach to deal with important opportunities and
challenges of the school community.
The authors, topics, and journals in which this multiple journal series appears are as follows:

C. Fiorvanti and M. Brassard, “Advancing child protection through respecting children's rights,”
School Psychology Review
J. Garbarino and A. Briggs, “An approach to assessing ‘accountability’ in implementing the UN Convention on the rights of the
child: Implications for school psychology,”
School Psychology International
S. N. Hart and B. W. Hart, “Children's rights and school psychology: Historical perspective and implications for the profession,”
School Psychology International
H. Kosher, A. Ben-Arieh, X. Jiang, and E. S. Huebner, “Advances in children's rights and well-being in schools: Implications for
school psychologists,”
School Psychology Quarterly
G. Lansdown, S. R. Jimerson, and R. Shahroozi, “Children's rights and school psychology: Children's right to participation,”
Journal of School Psychology
B. Nastasi and S. Naser, “Children's rights as a framework for advancing professional standards for practice, ethics and
professional development in school psychology,”
School Psychology International
G. Miller, J. Colebrook, and B. Ellis, “Advocating for the Rights of the child through family-school collaboration,”
Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation
D. Shriberg and P. Desai, “Bridging Social justice and children's rights to enhance school psychology scholarship and practice,”
Psychology in the Schools
F. C. Power and S. Scott, “Democratic citizenship: Responsible life in a free society,”
School Psychology International
K. Woods, “Linking regulation of practitioner school psychology and the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child:
The need to build a bridge,”
School Psychology International
The cooperation necessary to manage and coordinate the simultaneous production and publication of a series of 10 articles in
six different journals could never have been achieved without the cooperation of the editor members of the Council of Journal
Editors in School Psychology (CJESP) founded in 2011. CJESP acknowledges with gratitude the start-up support and initial funding
from the Society for the Study of School Psychology. Members of CJESP include Randy Floyd, Journal of School Psychology; David
McIntosh; Psychology in the Schools; Shane Jimerson, School Psychology Quarterly; Matthew Burns, School Psychology Review; and
Caven Mcloughlin, School Psychology International. This multiple journal series honoring the 25th Anniversary of the United
Nations Convention on the rights of the child is the first tangible benefit accruing from the CJESP initiative.

References

Adler, M. (1981). Six great ideas. New York, NY: Macmillan.

Hart, S. N., & Hart, B. W. (2014). Children's rights and school psychology: Historical perspective and implications for the future. School Psychology International, 35, 1.
Hart, S. N., & Prasse, D. (Eds.). (1991). Theme editors' comments: Children's rights and education.
International School Psychology Association, & Child Rights Education for Professionals (2010). Child rights for school psychologists and other school based
mental health professionals curriculum. Retrieved from. http://www.cred-pro.org/group/internationalschoolpsychologycurriculum
Kant-Schaps, M. (Ed.). (2010). Education, training, professional profile and service of psychologists in the European educational system: European psychologists
improve lifelong learning Retrieved from http://www.nepes.eu/files/EN%20VERSION%20ESPIL%20PAPER.pdf
Lewis, J. E. (2003). A documentary history of human rights: A record of the events, documents and speeches that shaped our world. New York, NY: Carroll & Graf.
Melton, G. B. (2010). “To such as these the kingdom of heaven belongs”: Religious faith as a foundation for children's rights. In J. Garbarino, & G. Sigman (Eds.), A child's
rights to a healthy environment (pp. 3–30). New York, NY: Springer.
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) (2012). Position statement: Child rights. Retrieved from. http://www.nasponline.org/about_nasp/positionpapers/
ChildRights.pdf
Pappas, A. M. (1983). Law and the status of the child: Volumes 1 & 2. New York, NY: United Nations Institute for Training and Research.

Caven S. Mcloughlin
Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
Corresponding author at: 405 White Hall, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
Stuart N. Hart
International Institute for Child Rights and Development, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Corresponding author at: 405 White Hall, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA

27 November 2013