Call for papers: Advancing the impact of implementation science in school psychology

• Submissions due: December 1, 2026
• Revisions sent back to authors: February 1, 2027
• Revised manuscripts due: April 1, 2027
• Final decisions sent: May 1, 2027
• Anticipated publication date: July 2027

• Keith Herman
• Wendy Reinke

Over a decade ago, Forman and colleagues (2013) helped guide how implementation science could inform research, practice, and systems change in school psychology. The field is now well positioned to examine the progress made since this seminal publication including ways implementation science has meaningfully improved outcomes and what is still needed to increase its impact in school settings. Accordingly, we propose a special section to serve as both a retrospective and a forward-looking forum. The purpose is to showcase empirical, conceptual, practical, and methodological contributions that illustrate how implementation science has or can strengthen the impact of school psychology research and practice. At the same time, we encourage critical reflection on persistent barriers, underused methods, gaps in training, and opportunities to enhance implementation science as a driver of meaningful improvement in schools.

The special section is especially timely because the field now has enough distance from the 2013 publication to assess what has been learned, what has changed, and what new questions should shape the next decade of work. The original publication, while groundbreaking, was largely an aspirational piece and included few exemplars of implementation science theories, methods, or practices in school psychology. The special issue could help fill this void.

We invite papers that do one or both of the following: (1) Demonstrate how implementation science can solve important problems in school psychology; and (2) Identify strategies to strengthen the reach, rigor, relevance, and practical impact of implementation science in the field going forward. Papers can include theoretical pieces and advancements in the field specific to school psychology, including facilitators and barriers of school psychologists (related service providers and teams more broadly) implementing and evaluating this work. In addition to traditional empirically driven or qualitative science we also invite high quality scholarship demonstrating practical implementation successes and challenges encountered in real world applications of implementation science.

Manuscript length for the special section will be determined based on the quality and number of proposals but is targeted to not exceed the journal standard of 6,000 words, inclusive of all tables, figures, and references. Submitted manuscripts will be given blind peer review, as per usual journal policy, prior to a final decision on publication.

Please direct inquires to Keith Herman or Wendy Reinke.

Forman, S. G., Shapiro, E. S., Codding, R. S., Gonzales, J. E., Reddy, L. A., Rosenfield, S. A., ... & Stoiber, K. C. (2013). Implementation science and school psychology. School Psychology Quarterly, 28(2), 77.