In this chapter, we begin with an overview of the achievement gap, highlighting differences by gender, ethnicity/race, and socioeconomic status. We then discuss the complexities of dealing with culture, ethnicity, and race in school psychology and review several studies that have used these constructs. A brief overview of the association between mental well-being and achievement outcomes is next, followed by a brief discussion of grit as a cautionary tale. We conclude with some general recommendations for the field.

School psychology fills a unique and important niche in education. Falling at the intersection of learning, academic achievement, and behavioral, emotional, and social well-being, school psychology plays a role in helping students, families, educators, and school systems meet the goals of a free and appropriate education for all youth, with or without a special education classification. In this chapter, we briefly review the purpose of education and discuss the groups that are not well served by education. We then provide an overview of the chapters that make up this text, including those on the important recent contributions to education and schooling from social psychology.