The Wiscard of Oz: Adventures in School Psychology

Sophia and Marcus
  • 5.0 (4)
  • SOCIAL SCIENCES

School psychology graduate students Sophia Cuiffo and Marcus Lombardo discuss everything related to school psychology. Listen as Sophia and Marcus get honest about their experience of getting their master’s degrees at SUNY Oswego, and stay tuned to see what becomes of them in real time. They will talk to a variety of exciting guests to get a better understanding of topics such as cognitive tests, social justice, and mental health issues. They may also learn more about themselves in the process. You might just find yourself falling in love with school psychology right along with them!

  1. 08/27/2025

    From Blocks to Beats: Advanced Studies Gets Creative

    Breanna Clarke and Nygeleke Jones discuss SUNY Oswego’s Certificate of Advanced Studies program, sharing the highs, the challenges, and hopes for how the program can continue to grow. They are joined by special guests Matthew Quattropani, Joe Wood, KT Hancock, and Dr. Jodi Mullen. The group has a conversation about play therapy, hip hop therapy, and other culturally responsive modalities that could be used to support students with various challenges in the school setting, and more importantly, the various courses that SUNY Oswego students can take to satisfy their Certificate of Advanced Studies requirements.

    58 min

  2. 07/26/2025

    All School Psychologists Are Leaders

    In this episode, Sophia and Marcus talk to Dr. Laura Spenceley about the various educational and career options open to school psychologists as well as opportunities for leadership and advocacy. They learn about Dr. Spenceley’s career path, the different forms of advocacy, and the persistence required to create change in school systems and in graduate programs. Stay tuned to hear Sophia and Marcus discuss the considerations that go into choosing assessments for special education evaluations.

    2h 24m

  3. 07/07/2025

    From Surviving to Thriving

    Nygeleke Jones, Breanna Clarke, and Sam Hatem share their perspective and experiences from their first year as school psychology graduate students at SUNY Oswego. As they enter their second year, they break down common shared experiences, independent struggles, and triumphs throughout their year. They share thoughts on how the program and the field as a whole can continue to grow, highlighting how we can work together to support the field, the students we serve, and new practitioners.

    49 min

  4. 04/16/2025

    Be Thoughtful: Working Through Ethical Dilemmas

    In this episode, Sophia and Marcus talk to Dr. John Garruto about the ethical considerations surrounding some of the most controversial topics in the field of school psychology. They learn about ethical problem-solving models, minimizing bias in evaluations, balancing FERPA and test security, the difference between imposter syndrome and a lack of competence, and more ethical issues. Stay tuned to hear Sophia and Marcus discuss the backstory and implications of the infamous Larry P. v. Riles case.  Abumrad, J., & Corredera, T. (Hosts). (2019). The miseducation of Larry P. Radiolab [Audio podcast]. WNYC Studios. https://radiolab.org/podcast/g-miseducation-larry-p/transcript California Association of School Psychologists. (2023, October 10). Updated Larry P. guidance paper. https://casponline.org/pdfs/resource-papers/Updated%20Larry%20P.%20Guidance%20Paper%2010-10-23.pdfFleming, N. (2019). A landmark lawsuit aimed to fix special ed for California’s Black students. It didn’t. KQED. https://www.kqed.org/news/11781032/a-landmark-lawsuit-aimed-to-fix-special-ed-for-californias-black-students-it-didnt Sullivan, A. L. (2010). Preventing disproportionality: A framework for culturally responsive assessment. Communiqué, 39 (3). Retrieved from: https://www.nasponline.org/publications/periodicals/communique/issues/volume-39-issue-3/preventing-disproportionality-a-framework-for-culturally-responsive-assessment

    1h 14m

  5. 11/26/2024

    What is a School Psychologist?

    Are you gonna diagnose me? You're going to become a counselor? What job do you want to get? These are all real questions that many of us have heard when we tell people we are getting our master's degree in school psychology. Most of all, people are confused when we tell them about school psychology. To settle this matter once and for all, Sophia and Marcus invited several guests on the podcast to talk about what exactly school psychologists do every day. Enjoy the perspectives of Sam Hatem, Tori Perez, Mairead Mulvihill, Gabby Toombs, and Anna Demer in this enlightening episode.

    1h 18m

  6. 07/21/2024

    Supporting LGBTQ+ Students at School

    In this episode, Sophia and Marcus talk to Dr. Michael Paff about how they can best utilize their roles in the schools to support students in the LGBTQ+ community. They learn about best practices for working with LGBTQ+ students, navigating politics in the schools, and how to advocate for these marginalized students. Stay tuned to hear Sophia, Marcus, and newcomer Bre summarize an important guidance document from the New York State Department of Education.  Extra Resources: Gender Born, Gender Made: Raising Healthy Gender-Nonconforming Children by Diane Ehrensaft The Transgender Child by Rachel Pepper and Stephanie Brill The Transgender Teen by Stephanie Brill and Lisa Kenney References Planned Parenthood (n.d.). What’s intersex. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/gender-identity/sex-gender-identity/whats-intersex#:~:text=Intersex%20is%20a%20general%20term,male%E2%80%9D%20or%20%E2%80%9Cfemale%E2%80%9D. The New York State Department of Education (2023, June). Creating a safe, supportive, and affirming school environment for transgender and gender expansive students: 2023 legal update and best practices. https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/student-support-services/creating-a-safe-supportive-and-affirming-school-environment-for-transgender-and-gender-expansive-students.pdf

    1h 2m

  7. 06/03/2024

    Heading Into Internship

    In this episode, Sophia and Marcus chat with interns Lauren Guilds and Michael Donato to get an idea of what they can expect when they become interns in the fall. They learn about the most rewarding and most challenging parts of the internship, how to balance work and life, and how to make the most out of their experience. Stay tuned (01:02:30) to hear a brief history of how discriminatory housing policies and the highway system have led to negative outcomes for marginalized communities and how there may be hope in the near future. References Appleton, S. (n.d.). Mapmaker: Redlining in the united states. National Geographic. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/mapmaker-redlining-united-states/ Federal Reserve History (2023, June 2). Redlining. https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/redlining Gross, T. (2017, May 3). A forgotten history of how the u.s. Government segregated america. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2017/05/03/526655831/a-forgotten-history-of-how-the-u-s-government-segregated-america Misiaszek, E. & Ostrander, D. (2024, February 21). Syracuse releases official community grid vision plan with big plans for southside. CNYCentral. https://cnycentral.com/news/local/syracuse-releases-official-community-grid-vision-plan-with-big-plans-for-southside Ramirez, R. (2021, May 21). The new york highway that racism built: It does nothing but pollute. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/21/syracuse-new-york-highway-i81-viaduct-biden Sullivan, A. (2021, May 25). Divided highway. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-BIDEN/INFRASTRUCTURE-FREEWAYS/qzjpqbzzyvx/ University of Richmond (n.d.). Mapping Inequality. https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/

    1h 17m

  8. 04/19/2024

    Social Justice as a Way of Thinking

    In this episode, Sophia and Marcus have an enlightening conversation with Dr. Charles Barrett. They learn more about how to apply the principles of social justice in their work, and they discuss controversial topics such as school resource officers, assessment bias, and challenging colleagues. Stay tuned to hear Marcus and Sophia’s reflections on their conversation as well as a discussion surrounding what gives them hope for our troubled education system.

    1h 38m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

School psychology graduate students Sophia Cuiffo and Marcus Lombardo discuss everything related to school psychology. Listen as Sophia and Marcus get honest about their experience of getting their master’s degrees at SUNY Oswego, and stay tuned to see what becomes of them in real time. They will talk to a variety of exciting guests to get a better understanding of topics such as cognitive tests, social justice, and mental health issues. They may also learn more about themselves in the process. You might just find yourself falling in love with school psychology right along with them!

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