Teacher recognizes a need for school psychologists and turns to FIU for a degree

The decision to pursue a master’s degree in school psychology at FIU was an easy one for Amanda Ratigan after teaching for about 10 years in South Florida and Texas schools. She recognized a dire need for psychologists.

“From my experience, our students are underserved. I’ve seen one school psychologist serving two to three schools. There is a shortage,” Ratigan says.

According to the National Association of School Psychologists, during the 2021-22 school year there was just one psychologist for every 1,130 pupils in K-12 across the United States.

Ratigan recently was awarded a Ziff Scholarship, one of nine students in the School of Education and Human Development to receive such educational funds. She will put the money toward travel to a conference where she will present on the topic of bullying.

Ratigan says that as a teacher, she has witnessed what youngsters face and how having access to a psychologist might help. Her experience teaching diverse students with special needs has given her insight into what students need. A lack of enough psychologists makes it difficult for many students to even get evaluated for mental health issues, she adds.

“I’ve seen students dealing with mental health crises. They are coping with different emotions and struggling to manage them. They are dealing with stress. Some students are getting into fights, others are making threats and it’s our job to find out what is the cause of these behaviors,” Ratigan says.

Ratigan’s scholarship is funded through contributions made by the late Sanford Ziff. Dean Aaron Kuntz says he’s pleased FIU was able to give $60,000 in scholarships this year to students like Ratigan who are making an impact.

“We are recognizing students for their potential to impact the field of education through engaged service and scholarship. It is truly a privilege to reward students for their academic and professional achievements,” says Kuntz.

Ratigan says she’s grateful to be a Ziff scholar and to have support pursuing her new journey. “It’s nice to be celebrated with other scholars and to feel like you belong to the FIU community.”