Baker guides LPS students in school psychology role

November 15, 2024

Troy Baker has uncovered many positive solutions for Lincoln Public Schools students with his educational detective work in local classrooms.
 
Baker is a team leader for LPS school psychologists and helps elementary school students at both Robinson and Morley. He works with parents, teachers, school counselors, social workers and administrators to support students with autism, dyslexia, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and social/emotional needs.
 
Baker said early intervention is one of the most critical elements of the school psychology profession. All of the 38 LPS school psychologists analyze educational clues to identify needs and the best ways to help children.
 
“It goes to the core of what I think my job is, which is a detective,” Baker said. “It’s really trying to objectively look at the situation. Teachers are seeing this particular need with students, and our job is to figure out why are they behaving that way, why is learning hard for them and then get to the bottom of it. Then, with early intervention, we try to pick up on that as soon as we can and flood them with interventions right away.”

 
Adia Brightman is a special education supervisor at LPS and oversees the school psychology program. She said school psychologists apply their expertise in many ways to create positive outcomes for everyone.
 
LPS employees help students academically, socially and behaviorally with a variety of strategies and services, and they address the unique needs of children from various cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds. They also strengthen educational partnerships between schools and families with data-informed decisions.
 
“Through these responsibilities, LPS school psychologists are essential to lowering learning barriers and promoting student success,” Brightman said. “They are not only advocates for individual students but also play a significant role in fostering a positive and supportive school climate.”

School psychologists partner with school counselors in their buildings. Counselors work with students on academic planning and support, career and post-secondary planning and prosocial learning and support. School psychologists work with children on academic, social and behavioral assessments and interventions.
 
Robinson Elementary School Principal Jeff Vercellino and Morley Elementary School Principal Brandi Hennerberg both said Baker has made an immense impact on the local community. He has been a school psychologist for more than two decades and is in his seventh year as a team leader.
 
“Troy is the epitome of a team player,” Vercellino said. “He is always willing to lend a helping hand whenever and wherever. He works tirelessly to meet the diverse needs of our scholars. He partners with staff and families to assess and program for our students. He partners with students, he challenges students and he celebrates students.
 
“Troy is a beacon of light and hope. Troy is one of the most genuine and selfless people I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with.”
 
“Troy is a leader in the district and helps all schools understand how to track and analyze data to provide the best academic support for all students,” Hennerberg said. “He is a great resource because of his knowledge and experience, which lends parents a sense of confidence and comfort as we make decisions for special education services. We are fortunate to have Troy as our psychologist at Morley!”

 
Baker said establishing connections with classroom teachers is critical for him to identify solutions. Teachers who work with children on a daily basis can observe signs of a learning need. Baker can then pinpoint the issue and develop a comprehensive plan.
 
“The behavior is there to communicate,” Baker said. “It’s not because they don’t like us as adults, but sometimes it in itself can tell us a lot. If reading is really hard for them, their response might be to take it out on someone else and get upset and do all of these things to avoid doing that reading.
 
“Instead of us focusing on the external behaviors, let’s get to the core that reading is hard for them, so we need to address those concerns and give them good options.”
 
Baker and Brightman regularly meet in person with fellow school psychologists to address situations at LPS buildings. He and his co-workers also help each other through a daily Zoom group chat. If someone is encountering a challenging situation, other school psychologists can provide knowledge and wisdom about possible solutions.
 
“The key is the way we work together,” Baker said. “We sharpen each other. We have different expertises that we use to help each other. We do tackle some very tricky scenarios, so we rely on each other a lot.”
 
Baker said that positive culture has produced many encouraging answers in LPS classrooms.
 
“It’s a model of professional learning that ultimately benefits the students,” Baker said. “The better we get at understanding different behavior and social and emotional needs, then we bring that to our schools to pass it along.”
 
Vercellino, Hennerberg and Brightman all said Baker is an integral part of the LPS community. They said he is a respected and trusted mentor who has made a wide-reaching difference with his detective work.
 
“His colleagues are inspired and equipped to grow professionally because of his influence,” Brightman said. “In every sense, Troy is an invaluable asset to the school psychologist team, whose impact will benefit students, staff and families for years to come!”

To learn more about the LPS Special Education Department and its resources, visit our website at https://home.lps.org/specialed/.
 
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