BEA Annual Report 2001

The broad scope of issues the Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) addressed in 2001 encompasses all levels of education from pre-K to continuing professional education. This breadth of scope was apparent at the first annual Education Leadership Conference (ELC) and in its theme of Rethinking Education in Psychology and Psychology in Education. This report will provide Council with a brief overview of the ELC and other highlighted BEA activities.

Education Leadership Conference

BEA is very pleased to report that the inaugural Education Leadership Conference (ELC) held on October 28-30, 2001 was a success in facilitating a rethinking process concerning education in psychology and psychology in education. As many other disciplines have already undertaken the process of identifying their vital roles in education from K-12 and beyond, psychology has often been segmented among its many sub-areas and levels and the diverse initiatives that those areas support. For the first time, participant-leaders from over 20 education and training organizations in psychology and representatives from APA divisions and governance groups were brought together to think broadly about the discipline of psychology, to reflect upon its infrastructure, and to examine its future.

Participant-leaders and APA Education Directorate staff worked together in small, focused groups to brainstorm the issues. Efforts are now underway to poll these participant-leaders in an effort to prioritize the issues that arose in these discussions. These priorities have the potential to become an agenda for future conferences and intergroup collaborations that will set the tone for cohesive action within the discipline to influence the teaching of psychology and the preparation of future psychologists. The agenda will also serve as a vehicle for addressing the critical role that psychology can play in education, and where appropriate, public policy regarding psychology in education and education in psychology.

The ELC was honored to have Seymour Sarason, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Yale University, as the distinguished keynote speaker. The ELC was also honored to have school principal Michael Silverman, from Lea Elementary School in West Philadelphia, PA to provide his insight on current issues for educators and school communities, and how psychology can make a difference. A keynote panel on the future of education in psychology was comprised of psychologists with significant experience in education and higher education administration. Those panelists included: Edward P. Sheridan, PhD (Moderator), Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, University of Houston; Judith E. N. Albino, PhD, President, Alliant International University; and Wilbert J. McKeachie, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Michigan.

Psychology in Early Education and Care

The BEA Task Force on Psychology in Early Education and Care (TFPEEC) is developing a report that will identify for BEA and the Association the broader role of psychology in early childhood education and care and will identify the issues and needs the Association should address. This report is undergoing its final revisions and soon will be submitted to BEA for review.

TFPEEC also co-sponsored the Children's Mental Health Reception/Roundtable at the APA 2001 Annual Convention with the Working Group on Children's Mental Health. The event served as a forum to address recommendations stemming from the Surgeon General's Conference on Children's Mental Health. The roundtable also served as an opportunity for APA committee and division representatives to assess APA's priorities regarding children's mental health over the next 3-5 years and to develop a coordinated set of recommendations for the Association.

Psychology at Community Colleges

BEA and the BEA Community College Working Group successfully petitioned for the establishment of a new APA affiliate membership category for two-year college teachers of psychology. Along with this new membership category Council also approved the establishment of a new standing committee, the Committee of Psychology Teachers at Community Colleges (PT@CC), which will address the concerns of community college psychology teachers. Once the new membership category has been firmly established, members of PT@CC will be elected through a ballot sent to all two-year college teacher affiliates. In the interim the former members of the BEA Community College Working Group have been appointed as the founding members of PT@CC. PT@CC will hold its first meeting at the Consolidated Board and Committee Meetings on March 15-17, 2002.

Guidelines and Learning Outcomes for the Undergraduate Psychology Major

BEA has established and continues to monitor the work of the BEA Task Force on Undergraduate Major Competencies. The mission of the Task Force is to describe a set of guidelines and learning outcomes for the undergraduate psychology major. These outcomes are intended to incorporate the broad range of competencies encompassed in a psychology major in a liberal arts and sciences education. In addition, these outcomes will address competencies developed to serve students seeking entrance to graduate or professional schools, as well as those entering the labor force upon receipt of the baccalaureate degree. This document will be a valuable contribution to psychology departments, faculty members, and higher education administrators. At present the Task Force is working to finalize the draft document. BEA hopes to send the final draft to other boards and committees for review at the 2002 Fall Consolidated Meetings.

Technology Proficiencies for Psychology Education

The BEA Technology Working Group is developing recommendations for education and training in technology for psychology courses. Technology plays an increasingly important role in psychology, for example, as a vehicle for communication, information gathering and dissemination, teaching and education, research, and health service delivery. The Working Group's goal is to identify those technological competencies that psychologists consider appropriate and beneficial for students to have acquired by the end of each stage of their psychology education. It is hoped that the resulting document will stimulate helpful discussions among educators about training in technology and enhance the technological skills psychology students develop.

Advocacy Initiatives

BEA and its Advocacy Working Group have actively supported the APA Education Public Policy Office in advancing APA's advocacy efforts in support of education. Most notable among these activities are the continued development of the Federal Education Advocacy Coordinators (FEDAC) grassroots network and the recent success in securing $2 million in federal appropriations to establish the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program in the Bureau of Health Professions.

The purpose of FEDAC is to establish a comprehensive, nation-wide network of regional and campus-based FEDAC representatives, who can provide critical grassroots support (e.g., letter-writing campaigns, Hill visits, and testimony) needed to ensure success of Education Advocacy initiatives.

The GPE program is a competitive grant program for accredited graduate programs, internships and postdoctoral residencies to train health service psychologists. It will provide awards for work with under-served populations, including children, the elderly, victims of abuse, the chronically ill or disabled and in areas of emerging needs, which will foster an integrated approach to health care services, address access for underserved populations and build on the interrelatedness of behavior and health.

APPIC Competencies Conference

BEA endorsed a proposal initiated by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) to hold a conference on competencies in professional psychology in 2002. A BEA member and a staff person from the Education Directorate serve on the planning committee for this conference.

The conference, scheduled November 7-9, 2002, will address questions concerning the delineation, teaching and measurement of competencies in professional psychology. At this time, location and meeting arrangements are in the final stages of negotiation by APPIC.

Education and Training Guidelines

BEA has identified the need for a BEA policy on the development and evaluation of education and training guidelines and is in the process of developing such a policy, the Criteria for Education and Training Guideline Development and Evaluation. This draft document is based on the model of the Criteria for Practice Guideline Development and Evaluation, which were developed by the Board of Professional Affairs (BPA) and recently approved by Council.

A policy on education and training guidelines is essential if BEA is to ensure consistent quality of the education and training guidelines that are recommended for APA approval. A number of such guidelines have recently been developed by APA Divisions and other organizations and are now (or will soon be) before BEA for review.

Finally, BEA continued to work with and oversee the activities of its committees: the Committee on Accreditation, the Continuing Professional Education Committee, and the Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools. Reports of these committees' activities have been submitted separately.