In Brief
Prioritizing the critical issues in the interplay of psychology and education will be the focus of the first-ever APA Education Leadership Conference (ELC), "Rethinking education in psychology and psychology in education," to be held Sept. 23-25 in Washington, D.C.
With more than one-third of APA members primarily employed in educational settings, and nearly half having some involvement in education activities, the conference promises to explore issues of significant interest and impact.
"Education is clearly the foundation of our scientific discipline and profession," says Cynthia D. Belar, PhD, APA's executive director for education. "It is also through education that future leaders and other citizens first learn in formal ways about who psychologists are and what we do."
The forum will:
Address national issues of education and training that affect the future of the discipline of psychology.
Discuss public policies across levels of education.
Formulate strategies for addressing problems more proactively and efficiently.
Featured presenters include Tom Sawyer (DOhio), who will deliver a keynote address on "Psychology, education and public policy." Anthony Carnevale, vice president for public leadership, Educational Testing Service, will give a keynote address on "The future of education." A panel discussion on "The future of education in psychology" will be moderated by Edward P. Sheridan, PhD, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, University of Houston. Seymour Sarason, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Yale University, will give a keynote address on "The application of psychology to education." Small workgroups will address issues relevant to ongoing efforts of the APA Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) and the Education Directorate. Topics will include:
The level of technological competence that every undergraduate major and graduate student in psychology should have.
Goals and priorities of preinternship supervised practice training for doctoral students.
The distinctive contribution to the health-care workforce provided by education and training in psychology.
Psychology curricula in elementary, middle and high schools.
The knowledge of psychological science relevant to teaching and learning that preschool, elementary and secondary teachers should know.
Advocacy training on selected public policy issues will be available and the Public Policy Office will schedule appointments for participants to meet with members of Congress or their staff.
Groups invited to send a representative include all 52 APA divisions and 11 APA governance groups, such as the Committee on Accreditation and the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students. Twenty-four other organizations, including the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology, the Council of Teachers of Undergraduate Psychology, the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers, and the Doctoral Program Training Councils have also been invited.
Its organizers hope the ELC will become an annual event that will bring together the numerous organizations in the field, "to help us identify and prioritize issues critical to education in psychology and psychology in education in a changing world," says Belar.
--J. COHEN
