Candidates for APA President
What role should APA play in enhancing teaching and learning of students at all levels, as well as mechanisms by which APA can improve the overall quality of education in psychology at all levels?
The science of learning is an interdisciplinary enterprise whose time has arrived, as shown by recent federal funding initiatives. Psychology is a central discipline in this science but not the only player by any means. Further, various subdisciplines of psychology (e.g., cognitive, developmental, educational and school psychology) have important roles to play in a science of learning, and yet communication among these subdisciplines has not been optimal. APA needs to take initiatives to strengthen cross-talk both within psychology and with other disciplines (e.g., mathematics and science education, computer science) to support the emergence of a dynamic science of learning.
What steps should APA take to increase the portability of licenses from state to state?
The past few years have seen important advances in portability, as states increasingly agree to recognize the Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ) from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, or the credential of the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. Such recognition, and various kinds of interstate reciprocity agreements, greatly ease the task of psychologists who wish to move or who live in areas where their practice may involve more than one state. APA must continue to work with state associations to widen and enhance this kind of streamlining.
