During the mid-1980s, I was a member of and chaired APA’s Committee for Undergraduate Education. During that time, we wanted to know more about high school psychology and surveyed a sample of high school teachers. We were surprised by the variety of courses taught and the varied preparation of its teachers.
Around 1990, I was contacted by APA to determine whether I would be interested in helping with the development of the Advanced Placement (AP) course in psychology (together with luminaries in psychology including University of Michigan professor of psychology and Past APA President Wilbert McKeachie).
It was a function of these two experiences that my keen interest and deep affection for high school psychology began. Although I have never taught a course in high school, I have mentored several students who went on to teach in those settings and also have had the opportunity to guest lecture in high school classes, primarily about neuropsychology.
Not surprisingly, when I became APA’s 125th president, it seemed appropriate for one of my interests be the teaching of psychology, including at the high school level. Without a doubt, one of the proudest moments during my tenure as APA president was participating in APA’s Summit on High School Psychology Education in Ogden, Utah.
Here are some of my observations that occurred as a function of being part of this important and historic conference:
- The summit was the first national conference on high school psychology education ever held. Previous conferences have been held for undergraduate psychology (of which I have participated in two) and graduate psychology (e.g., the Boulder conference of 1949) but not for high school.
- The mission of the summit was to create the best future for high school psychology education. In turn, the strongest foundation at this level would allow for the strongest structure of the pedagogy of psychology to follow in higher education.
- At the center of everything discussed was the core value of science. Whereas the profession of psychology and it social implications permeated all discussion, science was a critical value that shaped everything.
- Several teachers mentioned how collegial and supportive the participants were of each other; college faculty members treated high school teachers with respect and listened to and appreciated their contributions. A foundation of collaboration across educational levels was critical to its success.
- Everyone at the summit was passionate about high school psychology and teaching, as well as of psychology in general. The teachers present considered their positions as high school teachers a calling, a vocation.
- Weber State University was a wonderful and accommodating host in a beautiful setting. The staff and administration of the university together with beauty of the region made for a wonderful backdrop for a historic conference.
- By the end of the week, the eight working groups had developed over 40 deliverables that will benefit high school psychology education and made over 40 recommendations for different audiences.
- The work that started at the summit will become the foundation not only for high school psychology but for the pipeline of psychology. The beginning of a lifelong trajectory of psychology will begin with the work that started over several magical days in Ogden, Utah.
APA’s support of high school (and undergraduate) psychology was evident throughout the conference. Some points that underscore its long-standing support included:
- Enrollment in high school psychology courses continues to rise annually. Approximately one third of all high students take a psychology course before graduating. This amounts to one million high school students taking psychology each year.
- High school psychology courses are frequently students' first — and maybe the only — formal exposure to the discipline. As a consequence, high school psychology teachers play an important role in educating the public about psychological science as well as the profession of psychology.
- High school psychology teachers primarily promote scientific and psychological literacy. But high school psychology teachers also play an important role in fostering students’ long-term well-being and college and career preparedness.
- Learning about the science of psychology in high school benefits the field by cultivating the pipeline of potential future psychologists. The earlier students are engaged in this pipeline, the greater likelihood that the pipeline of future psychologists is being well attended to.
In my summit presentation regarding the teaching of psychology over the last 125 years, I provided some additional historical observations:
- In the late 19th century, a course on “Mental philosophy” was typically required for high school graduation; topics included intellect, senses, emotions and will. One of the most popular textbooks was Thomas Upham's "Elements of Mental Philosophy."
- The first conference on the teaching of psychology was held in 1899. Most of the presenters later became APA presidents and its primary focus was the psychology curriculum. A central focus was that psychology must be taught as a science.
- The APA Committee on Methods of Teaching Psychology wrote in 1908 that “The primary aim [of introductory psychology] is to train in the observation and explanation of mental facts.”
- APA formalized its Commitment to Secondary School Education at the University of Michigan conference in 1952. Wilbert McKeachie was central to this effort. It was then that the Committee on the Teaching of Psychology in High School was formed.
In my presentation some important dates in high school psychology were also presented:
- 1935 — The creation of the APA Committee to Study the Problems Connected with the Teaching of Psychology in High Schools and Junior Colleges.
- 1962 — High school teachers were able to join APA as affiliate members.
- 1970 — APA created the Clearinghouse for Precollege Psychology (the predecessor to the Psychology Teacher Network, the Periodically newsletter, was first published through the Clearinghouse in September 1970).
- 1988 — The College Board approved Psychology as an AP course.
- 1992 — First AP Psychology Exam was given.
- 1992 — The APA Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) was formed.
- 1999 — The National Standards of High School Psychology Curricula was first adopted.
Without a doubt, the 2017 summit will shape the pedagogy of psychology for years to come. Not only will it directly influence the teaching of psychology at the high school level but by design it sets the core for all of psychological pedagogy. Further, the summit then will influence both the science and profession of psychology. However, what must be emphasized but is more difficult to measure, was the enthusiasm and passion not only seen in the participant’s engagement but in the vibrancy of the conference. If we were to translate the spirit of the conference forward to all of psychology, then the future of psychology is destined to have the impact and to fulfill the critical promise that psychology has always been poised to deliver.
About the author
Antonio Puente, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), is the 2017 president of the American Psychological Association (founded in 1892). Born in La Habana, Cuba, Puente emigrated to the U.S. in 1960. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Florida and his master’s degree and PhD from the University of Georgia. Puente is founding director of UNCW’s Centro Hispano. Puente founded and edited the journals Neuropsychology Review and Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice as well as a book series (33 books) in neuropsychology. He is the author of eight books, 79 book chapters and 107 journal articles. He received the APA’s Distinguished Professional Contributions to Independent Practice in 2011. He has been a member of the APA since 1979 and fellow of nine divisions, he has also served as president of the N.C. Psychological Association, N.C. Psychological Foundation, the Hispanic Neuropsychological Association, National Academy of Neuropsychology, and Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (Div. 40 of APA).
