The APA Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) is looking for nominees to serve as a college faculty representative on the TOPSS Committee. The TOPSS Committee is made up of seven high school teachers and two college faculty representatives. The college representatives serve staggered 3-year terms and are non-voting members of the committee. Nominees should be knowledgeable of high school psychology and be interested in serving as a college representative for the full 3-year term (January 2027–December 2029). Nominees should also be members or affiliates of APA.
The mission of the TOPSS Committee is to (a) promote the highest standards in the teaching of psychology both as a science and discipline; (b) promote professional development and other means for lifelong learning for high school teachers of psychology; (c) increase professional identity and promote leadership for high school teachers of psychology; (d) facilitate networking, including the formation of both horizontal and vertical linkages, among teachers from all teaching levels of psychology; (e) encourage recruitment and retention of students, particularly minorities, in the field of psychology; (f) enhance the visibility and legitimacy of high school psychology within APA; (g) enhance the visibility and legitimacy of high school psychology with other members of the psychological community; (h) recommend the appropriate response to advocacy, education policy, and certification issues that impact on the quality or viability of teaching of high school psychology.
Visit the TOPSS website for more information. Nominations should be submitted by September 22, 2026. A statement of interest (500 words or less) and a curriculum vitae should accompany all nominations. Self-nominations are welcome.
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TOPSS welcomes nominations from all qualified psychologists and educators. In selecting members, the TOPSS considers a broad range of professional experiences, perspectives, and areas of expertise that support its mission. Psychologists and educators from all backgrounds and career stages who can contribute to addressing the field’s evolving needs and challenges are encouraged to seek nomination.
APA is engaged in a process of transformation, placing a much greater emphasis on making an impact that clearly benefits society and improves lives. In February 2019, the Council of Representatives adopted a new strategic plan that sets APA’s organizational priorities for the next 3–5 years. Going forward, boards and committees will work in an integrated, collaborative, and multidisciplinary manner, since no single board or committee can achieve any of the plan’s objectives on its own. Given the importance of this approach to the association’s strategic priorities, APA encourages nominees to TOPSS to review the strategic plan (PDF, 599KB)opens in new window to become familiar with the larger context in which their expertise and interests will contribute to APA’s success.
Nominees are invited to complete and submit a demographic information formopens in new window. This survey supports our efforts to create volunteer leadership opportunities for all psychology teachers by helping APA analyze, after the selection of slates—the effectiveness of our outreach and recruitment strategies in building an inclusive, sustainable leadership body with a broad range of perspectives and experiences.
Disclosure of any information is voluntary, and collected data will be analyzed on an aggregated basis only after the selection of slates. Individual data will not be used to select for slating individual nominees by members or staff. The data will be stored securely with restricted staff access.