Pamela Fenning, PhD

Fenning is a licensed school and clinical psychologist and a professor of school psychology at Loyola University.

Tell us a bit about your background: What is your area of research? What is your most recent journal-editing experience?

I am a licensed school and clinical psychologist with the privilege of serving for nearly three decades at Loyola University Chicago in the role of training future school psychologists for practice in clinical settings such as schools, hospitals, and clinics. I have also mentored graduate students for research and university teaching careers. Working with the next generation of psychologists and researchers has been the honor of my career.

My primary area of research stems from what I saw in my early years of practicing as a school psychologist. The same students referred to our school-based teams for support in academics, behavior, or social-emotional mental health and wellness were the same group of students who were being pushed out of school through suspension and expulsion as school responses to behaviors such as tardiness; truancy; or very minor verbal exchanges with peers, teachers, and administrators. I also noticed that many students who were the most likely to be pushed out—when White students were not for the same “behaviors”—were racial- and ethnic- minoritized students and students with disabilities, particularly Black students. I was often told by administrators that this was the “policy,” but these exclusionary discipline practices were not only ineffective in changing behavior but also not handled equitably. When I moved into a research role in a university position, I wanted to better understand what the literature about discipline policy and practices and what school psychologists could do to make both less ableist and racist. Over many years, I have had the privilege of working with colleagues whose lived experience and racial identity is different than my own as a White woman. Together, we worked on research about equity in school discipline practice and policy under the umbrella of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). My recent work has focused on how to effectively implement and sustain more anti-racist and affirming MTSS practices in real-world school environments using implementation science.

Briefly, what are your main priorities? For example, how will you grow readership, what type of scholarship would you like to see in the journal, and what kind of content are you hoping to attract? 

I believe that we are living during a time where clear and defensible science about the existence of racism, ableism, anti-LGBTQ+ bias, gender bias, xenophobia, immigration bias, disregard for minoritized religious group (e.g., antisemitism, Islamophobia), and the intersection of oppression is under attack. Overt and demonstrative harms are occurring in response to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) research, policy, and practice in psychology and education. Recent momentum and strides in psychology, particularly school psychology, to advance science in EDI efforts are being threatened through federal executive orders; the erasure of national datasets pertinent to the field, including data disaggregated by race or ethnicity and gender identity; and the curtailing or eliminating of federal funding critical to advance psychological and educational science.

However, school psychology journals should continue to advance EDI work now more than ever, as we have an essential voice. Building on the EDI focus of the current editor, Robin Codding, PhD; the “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Toolkit for Journal Editors” (American Psychological Association [APA], 2025); and a re-envisioned path toward a more anti-oppressive school psychology field in the future (Malone, 2024), my priority will be to seek submissions that continue to advance the field in research and scientific evidence centered on dismantling systems of oppression. We welcome a variety of rigorous methodologies that include quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods and that center the voice of historically minoritized persons, such as the use of participatory action research (APA, 2025). I look forward to working with my editorial team to identify areas of focus within EDI and anti-oppressive research through outlets such as special topics and potential collaborations across school psychology journals as we collectively grapple with ways to move EDI and equity work forward despite the current federal landscape.

Why is this journal important for the field? What is its relevance to society/public health? What are the hot issues in your area right now?

From the shoulders of prior editors, School Psychology is a top-tier journal in the field, known for its scientific rigor and scholarship. I also believe that the journal has agency and an ethical obligation, supported by the continued stance that APA is taking, to elevate and encourage scientific contributions in EDI (APA, 2025). Clear evidence about the existence of racism, gender identity, ableism, immigrant bias, and bias with minoritized religious groups is being negated with no empirical basis. Therefore, science and scholarship on these topics are imperative. As an editor with the support of a strong editorial team, we can continue to advance this work through seeking scholarship that centers and advances EDI science in the service of P–12 students.

APA Journals is taking the lead on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in its practices and systems. How will you promote EDI as editor of the journal?

EDI scholarship and research, which focuses on mitigating systems of historical oppression and shedding light on the many ways in which marginalized communities thrive, heal, and flourish despite oppressive conditions, is vital in the current national climate. Our editorial team will prioritize and elevate scholarship that combats misguided federal rollbacks and efforts to dismantle progress made in advancing science related to mitigating systems of oppression and creating safe spaces for marginalized groups.

I will build on the considerable work already done by my predecessors by working with my editorial team to encourage reflexivity and positionality statements. I will also work with the team to advance inclusive reporting standards through encouraging authors to use the “APA Journal Article Reporting Standards for Race, Ethnicity, and Culture” (APA, 2023) and the manuscript writing guide by Veldhuis et al. (2024) in research related to sexual orientation and gender diversity, which are APA-advocated (2025) reporting standards when conducting research with minoritized populations.

Explore APA Journals’ EDI initiatives.

What advice would you offer new authors hoping to publish in your journal? What are you looking for in a manuscript?

My advice to new authors is to trust your instincts about focusing your time and attention. Much important work is needed, particularly understanding how systems of oppression affect the field and developing solutions to mitigate and address these. Also, seek support and consultation from others in the field. The vast majority of scholars in school psychology—even those who have had long research careers—have needed help and will continue to do so. In addition, use your support networks, whether they are in the institution in which you are working or are elsewhere.

I am looking for rigorous, well-designed research. Your scholarship could use a broad range of carefully constructed and well-articulated research methods, designs, and analytic techniques, such as qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods; single-case designs; or other accepted methods in the field. Your work should have a demonstrated impact on the profession of school psychology.

American Psychological Association. (2023). APA Style journal article reporting standards for race, ethnicity, and culture. https://apastyle.apa.org/jars/race-ethnicity-culture

American Psychological Association. (2025). Equity, diversity, and inclusion toolkit for journal editors (2nd ed.). https://www.apa.org/pubs/authors/equity-diversity-inclusion-toolkit-journal-editors.pdfopens in new window

Malone, C. M. (2024). Moving school psychology beyond the clouds of injustice: A blue-sky discussion. School Psychology Review, 53(3), 324–340. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2024.2330111opens in new window

Veldhuis, C. B., Cascalheira, C. J., Delucio, K., Budge, S. L., Matsuno, E., Huynh, K., Puckett, J. A., Balsam, K. F., Velez, B. L., & Galupo, M. P. (2024). Sexual orientation and gender diversity research manuscript writing guide. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 11(3), 365–396. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000722