Please save the Date for the 2024 Trainers of School Psychologists Conference in New Orleans, LA. We’ll be celebrating TSP @ 50!
WHEN:
Note, the 2024 NASP Convention runs from Wednesday, February 14th to Saturday, February 17th, 2024
LOCATION: Marriott Renaissance New Orleans Pere Marquette French Quarter Area Hotel, located a five-minute walk from the NASP hotel.
HOTEL BOOKING: We have negotiated a TSP conference rate for the hotel ($239/King room, $249/double-double), which can be applied from Wednesday through Saturday night: BOOK DIRECTLY HERE to make sure you have a hotel during a busy week in New Orleans. Please share this with your colleagues and graduate students as a potential hotel option!
REGISTRATION: More information to follow soon.
CE CREDITS: Five CEs will be available for attending the Saturday sessions.
TSP encourages you to review NASP’s official statement on opposing censorship in public education: https://www.nasponline.org/about-school-psychology/media-room/press-releases/nasp-opposes-censorship-in-public-education.
Please use this and other NASP resources in your advocacy with university leaders and policymakers.
Download the PDF here: Censorship in Education Statement March 2023
Posted on behalf of Dr. Ruth Schumacher-Martinez and the NASP Neurodiversity Interest Group.
Hi Colleagues,
For those who are not aware, beloved disability activist Judy Heumann died on Saturday, leaving a huge hole in the disability advocacy community. For many of us in the disability community, Judy taught us to love ourselves and she fostered disability community, connection, and helped people find their power to demand equity.
Judy Heumann's history of advocacy spans the work done enforcing 504 through sit ins that lasted as long as 25 days, the development of ADA, and years of service to presidents and government officials, fighting for the equal rights of individuals with disabilities. She worked tirelessly to unite BIPOC individuals with disabilities, veterans with disabilities, and individuals with both visible and invisible disabilities. She will be sorely missed and leaves a legacy that we must continue to ensure civil rights for disabled individuals.
Here are a few favorite Judy quotes for us:
"And I'm very tired of being thankful for accessible toilets, you know? I – I really am tired of feeling that way, when I basically feel that, If I have to feel thankful about an accessible bathroom, when am I ever gonna be equal in the community?" "When other people see you as a third-class citizen, the first thing you need is a belief in yourself and the knowledge that you have rights. The next thing you need is a group of friends to fight back with.” "Our anger was a fury sparked by profound injustices. Wrongs that deserved ire. And with that rage we ripped a hole in the status quo.” "We will no longer allow the government to oppress disabled individuals. We want the law enforced! We want no more segregation! We will accept no more discussions of segregation and…” I paused. Eidenberg was nodding sympathetically at me. The look on his face was unbearable. “And, I would appreciate it if you would stop nodding your head in agreement when I don’t think you have any idea what we’re talking about!” I put my head in my hands and choked back my tears. The room burst in applause.” “When other people see you as a third-class citizen, the first thing you need is a belief in yourself and the knowledge that you have rights. The next thing you need is a group of friends to fight back with.” “Some people say that what I did changed the world,” she wrote, “But really, I simply refused to accept what I was told about who I could be. And I was willing to make a fuss about it.” You can also read more about her work on her website: https://judithheumann.com/, and listen to past episodes of her podcast called The Heumann Perspective. The documentary Crip Camp also deeply covers her work. Please share Judy's work with your graduate students to support them in understanding disability culture. Thank you for letting us reflect and extend gratitude for our Judy--may her memory be a blessing.
"And I'm very tired of being thankful for accessible toilets, you know? I – I really am tired of feeling that way, when I basically feel that, If I have to feel thankful about an accessible bathroom, when am I ever gonna be equal in the community?"
"When other people see you as a third-class citizen, the first thing you need is a belief in yourself and the knowledge that you have rights. The next thing you need is a group of friends to fight back with.”
"Our anger was a fury sparked by profound injustices. Wrongs that deserved ire. And with that rage we ripped a hole in the status quo.”
"We will no longer allow the government to oppress disabled individuals. We want the law enforced! We want no more segregation! We will accept no more discussions of segregation and…” I paused. Eidenberg was nodding sympathetically at me. The look on his face was unbearable. “And, I would appreciate it if you would stop nodding your head in agreement when I don’t think you have any idea what we’re talking about!” I put my head in my hands and choked back my tears. The room burst in applause.”
“When other people see you as a third-class citizen, the first thing you need is a belief in yourself and the knowledge that you have rights. The next thing you need is a group of friends to fight back with.”
“Some people say that what I did changed the world,” she wrote, “But really, I simply refused to accept what I was told about who I could be. And I was willing to make a fuss about it.”
You can also read more about her work on her website: https://judithheumann.com/, and listen to past episodes of her podcast called The Heumann Perspective. The documentary Crip Camp also deeply covers her work.
Please share Judy's work with your graduate students to support them in understanding disability culture. Thank you for letting us reflect and extend gratitude for our Judy--may her memory be a blessing.
In solidarity and community,
The NASP Neurodiversity Interest Group
Posted on behalf of Dr. Jennifer McGrory Cooper and the Trainers of School Psychologists (TSP) Social Justice Committee:
Dear Colleagues,
Project Background:
The Black Excellence in School Psychology Project started in 2021 as a way to increase awareness of Black leaders in school psychology through the dissemination of a flyer within graduate preparation programs. In response to your feedback from our first survey, we expanded the project to honor leaders from other underrepresented groups in school psychology. In 2021, we created and distributed flyers at the following times: Black History Month (Feb), AAPI Heritage Month (May), Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep 15 - Oct 15) and Indigenous Peoples/Native American Heritage Month (Nov). We have asked for your feedback along the way to help us in improving the Project (and each subsequent flyer), and we appreciate your continued support.
Nomination Process:
For this year’s Black History Month flyer, we worked to develop an advisory panel (Drs. Celeste Malone and Stacy Williams) to help us in nominating/identifying Black leaders in school psychology and developing broadened inclusion criteria that included national leaders engaged in school-based work in addition to faculty members. In moving forward, we plan to recruit an advisory panel for each flyer, prioritizing those who identify as part of, and/or who have meaningfully been in relationship with, the communities being featured. Our goal is to include both early career and experienced leaders in our field. If you have an interest in serving on an advisory panel or would like to share names of individuals that you feel strongly should be recognized in one of the four flyers planned for 2022, please contact us directly.
Finally, we recognize the complexity of highlighting school psychology leaders, given that it inevitably will feel that we have included some and not included others, and that some individuals even after being nominated would prefer not to be included. We welcome the nominations of others for future consideration we may have unintentionally missed. As TSP, we ourselves are continually learning about the contributions of diverse leaders in our field. As always, we are open to your feedback, and we hope you find the flyer helpful in increasing representation and honoring truly inspiring leaders in our field.
Respectfully,
Dear TSP members,
We share this letter to shine a light on both the historical and contemporary significance of the 2023 Trainers of School Psychologists (TSP) and National Association of School Psychologists’ (NASP) conferences. This year marked the presidencies of Dr. Stacy Williams, 2nd Black woman president of TSP, and Dr. Celeste Malone, 2nd Black woman President of NASP. Both Drs. Williams’ and Malone’s visions for their conferences were inspired, grounded in their lived experiences in school psychology, and indicative of the Black excellence in school psychology practice, research, service, and leadership that all too often goes unsung. Dr. Williams’ passion for school psychology training and her authenticity as a scholar-advocate was found in every detail of the TSP conference.
Dr. Malone framed her presidential theme as one that centered on radical hope and authentic healing. For too long we, as a field, have focused on the educational and mental health disparities that continue to oppress minoritized youth without making space to celebrate and acknowledge their joy and strengths, preventing us from realizing the dream of radical hope and authentic healing for school psychology. This radical hope was embodied in Dr. Malone’s gathering at the presidential suite at the Hyatt in which primarily Black and brown scholars, practitioners, and students celebrated being in community. Both the practice and training of school psychology has had limited spaces where Black and brown members could feel both welcomed and celebrated. Individuals who were part of the celebration described it as a beautiful and impactful evening that celebrated Black joy and brilliance and many shared that this year’s NASP conference was the most supportive and affirming professional conference they have ever attended.
However, this evening of Black joy and excellence ended abruptly following a series of racist events characterized by racial profiling and targeted surveillance by hotel staff. This surveillance of Black bodies is not new and is steeped in the ways that anti-blackness perpetuates every system of our society. The desire to problematize Blackness and the need to police Black joy is not buffered by the number of degrees one has or how influential one is in their career. As trainers of school psychologists, we need to sit with the fact that our Black colleagues experience this type of discrimination daily. Although news of this incident at NASP quickly spread among colleagues and social media because it was Dr. Malone’s private event held in the hotel presidential suite, similar events often go unnoticed within our larger community. Therefore, it is important to situate this highly publicized and traumatic incident within the broader context of racial trauma and minority stress. How then do we as trainers consider standing in solidarity in these moments?
In reflecting on this event, Drs. Malone and Williams cautioned that we should not let it override the joy and significance of these historical conferences and year in school psychology. To capture the positive impact of this year’s NASP conference, a grassroots social media campaign was started to highlight Black excellence and affirming conference experiences that individuals had. Following their leadership, we, too, choose to center Black joy and excellence. To celebrate these remarkable women and the significance of their presidencies on current and future school psychologists, we will prioritize both short and long-term actions that TSP has committed to.
First, to continue the work of Drs. Williams and Malone and to support their visions for a diverse and affirming school psychology field, TSP will be sponsoring several Black student scholars to attend the April 2023 inaugural Black School Psychologists Network conference in Atlanta. The TSP Social Justice Committee will also be making a donation to the School Psych Sistahs, a non-profit organization that supports the recruitment, retention and advancement of women of color in the field of school psychology.
Second, we intend to develop and offer professional development for school psychology trainers focused on using microinterventions and microaffirmations when witnessing racist actions. Our goal in doing so is to provide strategies for what trainers can do when faced with similar instances of racism. Prior to these events, TSP was also in the planning stages with the NASP Professional Growth and Social Justice Committees to develop training focused on protecting school psychology Black and brown scholars when traveling around the U.S. as invited speakers. Reports of racism and discrimination experienced by Black and brown scholars led to this important collaborative work, and we see an opportunity to provide professional development to state associations and other leaders to ensure their ability to keep their invited speakers safe during their travels and speaking engagements.
Finally, we will be in communication with Dr. Malone to support her in her efforts to hold the Hyatt accountable and to reduce the burden on her and NASP leadership to sustain this work and repair the direct and indirect harm caused to the broader school psychology community. This work has taken a significant portion of Dr. Malone’s and NASP’s time and energy and they should not be engaging in it alone. We commend NASP’s timely and transparent communications about this incident and subsequent (in)actions by the Hyatt with the school psychology community and the way that NASP leaders listened to the voices and needs of those who experienced direct harm that evening and in the days that followed.
In closing, we stand in solidarity with Dr. Malone, NASP, APA D16 and countless state school psychology organizations who demanded action from the Hyatt Hotel corporation. After amplifying this message on social media, we were satisfied to see the Hyatt take the important first step of issuing a public apology. However, we believe that actions speak louder than words and will continue to stand in solidarity until Dr. Malone and NASP’s requests are met, so that the harm that was caused to Black and brown leaders (and future leaders) can begin to be repaired. These restorative actions include, but are not limited to, the following:
If the Hyatt fails to honor these requests, TSP will again call upon its Executive Board and membership to take action to hold them accountable.
This statement is made on behalf of the Trainers of School Psychologists Social Justice Committee and Executive Board, and we invite our members to provide feedback and engage in sustained dialogue with us about next steps. If you have feedback you would like to share, please contact Stacy Williams, TSP President, at swilliams26@albany.edu
In solidarity,
Trainers of School Psychologists Executive Board
I wanted to take a moment to say how much I enjoyed seeing you at TSP and at NASP in San Antonio. It is always nice to see old friends and to make new ones. I was grateful to all of your efforts to make this week go so well. Specifically, I wanted to thank a few people:
1) Sarah Valley-Gray was the conference chair this year and executed an ambitious program that included multiple strands as well as finding affordable rooms at a great hotel.
2) Thank you to the presenters and speakers who volunteered their time and efforts to deliver the content this year. Particularly, Tom Fagan for his always entertaining and compelling comments as this year’s keynote speaker.
3) As you may have noticed, the format of the conference has undergone some dramatic changes over the past few years which have included multiple breakout sessions that have allowed trainers to individualize their conference and receive professional development in program administration, teaching and research. This change began during the 2015 conference when Paul Jantz was the conference chair. Paul is currently the past president, and I failed to recognize his great contributions to the organization during the previous years. Paul has served on multiple committees including conference, constitution, accreditation, and research committee and has provided a thoughtful voice to all discussions. Paul will be taking over as Forum Editor this upcoming year after previously serving as an AE for the past several years. Please join me in thanking Paul for his tremendous contribution to TSP.
Finally, I want to thank Lori Unruh and Lisa Kelly-Vance from NASP for accepting our invitation to be part of an active dialog between TSP and NASP as NASP looks at revising the 2020 Standards of Training and Practice. Together, we will make sure that all trainers have an opportunity to provide input on the standards throughout the process.
It is an honor to serve as President of this great organization, and I thank you for the opportunity.
David Hulac, TSP President
Upcoming sessions include:
Evaluating the Definition of a Test Doman
Thursday, January 26 2:00-3:30 pm CST
Presenter: Dr. William Schafer, University of Maryland
Screening and Progress Monitoring Tools: Issues and Implications for Clinical and School Psychologists
Thursday, February 16 1:30 am–3:00 pm CST
Presenter: Dr. Rosemary Flanagan, Touro College
Evaluating Clinical Screening Measures
Wednesday, February 22 11:00 am–12:30 pm CST
Presenter: Dr. Michael Kavan, Creighton University
Go to buros.org/evaluating-test-quality-webinar-series for more information and to register. For questions, contact Dr. Jessica L. Jonson at jjonson@buros.org. Recordings of the first two webinars in the series can be accessed for continuing education through Buros Video Library at http://ulearn.unl.edu/buros.
