During APA Services, Inc.’s (APASI) July 2021 Education Advocacy Summit, APA’s Chief Advocacy Officer Katherine McGuire awarded the Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education (CPSE) APASI’s advocacy award for its leadership in advancing the impact of psychological science on pre-K to 12 education policy.
CPSE is a diverse coalition supported by the APA Education Directorate’s Rena Subotnik, PhD, the director of APA’s Center for Psychology in Schools and Education, and Maha Khalid, associate director. Representatives from 15 divisions and eight governance boards and committees work to promote applications of psychological research that improve the quality of pre-K to 12 education.
Under the leadership of Subotnik and Khalid, the coalition has built a collaborative and strategic partnership between the Education Directorate, the Advocacy Office and CPSE members to ensure that lawmakers receive the best possible information and research as they craft legislation, guidance, and regulations. Over the past year, CPSE has produced a series of results that will impact educators, students, and children nationwide, including:
- Providing policy recommendations and proposals that were included in pieces of legislation, such as the American Rescue Plan Act and the Comprehensive Mental Health in Schools Pilot Program Act.
- Recommending policy solutions to the incoming Biden administration that were included in the Department of Education’s COVID-19 School Reopening Guidebook, issued this spring.
CPSE members Kimberly Howard, PhD; Celeste Malone, PhD; Amanda Dettmer, PhD; and Wendy Grolnick, PhD; accepted the award on behalf of the coalition after presenting to the summit about the impact that COVID-19 has had on children’s learning and emotional well-being. The following day, participants met with more than 140 congressional offices to request additional support for schools to address not only academic achievement, but motivation, social and emotional well-being, and mental health as schools reopen this month.
For more information, contact Karen Studwell.