APA Chief Executive Officer Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, sent a congratulatory letter to the new Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (PDF, 252KB) promising to work with him on mutual priorities.
The letter highlights the critical role of psychological science in addressing both the learning and health care needs of all students, as well as fostering positive and safe school climates. APA’s letter acknowledges the part the Department of Education plays in educating and training the next generation of psychologists and underscores APA’s shared commitment with the Biden administration to ensuring equity and diversity in education.
The letter also provides APA’s education-related recommendations and pledges to work with Cardona and his staff to implement them. This includes addressing how COVID-19 continues to affect students and educators; ensuring that psychological science informs school reopening guidelines; mitigating learning loss; providing school-based mental health services; strengthening pathways to doctoral psychology degrees for all students, irrespective of racial or socioeconomic status; diversifying the mental and behavioral health care workforce; and decreasing student loan debt, including through loan forgiveness programs.
“Psychological science has much to offer to improve the effectiveness of how students learn, how educators teach, and how we address the social and emotional needs of all students across the education spectrum,” said Evans. “Psychology as a field is deeply committed to providing equitable access to a high-quality education for all students, irrespective of socioeconomic status. This includes ensuring that higher education is both accessible and affordable—including for first-generation college students—as it is critical to train a diverse, culturally competent workforce that can serve all communities.”
For more information, contact Kenneth Polishchuk.