What to Know About Inclusive Syllabi

By: Geremy Grant Ph.D. NCSP

Scholars who train future school psychologists have a responsibility to integrate diversity and social justice (DSJ) throughout their program curricula, using affirming and strengths-based approaches (see Standard 1.5 for the Graduate Preparation of School Psychologists). Implicit within this standard are course syllabi, which should evidence a commitment to equitable teaching practices. Equitable teaching practices are particularly important for early career scholars who prioritize training school psychologists to be critical consumers of research in addition to researchers themselves. DSJ-centered syllabi may have particular benefits for underrepresented students (Taylor et al., 2019), which aids our field in its efforts to retain and support minoritized trainees. To successfully apply diversity and social justice principles to one’s work, early career scholars must first immerse themselves in the literature, and critique available research to glean evidence-based practices that can inform their teaching. Moreover, equitable teaching practices can serve to inform how early career scholars’ approach other areas of their work including scholarship (e.g., centering DSJ within conceptualization, development, implementation, analyses, and interpretation of research).

To further our understanding of the importance of inclusive syllabi in course construction, I had the honor and privilege of interviewing Dr. Charles Barrett (CB) and Dr. Leandra Parris (LP), two well-known scholars who instruct graduate-level school psychology courses. 

How would you describe an “inclusive syllabus”? What characteristics distinguish it from a traditional syllabus?

CB: ​​Many elements come to mind that distinguish an inclusive syllabus from a typical syllabus.  First and foremost, an inclusive syllabus includes readings and resources from a variety of authors who represent varied professional backgrounds and disciplines, as well as races, ethnicities, genders, and a host of other identities. For example, books, articles, podcasts, and other resources are not only written by or feature school psychology faculty or researchers, but also those who are practitioners, and individuals from other disciplines (e.g., economics, sociology, history, and education) when their perspective is relevant to the course’s subject matter.  Next, the authors of assigned readings are not only those from the typical [school psychology] cannon, which are often cisgender White men and women, but racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) individuals, and those representing marginalized identities (e.g., LGBTQ+ individuals) are also included. Notably, who is reflected in a syllabus is one way to measure the extent to which diverse perspectives are valued in the course. Additionally, an inclusive syllabus intentionally includes assignments (e.g., projects) that reflect a variety of modalities (e.g., presentations, papers, small group/partner activities, individual tasks) that allow students an array of access points to demonstrate their strengths as they show their understanding of course content.  In sum, an inclusive syllabus is mindful of what students should know, and how they should demonstrate such knowledge, rather than only valuing what the instructor is comfortable offering.

LP: There is a difference in intention. The traditional syllabus is about telling students what they will be doing and what individual students need to do to get a good grade. The approach is “you will do this thing and here is how you will be evaluated and if you do not perform well, here are the consequences.” The instructor is seen as an evaluative expert rather than someone sharing a learning space with students. An inclusive syllabus is more about sharing what we will be doing together, how we will accomplish shared learning, and how we will ensure that we create a safe, supportive environment as a group. The approach is, “we will be accomplishing these things together, here’s how we’re going to do that in a safe learning environment, and here’s how to communicate your needs." There is still the evaluation piece, etc., but the presentation is student-centered, accessible, and flexible.

How do you think an inclusive syllabus relates to social justice pedagogy?

CB: An inclusive syllabus is central to social justice pedagogy because it is one way that graduate instructors model that social justice is more than the latest hot topic, buzzword, or fad in psychology or education.  More importantly, social justice, and social justice pedagogy is how we think about the discipline of school psychology, especially the students and families we serve, and the purposeful actions we engage in to promote equitable outcomes. An inclusive syllabus, by incorporating the perspectives of individuals who represent communities whose voices have been historically muted, overlooked, or ignored, is one way to center these necessary ideas.  An inclusive syllabus, by including content from other disciplines that might be more knowledgeable than school psychology currently is about systemic issues such as racism, access to quality healthcare, access to high-quality preschool, living in safe and supportive communities, the history of American policing and subsequent police violence in REM communities, and low-income and economic marginalization (LIEM; American Psychological Association, 2019), models the importance of students learning about the structural challenges that fundamentally affect children’s opportunity, access, and subsequent academic and behavioral outcomes.

LP: Inclusive syllabi clearly outline procedures and processes for engagement in the course (i.e., procedural justice), how resources and your time as an instructor will be equitably shared and accessible (i.e., distributive justice), and expectations for interacting and working together within the learning space (i.e., relational justice). Those expectations should include cultural humility, open and curious approaches to learning, grace when giving and receiving feedback, the expectation that we’ll disrupt bias when we hear/see it, etc. There should also be space for critical reflection, making it transparent how you, as the instructor, will elicit and respond to feedback and student needs as the course progresses. Finally, I think it helps to have an acknowledgment of the systems that impact the course topics and student experiences (e.g., including the university’s statement on the history of enslavement, land acknowledgment, acknowledgment of violent socio-political climates, etc.) that is coupled with resources, both academic and mental-health focused.

What strategies do you find most useful when revising your syllabi to be more inclusive?

CB: Because effective instruction is about teaching students more than content or information, I regularly ask myself, “What does this group of students need to know this semester?”  Based on the makeup of the class, including their personal and professional experiences, I include readings and other resources that might be more salient to support the course’s curriculum or extend students’ learning.  Personally, I share with my students that the syllabus is an iterative document that will be revised, as necessary, throughout the semester.  As such, remaining attuned to current events is one of the best ways to add readings and other resources (e.g., podcasts) as they are released, almost in real time.  For example, while teaching an advanced assessment course for rising 2^nd year graduate students during the summer of 2020, although police violence wasn’t particularly relevant to the course objectives, it would have been irresponsible to ignore the social climate that was unfolding in America.  As such, I shared an article by a pediatrician, Rhea Boyd, whose research was focused on police violence, equity, and child health outcomes.  It wasn’t difficult to highlight the connections between the article and the implications for the course and school psychologists (e.g., the importance of school psychologists thinking about what is happening around children rather than only focusing on what is happening within them), and it was also a way to acknowledge what could have been on the minds of some of my students, particularly those from REM backgrounds.

LP: There is a group of us who will run our syllabi by each other, ask for feedback, etc. I think finding that support network of people who truly understand what inclusion and social justice are, and getting their perspective on your syllabus, is crucial. I review materials each semester not only to update them, but to make sure that I don’t miss a voice. I also review my assignments to ensure accountability for addressing social justice and inclusion are always present and that the assignment is flexible and adaptive. I also try to find things that are not just readings, including podcasts, videos, TedTalks, etc., to make it not only more accessible but more meaningful.

Are there specific resources you’ve found helpful in your creation of inclusive syllabi?

CB: One reading that I often assign is Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders his Ability to Alter Public Space.  Published in Ms. magazine in 1987, and written by Brent Staples, a sociologist, the piece is an excellent example of how racism, privilege, implicit bias, and intersectionality impact the daily decisions of a Black male living in an urban center.  As a magazine article, it cuts to the core of these issues and is more emotive than what is typically published in peer-reviewed journals.  Other excellent readings and resources that I’ve assigned include Enrique’s Journey, which is a book that was written by Sonia Nazario, a Hispanic, female journalist, and How to Be an Antiracist, a book that was written by history professor, Ibram X. Kendi.  Last, in my assessment courses, I have students listen to several episodes of a podcast about Larry P., which not only features the real “Larry P.,” but also several school psychologist practitioners in California.

LP: APA Bias-Free Language, National Communication Association Guidelines, and APA’s Inclusive Syllabi Resources.

Any additional advice for early career educators on writing inclusive syllabi?

CB: Because school psychology doesn’t have the market cornered on what students need to know to be effective school psychologists who are prepared to infuse a social justice paradigm into their research and practice, actively seek the perspectives of people beyond school psychology who are researching and writing about issues that affect children in schools.  In many ways, creating an inclusive syllabus is a multi-method (e.g., including different types of activities, projects, and assignments) and multi-source (e.g., including diverse (broadly defined) authors) process that leads to better outcomes, not only for school-age children but also graduate students.

LP: Remember that the syllabus is your handbook and contract so to speak. If it does not include accountability for professional dispositions and inclusive behaviors, then you will find it hard to enforce expectations around inclusion, belonging, and diversity. Model what you want to see through your syllabus, which includes how you will take responsibility when you make a mistake and what students can expect of you in terms of diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Concluding Thoughts

There are several key takeaways from the rich information provided by the esteemed interviewees. I summarize a few of these points below:

• An inclusive syllabus acts as an extension of the instructor, demonstrating their commitment to cultural diversity and social justice. As both are foundational to our practice as school psychologists, it is paramount that educators model for students a dedication to these domains.
• Because inclusive syllabi are an extension of the instructor, their creation requires graduate educators to be critically reflexive regarding perceptions of their course content and students, in addition to broader issues related to the field and society.
• Inclusive syllabi acknowledge that course content does not exist in a vacuum, and that university, regional, and broader societal events have implications for the course and the practice of school psychology.
• Inclusive syllabi offer educators an opportunity to center quality research that models good theory and methodology and advances cultural diversity and social justice issues.
  • Educators should elevate the work and efforts of scholars and practitioners who belong to historically marginalized groups that are often silenced within general society. Intentional inclusion of their voices allows for more diverse perspectives and critical issues to be addressed in the classroom.
  • To ensure voices are being elevated appropriately, and that syllabus language is bias-free, educators should strongly consider engaging in a syllabi peer-review process.
  • To promote student learning, and application of research provided in courses, inclusive syllabi apply diverse evaluative procedures, beyond traditional quizzes/tests. Alternative evaluation procedures could include class presentations, group assignments, creation of practical resources for school staff/parents, conducting professional development workshops, submitting research proposals to state/national conferences, and providing research critiques. Below are three examples of activities I have included in my courses to evaluate students’ consumption and/or application of research:
    • Fact Sheets/Brochures (Social Psychology Course): Students create a fact sheet that applies learned social psychology concepts to a real-world educational problem faced by school psychologists, caregivers, teachers, etc. They must use peer-reviewed literature to explain the problem, and to justify any recommendations to remediate the issue. When completed, the fact sheet often serves as a resource for practicum/internship.
    • Cultural Diversity/Social Justice Presentation (Cultural Diversity Course): Students conduct a 30-minute presentation on a cultural diversity/social justice issue. They provide practice recommendations, and discuss how school psychologists can advocate for change, basing their discussion on peer-reviewed sources.
    • Test Evaluation Presentation & Paper (Psychological Measurements Course): Students practice being consumers of research by reviewing the theoretical and empirical merit of a norm-referenced test that a school psychologist might use in practice. They present their impressions to their peers and generate a written test review.
• Inclusive syllabi use clear and specific language to convey that the classroom is an identity-safe space that encourages collaboration and co-creation in the learning process.
• Early career scholars may consider how their scholarship informs their teaching and how their teaching informs their scholarship. Thus, they could consider how being thoughtful in developing and incorporating inclusive syllabi may inform their scholarship and vice versa, particularly specific to centering DSJ in their work.

Additional Resources:

Taylor et al.’s (2019) Social Justice Syllabus Design Tool(SJSDT), was born out of the need for greater support for women and students of color in STEM. The SJSDT is a checklist consisting of 19 straightforward yes/no questions that can be used to guide syllabus development.

Fuentes et al. (2020) offer numerous practical suggestions on how we can promote equity, diversity, and inclusion when generating syllabi. 

APA’s (2023) comprehensive Inclusive Language Guide can be used to check the language used in your syllabi, regardless of the course content.

The Society for the Teaching of Psychology offers Project Syllabus, a collection of peer-reviewed syllabi across approximately 38 different categories. All syllabi post-2017 are assessed based on their 1) teaching methods, 2) learner support and resources, 3) assessment and evaluation procedures, 4) course design, goals, and learning objectives, and 5) syllabus organization and design. Overall, having access to multiple examples may facilitate understanding of what differentiates an “adequate” syllabus from one that is “well-constructed”.

Brodsky & Green (2020): Ways to Make Classrooms More Inclusive, Equitable, and Anti-Racist

Thanks to Drs. Lindsay Fallon and Kathrin Maki for their review and input on earlier drafts of this blog post.

Have you started to revise your syllabi to make them more inclusive? What resources do you find to be the most useful? Comment below!

Remembering Ed Shapiro

March 29, 2016

Our community is reeling from the loss of school psychology legend, Ed Shapiro. To learn more about Ed’s life and legacy, see articles here and here, as well as his CV and Rob Volpe’s slideshow. Though Ed spent much of his career at Lehigh University, through his scholarship, mentoring, leadership, and sheer presence, his influence reached far beyond the institution. The ECF is grateful to be part of that legacy due his strong support of this initiative and our activities to support early career development and advance the field of school psychology.As so many of us struggle to envision school psychology without Ed, we invite you to share your most special experiences or lessons here.

Introduction to Early Career Profiles

November 5, 2015

By Bryn Harris and David ShribergECF strives to provide readers with diverse types of support as they navigate their first years as faculty members. This month, we are pleased to debut a new series featuring profiles of early faculty members. First, Assistant Professor Anisa Goforth of the University of Montana will discuss her experiences as the newest faculty member of this series. Next, Assistant Professor Julia Ogg, from Northern Illinois University, will discuss her path toward tenure. Finally, Erin Dowdy of the University of California-Santa Barbara will provide prospective as a recently tenured Associate Professor. We have asked each spotlighted scholar to respond to the same questions in an effort to learn more about their successes and challenges as they navigated their academic careers. While there are some behaviors—e.g., overextending oneself in voluntary university service responsibilities, not leaving oneself enough time to write—that are common pitfalls for pre-tenured faculty regardless of where you work, we recognize that there are a variety of pathways to academic success. As school psychologists we know that we all have our own learning and interpersonal styles, strengths, and limitations. Thus, as amazing and inspiring as these guest bloggers are, the goal is not to say that any one of them has all of the answers—no one does—but rather offer varied examples we can learn as we evaluate and assess our own professional practices.As such, readers will see that the contributors have diverse experiences prior to entering academia, varied roles and expectations at their respective universities, and each offer unique perspectives on strategies for success. Lastly, we highlight that one of the common factors for these contributors is that they all attended the School Psychology Research Collaboration Conference (SPRCC; www.sprcc.net). Indeed, while the intended outcome of this conference is collaborative research endeavors, one of the secondary benefits is that you get to meet and connect with others in the field, including people with very different research interests. This conference is held on a biannual basis and aims to connect early career scholars with mentorship and resources for advancing their research trajectories. The next SPRCC will be held August 1-2, 2017 prior to the APA convention in Washington DC. We strongly encourage pre-tenure scholars to apply for this highly beneficial experience.While reading these posts, we encourage you to engage in similar self-reflection. To facilitate this process, consider the questions below.How is your position similar or discrepant to theirs? In what way is this difference beneficial or challenging to your success?

• Think about your own primary research interests and activities, how would you describe them in 4-5 sentences?
• How did your training/prior experiences prepare you for your current position? Were you mentored for an academic career?
• Are you currently mentored? If not, what are the barriers? What benefits might you receive from mentorship?
• How do you balance your teaching, research and service responsibilities?
• Where do you hope your research trajectory will be in 5 years, 10 years?
• When do you feel the most successful in your academic position?
• What have you learned from the contributors that you can apply within your own position?

Additionally, we encourage you to ask the authors questions about their experiences in an effort to continue this important conversation. We hope you enjoy these profiles!Read Julia Ogg's profile.Read Erin Dowdy's profile.Read Anisa Goforth's profile.

Early Career Profile: Julia Ogg

November 5, 2015

What are your current position and responsibilities?I am an Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida, which is a Research One University.  I have a 2-2 teaching load, but have been fortunate to typically teach one didactic course per semester and one practicum supervision course. I occasionally have two didactic courses and a practicum course.  In my second and third year at USF, I also had a course release to complete 2000 postdoctoral clinical hours through USF Pediatrics where I provided direct clinical services to children and families. A majority of my service thus far has been within my program (e.g., admissions, portfolio review, etc.) or within the profession (primarily through editorial boards).  The senior colleagues in my program have been very helpful in protecting me from department, college, and university service during my tenure-earning years.What are your primary research interests and activities?My research interests focus on children at-risk for school failure, particularly those who exhibit problematic externalizing behaviors, including children diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, as well as children without a diagnosis, but who present with challenging behaviors. Children with ADHD and externalizing or challenging behaviors are at risk for a host of negative academic and social outcomes and untreated these disorders can result in significant societal costs such as early school dropout, juvenile delinquency, and family dysfunction. My goal as a researcher is to better understand the needs of this population especially within educational settings, to identify malleable targets of intervention that can be focused in on in order to prevent more serious and long-term outcomes from occurring, and ultimately to develop an intervention program that can best meet the needs of this population and promote positive outcomes and resiliency. These goals align directly with my research activities which can be organized into three inter-related strands: a.) ADHD in the schools, b.) prevention and early identification of challenging externalizing behaviors, and c.) development and implementation of parent training interventions to address challenging behaviors in at-risk students. Since starting at USF, I have been involved in a number of data collection efforts to advance my research.  At this point, I have focused primarily on my first two goals, and much of my work has been survey research with students, their teachers, and their parents.How did your training/prior experiences prepare you for your current position? Were you mentored for an academic career?I did not decide to go into academia until my internship year of graduate school.  I believe if I had known sooner, I could have prepared better.  As far as experiences that helped prepare me for my current position, there were several that I would identify as the most important:

• First, attending a university that was similar in terms of having an Ed.S. and Ph.D. program, being APA accredited, being a Research One university, etc. was helpful in understanding the role and having a vision of what the day-to-day activities may look like.
• All of the research experiences I had, both volunteer and paid positions, were critical.  In particular, having opportunities to be involved in research in a leadership capacity (e.g., being a point person for data collection, etc.), as well as having opportunities to write and present at conferences were very beneficial. In addition, I had several opportunities to write small grants, which was very helpful in understanding how to secure funding to advance your research.
• Having opportunities to be exposed to faculty life was useful.  This came in a several ways for me.  First, having the opportunity to see the faculty in my graduate program going through the tenure process was very helpful, and helped demystify the process. Second, getting opportunities to meet faculty at other universities while I was in graduate school was very helpful.  My advisor was very proactive in introducing me to faculty from other institutions and this really helped humanize academia for me and also provided me with several lasting contacts.
• For me, having an advisor who allowed me to have independence was really helpful. This forced me to develop self-discipline and good habits around writing early on, and allowed me to have more of an idea of what an academic position would be like.
• Although each of these opportunities helped prepare me for an academic career, I would also point out that I did not start the job fully prepared.  My evolution has continued and has been shaped by additional opportunities and mentorship. Being willing to continue to grow has been a healthy way for me to look at my career versus being discouraged that I am not an expert at all things academia-related as an assistant professor.

Are there any training or mentoring experiences you wish you had early in your career?I wish I had pursued more opportunities to write while in graduate school. I would recommend to students pursuing academic positions to get as many opportunities to practice writing and engaging in research activities as they can so they have models to draw from.  For those of you in academia who have not had as many experiences as you like, I would recommend learning from your colleagues and asking to work with them. In general, I recommend taking any opportunity to learn and further develop your skills to help you develop into the scholar that you aspire to be.How do you balance your teaching, research and service responsibilities?I have found that achieving a balance takes time and practice.  Generally, teaching and service have had deadlines that keep me focused. I have to frequently check to make sure that I am not overdoing it in terms of time spent on these activities.  As I have gained confidence teaching, I often notice that when I over prepare for class, I tend to not give students as much time to think and process. I personally like to spend time at the beginning of the semester plotting out what we are going to do and developing all of my materials and rubrics and then trying to limit how much time I spend preparing once the semester starts.  I also block of periods of time where I focus on completing all of my grading and preparation for the week and I try not to exceed that time. Research is the more difficult area as most deadlines have to be self-imposed.  For this reason, I have found it effective to build in structure in a variety of ways.  I set goals and make myself accountable to them.  Specifically, I have my entire research team set research goals for the period between each of our meetings (approximately 2 weeks) and then we have to announce at our meeting whether we met our goal.  I also do goal setting on a shorter term basis by setting goals like writing for X number of hours for the day.  This helps me get started. I like to plan for my week on Sunday or Monday.  I find that there are so many things competing for my attention that if I don’t take the time to plan ahead, it is easy for me to get off track for hours at a time. I also try to work with collaborators, which helps to build accountability into projects.  Letting my partners know when to expect products or scheduling meetings that I need to be prepared for help with this too.How has mentoring or collaboration advanced your research? Mentoring and collaboration have been critical to all areas of my academic career. My number one piece of advice would be to learn from others through mentorship and collaboration. You need multiple mentors in a variety of areas.  For example, you may have a mentor that you go to when you are dealing with professional issues, another person’s teaching philosophy who you really respect, and yet another mentor who can give you great advice on writing with students.  These examples are ones that came to mind for me because I could quickly identify three different individuals I would talk to about these issues. Have multiple mentors! Your mentors can and should come from both within and outside of your university.What strategies, resources, or practices contribute most to your success?Having a plan.  I find it so important to constantly revisit my long-term goals in order to keep me on track.  Each semester, I will set a few goals (e.g., number of manuscripts submitted, data collection, etc.) and then I use these as guidance for my weekly goals.  If I find I am falling short in working toward my long term goals, I know to step up my weekly goals.

• Having structure in my work habits. I work a 9-5 workday in the office at least four days each week and typically one day per week at home. Each day I have a set list of what I need to accomplish that comes from my weekly to do list. This helps me both be productive and achieve balance.
• Connecting myself with others for collaboration, mentorship, and collegiality. Academia can be a lonely job and I think connecting with others can help keep me on track professionally, as well as helping me process challenges in stride. I also have learned to love getting feedback on anything and everything. It just helps make my work more high quality.
• Continuing to move forward even when faced with rejections or challenges. Recognizing that even the most prolific scholars and most amazing teachers face rejection letters and unhappy students helps me keep frustrations in check. Embracing the notion that failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently helps me keep going.
• Last, I would recommend embracing strategies that work and not being afraid to get rid of those that do not work. I found that as my life circumstances changed, specifically when I had children, I had to adjust some of the strategies I was using. For example, I used to do a lot of my grading at night so I could focus on research and writing during the day; however, now that I have young children, I found that I could no longer do this effectively, so I built a block into my Fridays for grading. Try to be a data-based decision maker when it comes to the strategies you use and be willing to tweak and adjust as needed to make sure that you are staying on track.

Early Career Profile: Erin Dowdy

November 3, 2015

What are your current position and responsibilities?I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I conduct research, teach, mentor students, and provide service to the university and local community. I spend roughly 50 percent of my time conducting research, 30 percent teaching and mentoring, and 20 percent engaged in service activities.  I am also currently the Director of Clinical Training and provide oversight and leadership with regards to clinical training. Specifically, I am responsible for APA reports, supporting students with their applications for predoctoral internships, and monitoring communications with professional training organizations on matters related to APA accreditation.What are your primary research interests and activities?I am primarily interested in prevention, early intervention, and early identification of emotional and behavioral risk and student strengths. I work a lot with schools to think about how to efficiently and effectively identify students who may be in need of additional assistance. In the beginning of the year, this usually entails asking every student (in high schools) or teacher (in elementary schools) to fill out some information about how students are currently functioning. Then, we analyze school results to look for patterns and also put supports, both schoolwide and individual, in place to help. For example, at one of our local schools we implemented a mentorship program pairing undergraduate and graduate school psychology students with high school students that were identified in the screening process. I have also conducted a variety of research examining the psychometrics of the screening forms that we have used. As I am interested in longitudinal research, I aim to establish collaborative relationships with the schools I work in so that we can work together for many years. I think we both learn a lot from each other and I have benefitted tremendously from working with fantastic practitioners in the field.How did your training/prior experiences prepare you for your current position? Were you mentored for an academic career?I received my Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Georgia, completed a predoctoral internship at the University of Southern California/Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and then worked as a school psychologist for a school district south of Los Angeles. My graduate school mentors told me early on how fantastic careers in academia were, but I had to figure it out for myself. Turns out, they were right. In graduate school, I was informed and invited to participate in the various roles that are often a part of a faculty position. For example, I engaged in departmental committee work, co-reviewed articles submitted for publication, and received mentoring around grant writing and publishing research. My research advisor provided me with a lot of guidance and support when searching for faculty positions. He helped me prepare application materials, reviewed and provided feedback on my job talk, and discussed the pros/cons of different types of faculty positions (i.e., more research or more teaching focused). Additionally, once I secured a faculty position, I continued to work with my graduate advisor on research projects, grant writing, and publishing empirical studies.Are there any training or mentoring experiences you wish you had early in your career?Had I known that I would have been in a faculty position at a research university, I would have taken more advanced statistics courses. Luckily, I am in a place where I can continue to learn (often from my students) and have worked with some excellent methodologists, but I realize now you can answer many more sophisticated questions with more sophisticated skills.How do you balance your teaching, research and service responsibilities?I took the advice that in a research institution, you have to focus on research if you want to get tenure. I spend a lot of time writing and conducting research, and try to schedule full days that I can work from home writing and without interruption. I generally work solely on writing projects for a full day a week. Then, I spend another day a week in a variety of other research support activities (e.g., contact with schools, data collection, analyzing data, preparing reports, writing grants). I also find myself catching up over breaks or in the summer on writing projects or grant writing, when there are less teaching responsibilities. I also really enjoy teaching and mentoring and consider this to be one of the most important aspects of my job so I always find the time to hopefully do it well.  I spend about two days devoted to teaching. Depending on the quarter, I may teach two mornings (9-12) and then spend another half day or so preparing and grading. If I have a new course to prep, it obviously takes more time.  To me, service to my community and profession is also incredibly rewarding.  I try to connect service and applied research by making meaningful connections in the community, and I find that service to the profession improves my own research. I haven’t found the perfect magic to balance; I just try to do it all!How has mentoring or collaboration advanced your research? Working with others is always more fun than working alone. I have been extremely fortunate to have generous and intelligent mentors and colleagues to work with and enjoy the collaborative process.  I try to find others with similar working styles and complementary skill sets.What strategies, resources, or practices contribute most to your success?Work-life balance is key for me. I am a better academic (and person) when I find time for my family, my friends, and myself. I wake up early before my family wakes up, multitask reading emails and working out, and then spend time with my kids before they go to school. In the evenings, I put my computer away and try to be present. At work, I aim to be efficient - I try to stay focused, keep moving forward, and do what I am passionate about – helping children succeed. One concrete thing I do is to spend a day at the beginning of each quarter and academic year mapping out what I think I can realistically accomplish during that period. Then, I continually refer to those goals to remind myself what I thought was important to work on. In terms of writing projects, I try to have one manuscript I am currently working on, one submitted or in the revision process, and one in press. I have a “pub club” with other scholars in the field where we map out and work on writing projects together.Lastly, please tell us something unique about yourself and how this has been influential on your career.I think I just answered that one! I have young children so they keep me busy and focused. It’s a great feeling when you see educational practices change that will ultimately benefit the next generation of students in schools.I feel very fortunate to work in a place that has excellent family leave policies that allow for reduced workload after the birth or adoption of a new child. For example, after the birth of each child I was given a release from teaching duties for two quarters (roughly 20 weeks). I was also given the option of delaying the tenure clock for up to a year after the birth of each child. Considering what we know about the importance of nurturing and attachment, does your work place offer adequate flexibility and opportunity for you to take care of your young children? 

Early Career Profile: Anisa Goforth

November 3, 2015

What are your current position and responsibilities?I am an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Montana. I am one of three faculty members in the Educational Specialist and Doctoral School Psychology Programs, which are housed in the Department of Psychology. As a department, we have a strong emphasis on both teaching and research. In fact, there is a strong emphasis on teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, so I have a 2-2 load and typically teach one undergraduate course and three school psychology graduate courses (practicum and educational assessment and intervention) per year.I am also involved in research and created a lab called the Culturally Responsive Evidence-based Practices in School Psychology (CRESP) lab. CRESP Lab includes my doctoral students in school psychology as well as 3 to 5 undergraduate research assistants. My undergraduates are expected to learn about the science of school psychology and disseminate presentations at our university research conference as well as regional or national conferences. I am also involved in service, particularly at the program and departmental levels. I am in several national committees (for example, on the Trainers of School Psychologists board and member of the NASP Research Committee).What are your primary research interests and activities?I am interested in understanding ways that school psychologists can use evidence-based practices to meet the academic and mental health needs of children and families from diverse backgrounds. I am also interested in furthering school psychologists' professional development as it relates to cultural competence and use of technology and social media. A third line of research also focuses on evidence-based practices within group social skills interventions for children with autism and related disorders. In collaboration with a faculty member in communicative sciences and disorders, I developed Youth Engagement Through Intervention, which is a framework for conducting group social skills interventions using a modular approach.How did your training and experiences prepare you for your current position? Were you mentored for an academic career?As a doctoral student at Michigan State University’s school psychology program, I had a number of training experiences that prepared me for an academic career. I had the opportunity to be the primary instructor for an undergraduate course on applied psychology, which helped me develop my skills in course development and pedagogy. Teaching as the primary instructor in the course (rather than a TA who primarily graded) was very important in furthering my skills.An important experience was being part of an Office of Special Education Program (OSEP) Leadership Training Fellowship. Through this fellowship, I had opportunities to participate in a seminar about being a faculty member and was encouraged to disseminate papers. I published a couple of peer-reviewed journal articles as either a first author or co-author that introduced me to the process (and challenges) of submitting manuscripts. My primary mentor and advisor was Dr. Evelyn Oka who specialized in researching underserved youth. She provided me with the support to become a faculty member as well as supported my interest in research with culturally and linguistically diverse youth. Dr. John Carlson also played an important role as a mentor, providing advice about ways to be successful in graduate school to prepare for a faculty role.Finally, I was also a pre-doctoral intern at the Psychological Services Center through the Illinois School Psychology Internship Consortium where I did the assessment, treatment and consultation for children and families, but also had the opportunity to teach an undergraduate course on psychology and diversity. These activities allowed me to prepare myself as a psychologist as well as an academic. Specifically, I had opportunities to supervise ISU graduate students under the supervision of Dr. Mark Swerdlik that allowed me to practice some key supervisions kills (e.g., providing feedback on clinical skills).Are there any training or mentoring experiences you wish you had early in your career?Ultimately, I felt very prepared to become a faculty member. The mentorship and training I received at Michigan State University prepared me well, especially through the Leadership Fellowship, which had a primary goal of preparing future faculty. I do wish I had participated in a grant-writing course, which would have prepared me with the skills and knowledge of applying to competitive R01 grants. Some of my students take a grant-writing course at UM and I’d take the course myself if I wasn’t so busy!How do you balance your teaching, research and service responsibilities?Balancing teaching, research and service is always a challenge. At UM, we are evaluated primarily on our research and teaching, although there is a general trend to put more emphasis on research and obtaining grants. As a result, it can be difficult to ensure that I make time to conduct my research. I have created ways to ensure I give myself time to write (see strategies below) which have allowed me to be productive. I have begun to have more and more doctoral students in my lab, and that has also helped me conduct my research.I have been very purposeful in choosing my service activities. We have a small school psychology program (3 faculty members), so my primary efforts are dedicated to administration and service associated with our Ed.S. and Ph.D. programs. When I first began my career, I also valued connections with colleagues and networking was a priority. As a result, I joined several committees in NASP and APA to facilitate this. Thus, it was an opportunity to maintain professional relationships while also providing service.How has mentoring or collaboration advanced your research? One of the most rewarding ways I have been able to make time for my research is doing more collaborative writing with colleagues. I have realized that if I am accountable to a colleague, then I am more likely to accomplish the tasks on time and more efficiently. For example, I am currently writing a manuscript with Andy Pham at Florida International University. We are both Michigan State alum and knew each other prior to becoming faculty members. We also both participated in the School Psychology Research Collaboration Conference (SPRCC), which is hosted by SSSP, and that collaboration has led to two manuscripts being published or submitted. I have also been collaborating with Natasha Segool at the University of Hartford (also a Michigan State alum!). Through our discussions of professional issues, we became interested in examining ethical challenges associated with social media use among school psychologists. These discussions have led to a large project and a few publications.  Collaborations have made research a great deal more fun!What strategies, resources, or practices contribute most to your success?One specific strategy I have used to make sure that my research is a priority is through a scheduling. I delegate a minimum of 2 hours each morning (8:00-10:00am) during the week in which I only allow myself to do writing activities related to research (manuscripts, grant submissions, etc.). I have recognized that my best writing occurs in the morning (I also go to bed early and rise early) and that my energy and motivation significantly decreases in the afternoon. As a result, I schedule my student and faculty meetings after 10am.My typical schedule is as follows: When I arrive at my office, I close my door and give myself 15 minutes to get into a mindset to work. I turn off my email during these two hours so I don’t get distracted. I also have my rituals, which involves having a cup of coffee, a clean desk and writing a to-do list of what I want to accomplish for the day. I’m very specific. For example, I might write, “Complete one paragraph of introduction” or “Finish Table 1 and Table 2.” I usually underestimate what I accomplish so if I do more (like complete 2 paragraphs), I feel really good and reward myself (usually with a latte or a cookie). I also recognize when my mind wanders or I get tired, so when this happens, I transition to completing writing tasks that are less mentally taxing. For example, I might start with writing paragraphs and when I get mentally fatigued, I change to working on other parts of the manuscript like creating tables or figures.Lastly, please tell us something unique about yourself and how this has been influential in your career.The reason I accepted a position at the University of Montana is because there was an intrinsic culture in the department of a good work-life balance. Most faculty members in our department are outdoor enthusiasts—mountain bikers, backpackers, hikers, skiers—so there is a real passion for working hard and playing hard. I knew UM was a perfect fit.  I work very hard during the day, but when I go home at the end of the day, I enjoy time with my fiancé and go for hike with my dog Luna.

The Beginning of the ECF

August 12, 2013

By: Amanda L. Sullivan

A few years ago, Bryn Harris and I met at SSSP’s SPRCC. Given the strong mentoring component of the conference, it’s probably not surprising that many of our conversations centered on our own experiences being mentored and mentoring needs. Over time, we discussed the challenges we encountered as early career scholars and realized there was much mentoring we wished we had received during our graduate training and our first years as faculty. It seems like many aspects of an academic career seem shrouded in mystery and lore (consider, for example, the riddle that is the tenure process). At an even more basic level, there seemed to be so many aspects of our positions for which we felt under-prepared: from navigating the job search, to planning new courses, planning and launching research projects, negotiating the publishing process, establishing a funding stream, understanding departmental politics, managing research assistants…the list goes on and on.From these shared challenges came conversations of lessons learned, and from there, we asked what we wished we had learned in graduate school and how we could provide such information for other, newer early career scholars. Even though we will likely blog at some point about the need to be judicious in one’s service activities, together we made a substantial service commitment focused upon providing such support to early career scholars. Accordingly, these conversations turned into several professional development sessions at the 2012 and 2013 NASP and APA conventions and a series of articles in Division 16’s newsletter, The School Psychologist and NASP’s Communiqué. It was at the 2013 NASP Convention that I had the pleasure of meeting Rob Volpe, a scholar who has a strong commitment to supporting early career researchers. Rob had the wonderful idea of expanding on this work through a blog and with SSSP’s generous sponsorship; the Early Career Forum was launched.At the Division 16 reception at the recent APA Convention, I had the chance to discuss the early career challenges with a few new professors who just finished their first year on the tenure-track. I likened the experience to a piecing together a puzzle. During my own first years (and even now), I remember voraciously seeking advice from my colleagues but still feeling as if I spent the first few years trying to triangulate across several different mentors to fit together those kernels of wisdom into a coherent picture of what I should be doing. Still, it seemed that many important pieces were missing.Our hope is to provide, through this blog, a resource for early career scholars that provides as many of those valuable puzzle pieces as we can to help create a coherent picture of productive, enriching professional activity. Many of the early discussions Bryn and I had were about sharing our puzzle pieces and figuring out what we seemed to missing. A lot of it seemed to come back to asking the right questions, but that required having a good sense of what we did not know and that only came over time.For current faculty, we anticipate normalizing the challenges you encounter and providing strategies for success. We hope to facilitate that process for others so that it can be more efficient and less daunting. We will discuss topics related to graduate preparation for research and faculty careers and early career development for those scholars who have already begun their careers. We intend this blog to allow for a level of ongoing interaction not possible in conference sessions or a newsletter column. We hope that readers will not only find the entries informative, but also that they will be spurred to discuss these topics with us and with others via the comments below. In addition, although we will certainly draw heavily from our own experiences, we want to know what other early career scholars want to see covered here. So please, tell us what topics you would like discussed and what questions you have.The blog is intended to be a safe and supportive environment. We expect that discussions in this forum will be respectful of different perspectives.

What is the Early Career Forum?

July 22, 2013

Mission: The Early Career Forum (ECF) exists to disseminate information to early career scholars concerning matters relating to their success as academicians and scientists, and to provide an on-line community of early career scholars to provide support, exchange ideas, develop and nurture collaborations. We define early career scholars as individuals who aim to embark on a research career or have begun a research career in a research center, university, or state or local agency. This includes graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and pre-tenure faculty in school psychology.The ECF is designed to achieve this mission by:

• maintaining a blog addressing topics of relevant to early career scholars in school psychology to allow for discussion among early career, mid-career, and senior scholars;
• providing a forum for scholars to network, exchange ideas, and develop research collaborations.
• engaging in live professional development and networking events during annual professional meetings;
• inviting guest bloggers and speakers to enrich the diversity of perspectives represented in ECF activities;
• collaborating with SPRCC to identify professional development and networking activities to foster ongoing engagement of early career scholars; and
• gathering data on the needs of early career scholars in school psychology to inform content for the blog and other professional development activities.

Who We Are

May 10, 2010

We are a committee of school psychology faculty committed to the career development of early career scholars in the field. Currently, we are a committee of three:Bryn Harris, University of Colorado DenverBryn Harris is an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Denver. She received her MS (2005) and PhD (2008) from Indiana University. Her research interests include school-based practices affecting English language learners and bilingual school psychology services. She teaches graduate courses on the assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse children, school-based multicultural interventions, counseling, and prevention.Amanda L. Sullivan (Chair), University of MinnesotaAmanda L. Sullivan is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota. She received her MA (2006) and PhD (2009) from Arizona State University. Her research interests include education and health disparities affecting children and youth with disabilities. She teaches graduate courses on ethics and law for school psychologists, diversity, and family engagement.Robert J. Volpe, Northeastern UniversityRobert J. Volpe is an Associate Professor at Northeastern University. He received his PhD in 2003 from Lehigh University. His research interests include understanding the relationship between academic and behavior problems, behavioral assessment, and the use of technology to improve school-based assessment and intervention practices. He teaches graduate courses in psychological measurement and academic interventions. He is currently Associate Editor of School Psychology Review.Genevieve Krebs is a third-year doctoral student at Northeastern University. Her research interests focus on designing and evaluating academic interventions. She is the graduate student representative of the Early Career Forum.We thank the our liaisons to SSSP for their guidance and support:Karen Stoiber, University of Wisconsin – MilwaukeeEd Shapiro, Lehigh University