Ending the Silence: Why We Built the Scientific Advocacy Initiative by Stacy Overstreet, SAI Co-Chair

"The silence is deafening." That's what I said to Randy Floyd as our institutions, and the scientific enterprise itself, experienced disruption after disruption following January 2025. Just a short while before, I was taking pride in the public advocacy beginning to take root in our field—on our listservs, in our journals, and at our conferences. Then, almost overnight, things went quiet. As federal agencies were downsized, grant competitions stalled, and long-standing research infrastructure became increasingly vulnerable, many institutions hesitated and faculty conversations stopped. 

Each member of this committee has a story like mine. For example, Robin Codding watched proposals representing years of work sit unreviewed after federal review cycles were canceled. Sue Sheridan leads a research center whose infrastructure depends almost entirely on external funding and began asking, "What does this mean for the future of children with disabilities and their families?" Frank Worrell saw doctoral admissions in education paused at his institution. 

We all shared the same frustration: when the systems that produce evidence about children's learning and mental health break down, students, families, schools, and the future of our field all pay the price. That frustration wasn't a political position. It was a professional one. And yet it seemed that school psychology researchers had no organized way to talk about what was happening, let alone respond. As SSSP's president-elect, Randy had a path forward–with an equally concerned SSSP Executive Board led by President Renee Hawkins–that the rest of us didn't. Thus, we built the Scientific Advocacy Initiative (SAI).

So what is the SAI? Approved by the SSSP Executive Board in February 2026, the Initiative exists to strengthen the visibility, communication, and impact of school psychology research. Our goal is to help ensure that the science of our field remains accessible, understood, and valued. Our lane is deliberately distinct: NASP advocates for practice and service delivery, APA and Division 16 for the profession, and AERA for education research broadly. No organization has focused specifically on safeguarding the science of school psychology, and that is the gap we hope to fill. We will do this in partnership, not in isolation. One of our first commitments is establishing liaisons with NASP, APA, and AERA so our efforts amplify, not duplicate, the work already underway. And we will do it from a strictly nonpartisan footing: our currency is evidence, not endorsements. More details about the SAI--including our full proposal--are available on the SSSP website at SAI | Society for the Study of School Psychology.

This brings us to our first real act of advocacy: listening. Before we decide what resources to build or what issues deserve our attention, we need to understand what you are actually experiencing. SSSP is launching the Federal Policy Impact Survey, a brief confidential survey asking two simple questions: What has happened to your research, funding, training, or professional work since January 2025? And what kinds of support would be most helpful? Your responses will shape the Initiative’s priorities, inform the resources we develop, and provide credible, aggregate evidence that can strengthen conversations with partner organizations and the broader public. We do not yet know exactly where this work will lead—and that is by design. The Initiative will be strongest if it grows from the experiences and priorities of SSSP members rather than our own assumptions. 

So here is our one request: click this link and take a few minutes to complete the survey. Whether your work has been profoundly affected or relatively untouched, your experience helps complete the picture and makes our evidence-based advocacy credible. We will share what we learn here, and this blog will continue as a place for conversation, resources, and examples of research advocacy in action. The silence was where this Initiative began. The conversation starts with you.