Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Efforts in NASP's Strategic Plan

NASP is committed to ongoing efforts related to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion throughout the association and profession of school psychology. At its September 2019 meeting, the Board of Directors approved the creation of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Implementation Task Force to provide specific goals, objectives, and recommendations to inform the future of this work. The vast majority of these recommendations were adopted and incorporated into NASP's current strategic plan. An overview of the taskforce's goals, objectives, and recommendations are available for review.

Goal 1: Foster a NASP culture that supports the inclusion of individuals from historically underrepresented and minoritized groups and promotes equity in policies and practices

Goal 1 Objectives:

  • Eliminate barriers to meaningful participation in NASP and promote a culture of inclusion
  • Monitor and evaluate NASP policies and leadership experiences from an equity perspective
  • Build capacity for equity-focused and socially just leadership practices

Sample Recommendations:

  • Survey current and past NASP leaders from minoritized groups to learn more about their experiences and recommendations for NASP
  • Institutionalize use of equity guiding questions to consider equity implications when developing new policies
  • Ensure that multiple and diverse voices are represented in the development of NASP position papers and resolutions
Goal 2: Increase diversity in the field of school psychology to ensure adequate representation of individuals from historically underrepresented and minoritized groups

Goal 2 Objectives:

  • Increase awareness of and knowledge about school psychology as a desirable career choice
  • Engage in graduate program recruitment and retention activities that target members of
  • underrepresented and minoritized groups
  • Provide supports for school psychologists who are members of minoritized groups, to help retain them as members of the profession

Sample Recommendations:

  • Develop resources for undergraduate psychology faculty (especially those at MSIs) about school psychology as a potential career path for their students
  • Develop technical assistance brief on strategies to promote welcome and supportive cultures in graduate education programs
  • Conduct training and/or offer resources to state associations to assist them in planning and implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives to increase retention of school psychologists who are members of minoritized groups.

Goal 3: Increase diversity in NASP membership and leadership to adequately ensure representation of individuals from historically underrepresented and minoritized groups

Goal 3 Objectives:

  • Increase the value of NASP membership to minoritized school psychologists
  • Increase access to leadership opportunities for minoritized NASP members
  • Promote a sense of belonging for minoritized NASP members

Sample Recommendations:

  • Engage in outreach to the ethnic minority psychological associations to discuss areas of collaboration and mutual interest and networking opportunities across associations
  • Include link on the NASP website with information on how to get involved in NASP leadership and a list of all committee want ads
  • Provide training and support to committee chairs/co-chairs on promoting pathways to leadership for minoritized members

Goal 4: Promote NASP members’ and leaders’ cultural humility, awareness of bias, and ability to engage in culturally responsive and socially just practices

Goal 4 Objectives:

  • Build capacity of graduate programs to prepare graduate students to engage in culturally responsive and socially just practices
  • Provide professional development opportunities to enhance school psychologists’ ability to engage in culturally responsive and socially just practices

Sample Recommendations:

  • Develop resource library for graduate programs and field experience programs (i.e., practica, internship) on social justice, equity, and inclusion practices for school psychology
  • Publish a white paper on best practices on assessment and intervention with students who are English learners

Goal 5: Facilitate and disseminate rigorous research that promotes understanding of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and its implications for the practice of school psychology

Goal 5 Objectives:

  • Promote the production of methodologically sound EDI research in school psychology
  • Increase access to methodologically-sound EDI research to close the research-to-practice gap

Sample Recommendations:

  • Spotlight EDI/bias research in NASP publications and communications.
  • Advocate for EDI research with foundations and governmental agencies whose mission aligns with NASP’s
  • Make research accessible on the website that is universally designed (e.g., more visuals, more digestible), considers the stakeholders (e.g., practitioners, students, families) and applicable.

Goal 6: Promote equitable educational experiences and outcomes for youth ages 0-21 from historically underrepresented and minoritized groups, including empowerment of families and communities

Goal 6 Objectives:

  • Develop school psychologists' capacity to engage in social justice advocacy
  • Increase organizational advocacy on equity issues
  • Incorporate social justice in school psychology practices and school policies

Sample Recommendations:

  • Offer professional development (e.g., webinars, field-based sessions at convention) on system-level advocacy and using data to promote equitable policies and practices.
  • Incorporate tenets of social justice, community psychology, and professional activism into NASP advocacy trainings (e.g., Public Policy Institute) and resources.
  • Create a repository of evidence-based, culturally responsive interventions that have been shown to be effective with minoritized and marginalized children and their families, including resources related to culturally responsive multi-tiered systems of supports and social-emotional learning, and restorative practices

Excerpts of the EDII Taskforce Report

View Excerpts from the Report of the NASP Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Implementation Task Force - Abbreviated Web Version Prepared November 2022