The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Social Justice Committee (SJC) developed this guidance document to offer a structured way to engage in discussions about our recommended group read for the 2020–2021 school year, Just Medicine: A Cure for Racial Inequality in American Healthcare by Dayna Matthew, PhD. The questions are designed to help readers think both broadly and specifically about how the issues discussed in the book connect to social justice for youth and families who experience health disparities. The questions are also designed to prompt thought, critique, and action steps towards increasing the ability of individuals, schools, and communities to be a force for social justice.

As you engage in the book read, please reference the NASP (2017) definition of social justice for additional context:

Social justice is both a process and a goal that requires action. School psychologists work to ensure the protection of the educational rights, opportunities, and well-being of all children, especially those whose voices have been muted, identities obscured, or needs ignored. Social justice requires promoting nondiscriminatory practices and the empowerment of families and communities. School psychologists enact social justice through culturally responsive professional practice and advocacy to create schools, communities, and systems that ensure equity and fairness for all children and youth.

Keeping in mind the centrality of social justice to school psychology practice, the SJC encourages school psychologists to organize groups (e.g., school-based colleagues, district colleagues, graduate education program faculty, and students) to read and discuss the book. Videos with tips for facilitating book reads will be available via the Social Justice page of the NASP website. We also offer this guidance document to help organize book read groups.

To help coordinate your book read, we suggest using one of the following timelines:

In addition to the use of Zoom for synchronous virtual group discussions, there are several ways to engage readers in asynchronous formats using sites such as:

1. Flipgrid
2. Padlet
3. Seesaw
4. Nearpod
5. Discord

Facilitators are encouraged to create learning objectives to help guide their group’s book discussions. We offer the following learning objectives as examples.

The learning objectives of this book read are that attendees will:

1. Expand their knowledge to learn the ways in which implicit biases are developed and maintained.
2. Enhance their understanding of the ways in which implicit biases create health disparities among minoritized populations.
3. Identify strategies for addressing implicit biases and reducing the impact it has on health outcomes.
4. Develop their skills in using a social justice framework to describe ways in which school psychologists can address implicit bias and subsequent health disparities within their practice to improve the education and well-being of youth, families, schools, and communities.