School Psychology

Overview

Faculty & program information 

Mission statement

We are committed to enhancing the social relevance and impact of graduate education, practice, advocacy, and scholarship in school psychology. Our program motto is Lead, Innovate, and Transform because we share an overarching commitment to continually leading (locally and beyond) to innovate (and to continually adapt and grow) in all areas of our professional efforts in order to transform the field and educational systems for the better. The mission of this School Psychology Program is to prepare school psychologists who will be local and national leaders in our field through socially just, contextually responsive, innovative practice, scholarship, and systems change. The Program faculty, students, and alumni are committed to serving as thought leaders and practice leaders instrumental in driving the evolution of school psychologists’ roles in educational systems and communities, shaping the scholarship of school psychology, and bolstering innovation in the field. In particular, the Program emphasizes anti-racism and social justice, data-based decision making, integrative, research-based service delivery through a continuum of support to address the academic, social-emotional, and behavioral needs of all children and youth, and to support the educators and families in their lives. The Program prepares graduates who will be change agents in educational systems and who support socially just, contextually responsive, research-based practice and organizational change to affect the greatest benefit in schools. We are dedicated to this work because we are deeply committed to dismantling opportunity gaps and ineffective, inequitable systems that reproduce and maintain marginalization and oppression. Above all, we are committed to leveraging our individual and collective expertise for the continuous improvement in scholarship, practice, and education of future school psychologists.

Advising Philosophy

Each student is assigned an advisor upon admission to the program based on their track and, in the case of PhD students, identified interests relative to faculty fit and availability. All PhD students are advised by one of the tenure-track core school psychology faculty which allows students to benefit from professors’ research expertise as students design, conduct, and disseminate research. An advisor is the primary contact between the students and the program. The advisor, the DGS, and the DGS Administrative Assistant monitor student progress toward degree completion. 

Review the full Advising section of the School Psychology Handbook. 

Program Info & Forms

• School Psychology forms (Canvas)

• University of Minnesota's School Psychology Diversity Statement

School Psychology Student Association

The School Psychology Student Association (SPSA) is a formal student group that was organized during the 1992-93 school year to promote student involvement in the program and in the field of school psychology. The group emphasizes professional development in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. SPSA has a social committee which organizes and sponsors social events for faculty and students each semester. All students in the program are invited to join SPSA.

Communications/Student Meetings Committee (i.e., Roundtable): Plans and leads monthly meetings where issues relevant to students in the school psychology program are discussed. These monthly meetings are intended to be student-driven with a high attendance of faculty members. Meetings are scheduled during allotted program time.

Brown bag committee (i.e., Brunch/Lunch and Learn): Handles planning and arrangements for guest speakers during allotted program time.

Curriculum Committee: Organizes and maintains the school psychology library and identifies additional resources that are needed for curriculum enhancement.

Social Committee: Handles all planning and arrangements for social events held by the association for faculty and students.

Equity and Diversity Committee: Coordinates regularly scheduled Diversity Dialogues, updates the program’s diversity statement on an as needed basis, assists with grant writing and recruitment efforts, and assists in developing, administering, and analyzing an annual (or bi-annual) climate survey.