Incorporating Social Justice Advocacy and Interdisciplinary Collaborative Training in the Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Graduate Students

Abstract

The critical shortage of school psychologists across the nation has been a long-standing issue, along with the need to diversify the profession. While recruitment efforts have attempted to attract culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students into school psychology programs, novel practices integrating social justice advocacy and interdisciplinary collaborative training may aid in both recruitment and retention efforts. Broadly, graduate programs in education and psychology disciplines are ripe with opportunities to collaborate in a coordinated effort to meet the complex educational and mental health needs of diverse children and adolescents. The purpose of the manuscript is to (1) outline and address barriers relating to the critical shortage of CLD school psychologists, (2) promote integration of social justice advocacy and interdisciplinary collaborative training, and (3) provide strategies and recommendations to recruit and retain CLD students in graduate training programs.