Introduction to special issue on the history of the future of proactive school psychology: Transcending the past, excelling in the present, and transforming the future.

Abstract

This Special Issue celebrates the 75th anniversary of the formation of the Division of School Psychology of the American Psychological Association. As part of this milestone celebration, we envisioned a field that could be changed by transcending the past, excelling in the present, and transforming the future. We identified a seminal article written by Conoley and Gutkin (1995) that advocated for the implementation of a systemic, prevention-oriented, ecological framework that would allow school psychology to realize its promise. Conoley, Powers, and Gutkin (2020) provided a synopsis of progress and stagnation in a new paper that served as the nexus from which invited authors were asked to respond, each representing a different aspect of school psychology practice, science, and training. In light of the division anniversary, authors described the historical context of their domain, reflected on the present, and shared recommendations for the future of school psychology. Collectively these contributions discussed school psychology's achievement to date, identify its shortfalls, and offer actionable suggestions for future school psychologists. Transformation is critical now more than ever in light of current health and world concerns and school psychology training and practice issues related to social justice and psychological and educational change. School psychologists are called to become proactive agents of change if we are to help heal our fractured and wounded world. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).