The State Board of Education and Early Development unanimously approved a school psychology master’s program at the University of Alaska Anchorage aimed to address the state’s shortage of school psychologists. The approval took place during the board’s special virtual meeting on Thursday.
This comes after the board voted it down last October after some members brought up concerns about mentions of social justice in a sample syllabus.
Several people testified at the meeting in support of approving the program, including Palmer resident Rebecca Emerson. Her son Winston is a second grader with Down syndrome, and she said school psychologists are instrumental to make sure he gets the services he needs.
“I ask you to look past the ideological debate and see the faces of the students like Winston who rely on these services. Please approve this program so that more Alaskan students can have the support they need to succeed in the classroom,” Emerson said.
Board member Kathryn McCollum originally brought up concerns about social justice in the program. After receiving clarification about how the program works, McCollum said she appreciates the efforts to create a homegrown program.
“I’m not thrilled that we have all these contractors from outside of our state. So I would much prefer to see people from Alaska serving Alaskans so I appreciate your efforts here,” McCollum said.
Board member Barbara Tyndall, who previously opposed the program, voted in favor this time around. She still had concerns about the focus on mental health.
“As I’m going through the health and safety stuff, it’s mental health, mental health, mental health,” Tyndall said. “And I don’t think we should just only be looking for mental health, because there are people out there just looking for problems.”
People have a few ways to become licensed school psychologists in Alaska. One main way is to graduate from a program accredited by the National Association of School Psychologists. Another is to go through a program approved by the state’s education board.
UAA’s program is on its way to getting NASP accreditation. The earliest it could achieve that is 2029, one year after the program’s first cohort graduates. Now, with the state board’s approval, those students could become licensed and hired to work shortly after graduating.