As a program we are committed to supporting Black, First Nation, Latinx, Asian, and other communities of color. Racism is a fixture of U.S. society and its social and political institutions. We are dedicated to combatting racism and dismantling systemic and institutional racism. We are committed to preparing program graduates to use antiracist practices. Thus, we endorse and support the School Psychology Unified Anti-Racism Statement and Call to Action (Garcia-Vasquez et al., 2020). Furthermore, we have an obligation to be aware of, sensitive to, and responsive to all forms of diversity in our professional activities. To avoid an overly restrictive understanding of diversity, our definition of diversity is multidimensional and includes, but is not limited to, age, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, gender identity, language, national origin, race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, and social economic status. Importantly, while we consider issues of diversity, we strive to be guided by the uniqueness of each person with whom we work.
We work toward meeting this obligation by giving attention to diversity in every aspect of our training program. We appreciate the value of applying a scholar-scientist-practitioner framework to informing our work in this area. In addition, we acknowledge that our personal values, worldviews, and individual backgrounds influence our work with all individuals. Because this program values a diversity of perspectives, we recruit students with diverse backgrounds. Additionally, we demonstrate our commitment to this obligation by conducting research that generates new knowledge reflecting the society in which we live and by targeting the specific circumstances of diverse groups that may have been neglected in previous research as well as the potential generalizability of extant research, practice, and theory for diverse populations. Moreover, we infuse social justice into the curriculum because the individuals we serve (e.g., caregivers, children, teachers) represent diverse backgrounds. We give attention to equity, social justice, racial justice, and the underlying assumptions of our work to neutralize the potential deleterious effects of bias (e.g., ethnocentrism, sexism) toward diverse populations. We recognize that one of the most important facets of any school psychology training program is applied experience. Consequently, we encourage, support, and work toward enabling students to work competently with diverse populations in applied experiences involving assessment, consultation, intervention, and research in practicum and internship sites. In summary, the mission of the School Psychology program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is to work actively toward combating racism, sexism, colonialism, and inculcating issues of diversity in every aspect of its training program. In this regard, considerations of diversity help us to understand only some, albeit important, aspects of each person’s unique combination of personal characteristics. Our training program promotes the skills that are necessary to be antiracist and work competently with individuals within diverse populations in schools across these many dimensions.
The quality and level of diversity training in the School Psychology program is monitored regularly, at both the program and individual faculty/student level. The department’s Diversity and Inclusion Association (DIA; formerly Diversity Committee, established in 2000) serves an advisory and consultative role for the program. The committee includes students and faculty. Among its activities, DIA organizes colloquia and other activities related to diversity themes (e.g., book discussion groups), and promotes awareness of diversity in professional activities. At the individual level, faculty and the school psychology community (e.g., adjunct instructors) integrate and document a diversity focus in their courses (e.g., readings, special topics), research (e.g., equity, social justice), and service. Faculty are committed to continual improvement and are dedicated to an antiracist and socially just community. Students document their development of multicultural competencies in courses, research, and practicum activities. This documentation is included in their progress reports for the annual review of student progress and professional portfolios.