"Tots Units Fem Forca" - Catalan
"All together, we are strong" – English Translation

As President of our Division I welcome your involvement to contribute to these shared objectives. It is both an honor and a pleasure to serve as Division 16 President during 2012. I am particularly enthusiastic to further involve many more Division 16 members in efforts to advance science, practice, and policy relevant to school psychology to enhance the future of our Division and profession, as well as the well-being of children, families, school personnel, and communities. Indeed, I believe "All together, we are strong."

Together we will continue to work towards the objectives of our Division: to promote the development and dissemination of knowledge that enhances the life experiences of children, families, and school personnel; to facilitate school psychology practices that result in effective services to youth, families, and school professionals; to facilitate regional, national, and international communications regarding contemporary issues within school psychology; and to advocate within APA and elsewhere for services, policy, and research concerned with children, families, schools, school personnel, and the schooling process. As President of our Division I welcome your involvement to contribute to these shared objectives.

During the first two months of 2012, the Division 16 Executive Committee has met twice in person and sent numerous correspondence to address items important to Division 16 members. Minutes from each of these recent meetings are available on the Division 16 website and we will soon be forwarding links to such information to Division 16 members electronically. Herein, I will share some updates and information regarding selected recent efforts of Division 16 members (a complete review of all important activities of Division 16 leaders is beyond the scope of this brief overview, thus, I encourage those interested to view the minutes of recent meetings to learn more about recent activities) and also review the Division 16 website for further information and details. It is our sincere hope many Division 16 members will become involved in our efforts to advance science, practice, and policy relevant to school psychology.

The Division 16 Website

As many of you are now aware, Division 16 now has a new website. We encourage you to browse around to learn more about current Division 16 activities and opportunities for further involvement. This new Division 16 website features The School Psychologist newsletter, highlights recent articles published in the School Psychology Quarterly journal, and also includes updated information about Division 16 initiatives. The robust technological infrastructure of APA affords an opportunity to develop an innovative Division 16 web presence that provides useful information to members and others interested in the activities of Division 16. Indeed, the available data reveal that during January and February of 2012, the Division 16 website has already received over 11,700 page views (an average of approximately 200 page views per day). Please visit the Division 16 website for valuable information and updates.

Division 16 Technology Committee David Shriberg has recently joined Division 16 leadership as the Chair of the Division 16 Technology Committee (We don't have anything about this on their site, mission, members, contact, chairs, etc.). The Technology Committee represents a critical component of our ongoing efforts to communicate with members and others regarding the important work and opportunities for further involvement among Division 16 members. Very recently, Division 16 Facebook and Twitter accounts were established in an effort to share information about Division activities.

During 2012, all Division 16 members can anticipate receiving announcements highlighting recent Division activities, accomplishments, and resources. If you are interested in contributing to the Division 16 Technology Committee or if you have particular insights related to the use of technology that you believe would further enhance Division 16, please email Dr. Shriberg.

Division 16 and the Student Affiliates of School Psycholog Graduate students are the future of the profession and will emerge as capable future leaders within Division 16. Division 16 and the Student Affiliates of School Psychology (SASP) welcome further involvement among faculty and students across the country. SASP is designed to keep graduate students apprised of issues pertaining to school psychology as well as participating in activities that will further strengthen the discipline in the future. Recent efforts now feature the SASP activities within the Division 16 website, including a specific tab in the menu bar for students. There are many opportunities for students to become further involved with SASP and Division 16. For those who would like to become Division 16 SASP members or become further involved with SASP, please contact the SASP President Kaleigh Bantum.

Work Group Initiatives

Each of the Executive Committee members and many Division 16 members are contributing to ongoing efforts of three important workgroups. Below is a brief description of each workgroup. A recent symposium session at the 2012 National Association of School Psychologists conference in Philadelphia featured information and updates regarding the progress of the Division 16 workgroups. Members interested in contributing are encouraged to communicate with the workgroup Chairs (contact information below and available on the Division 1 website).

Globalization of School Psychology Work Group

The goal of the globalization work group is to define transnational/multicultural issues in School Psychology. The first task undertaken by the group is developing a bibliographic data base on basic thematic areas of school psychology science and practice, including assessment, prevention, crisis intervention, consultation, evidence-based interventions, poverty, and transnational/multicultural school psychology. Coordinators have been identified for each topic area and are in the process of forming subgroups to identify relevant readings and create a database that reflects work on an international scale. Subsequent steps include synthesizing and disseminating the transnational data base. The long-term intent is to develop an international network of researchers, facilitated by collaboration across organizations that represent school psychology domestically and internationally. Chair: Sissy Hatzichristou, University of Athens, Greece

Social Justice and Child Rights Work Group

The goal of the social justice and child rights group is to facilitate professional development of school psychologists in the promotion of social justice and child rights. The initial task is to review and consider adopting the existing Child Rights for School Psychologists curriculum developed by the International School Psychology Curriculum Group, a partnership of International School Psychology Association [ISPA], Child Rights Education for Professionals [CRED-PRO], and School Psychology Program at Tulane University. In addition, the working group plans to develop two additional modules related to promoting social justice and accountability for child rights and social justice. Subsequent steps include dissemination and piloting of the full curriculum. The long-term intent of the group is to build an international community around social justice and child rights, facilitated by collaboration across school psychology organizations. Chair: Stuart Hart, University of Victoria, British Columbia

Translation of Science to Practice and Policy Work Group

The goal of the translation work group is to enhance the translation of research to practice and practice to research within the specialty of school psychology, to promote Division 16 as a resource for evidence-based practice for school psychologists, and to enhance research-based psychological practices in the context of schools. To this end the work group will engage in research to review existing literature, identify ongoing efforts by other professional groups, survey school psychologists about the challenges in implementing evidencebased practices, and examine the nature of pre-service training relevant to promoting translation of research. The anticipated outcomes of this work are generation of implications for professional development and of resources for implementing research-based practice. Co-Chairs: Sylvia Rosenfield, University of Maryland; Susan Forman, Rutgers University

Division 16 Member Survey

Jim DiPerna, the Division 16 Vice President of Convention Affairs and Public Relations, has provided important leadership in developing and distributing the Division 16 Member Survey and gathering this important data from Division 16 members in early 2012. This year we will carefully consider this recent feedback from Division 16 members and identify opportunities to further enhance the Division activities and communications and inform further strategic planning. You can anticipate further information and updates related to the recent member survey, both in The School Psychologist and featured on the Division 16 website.

Division 16 Proceedings at APA in Orlando

With the very capable leadership of the Division 16 Convention Chair, Scott Methe and many members who served as reviewers, the sessions for the 2012 APA Convention in Orlando, Florida, from August 2-5, 2012, have been selected. Those attending the APA convention during the past five years will recognize that the Division 16 programming has continued to expand. Our broadened efforts include numerous cross-division collaborative sessions, as well as symposium sessions and keynote presentations, in addition to hundreds of poster presentations all emphasizing important considerations relevant to advancing science, practice, and policy related to school psychology. We look forward to seeing many of you in Orlando in August.

Division 16 Bylaws

With the direction and dedication of Bonnie Nastasi and contributions from each of the Division 16 Executive Committee members, the Division 16 Bylaws have been carefully examined and proposals for revisions will soon be sent out to all Division 16 members for review and vote. Attending to the Division 16 infrastructure is certainly essential to the ongoing operations of the division.

Representing School Psychology within APA Governance

An ongoing activity of Division 16 is representation of school psychology within APA governance. A close inspection will find numerous talented and capable Division 16 members both representing school psychology and contributing importantly to contemporary APA governance. In addition to the numerous Division 16 Vice Presidents and members of the Executive Committee who regularly attend important committee and association meetings to represent school psychology, there are also many other elected and appointed Division 16 members providing important representation and contributing leadership throughout APA. These colleagues include Beth Doll and Frank C. Worrell, who serve as APA Council Representatives, Frank C. Worrell also serves on the APA Board of Educational Affairs, Tammy Hughes who serves on the APA Board of Educational Affairs, Elaine Clark who serves on the APA Board of Professional Affairs, Bonnie Nastasi who serves on the Committee on International Relations in Psychology, Samuel O. Ortiz who serves on the Committee on Psychological Tests and Assessment, Linda Reddy who recently served on the Committee on Division/APA Relations, Michael Tansy who serves as the APA Division 16 Federal Advocacy Coordinator, Robert Woody who represents Division 42 on the Council of Representatives, Frances Boulon-Diaz who represents Puerto Rico on the Council of Representatives, and Shirley Vickery who represents South Carolina on the Council of Representatives (apologies to any individual whom I have not acknowledged in the brief summary above, please do let me know if I accidently omitted your current service). Members of Division 16 also provide important contributions and leadership through service on the Interdivisional Task Force on Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Interdivisional Task Force for Children with SED and Their Families, the Joint Committee revising the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation, as well as the Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, Committee on Women in Psychology. Finally, Donald Bersoff is presently the 2012 President- Elect of APA. Considering the relative size of Division 16, this representation reflects a purposeful commitment and contribution to representation within APA governance. Collectively, these efforts provide an important voice representing school psychology within the largest psychological association in the world.

Collaboration with Allied Organizations

Division 16 remains committed to collaborate within APA, with other Divisions of APA, and with allied state, national, and international organizations (including the National Association of School Psychologists, Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs, Trainers of School Psychologists, School Psychology Leadership Roundtable, Society for the Study of School Psychology, International School Psychology Association, American Board of Professional Psychology, American Board of School Psychology, Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, and other child-focused coalitions) as such collaboration is essential to achieving our missions. Close inspection of the contemporary leadership within the various organizations reflects considerable overlap, resulting in unprecedented communication, cooperation, and collaboration. Indeed, working together, we are strong. We continue to communicate and collaborate with all allied organizations to further advance and enhance school psychology across the country and around the world.

Division 16 Member Involvement

As you can see in the brief description of some of the recent Division 16 activities, there are many important efforts that Division 16 colleagues are immersed in. I encourage all Division 16 members to consider whether there are important topics and activities that you believe warrant further consideration by the Division, or if there are current areas of emphasis that you believe you could contribute leadership. If you are inspired to contribute further to the future of Division 16 and school psychology, please email me or other Division 16 Executive Committee members, as we welcome your further involvement in efforts to advance science, practice, and policy relevant to school psychology. Indeed, All together, we are strong!