Characteristics of school psychology faculty in 2021

Abstract

Although racial, ethnic, and linguistically minoritized school-aged students within the United States are increasing in population, school psychologists have historically been predominantly white, monolingual females. Diversity within the field of school psychology is important for improving students' achievement and postsecondary success, particularly as it relates to underrepresented students. Research shows that the diversity of school psychology faculty is important for the recruitment and retention of minoritized graduate students. However, demographic information within school psychology has only been calculated within the context of memberships to psychological organizations (e.g., the National Association of School Psychologists), which could underestimate the actual diversity of school psychology faculty currently in the profession. The purpose of this study was to collect information on the demographic characteristics of school psychology faculty as of 2021. A total of 429 school psychology trainers completed a brief web-based survey in which they self-identified their employment characteristics, gender identity, sexual orientation, racial-ethnic identity, (dis)ability status, and languages spoken. At the time of the survey, most of the sample were employed as full professors (30.5%) or assistant professors (29.4%). Results demonstrated that majority of the sample identified as white (78.6%), cisgender female (66.2%), heterosexual (87.2%), non(dis)abled (95.1%), and monolingual English speaking (83.9%). Faculty of color were more likely to report a higher percentage of time spent teaching as compared to white faculty. Implications of these findings and future directions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).