Working Together Toward Social Justice, Anti-racism, and Equity: One-Year Reflections on the Joint Commitment from Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation and School Psychology International

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this statement is to reflect upon progress made during the past year in promoting anti-racism, social justice, and equity as committed to by leaders from the Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation and School Psychology International. Action steps from 2021 are reviewed, and priorities for 2022 are identified.

One year ago, at the end of 2020, leaders from the Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation (JEPC) and School Psychology International (SPI) joined together to prioritize anti-racism, social justice, and equity in our journal practices and publications, and to hold each other accountable in actively moving forward this work (Newman et al., 2021; Noltemeyer & Grapin, 2021). For JEPC, specifically, we highlighted egregious disparities in educational systems in the United States, how these have likely been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the potential to “proliferat[e] consultation research that authentically reflects societal diversity; illuminates power imbalances that negatively impact students, families, and educators; and draws implications for addressing issues of injustice” (Newman et al., 2021, p. 9). Together with leaders from SPI, we prioritized specific yet integrated action items for the 2021 year. The purpose of this article is to reflect upon the progress made for each item, and to consider future action priorities.

A first stated action was to solicit and invite manuscripts that extend the scholarship around social and racial justice, which we did with an explicit call for general submissions to the journal that extend consultation scholarship in these areas. Additionally, consistent with the action step of highlighting the journal’s commitment to social justice and equity in its aims and scope and acting in ways that honor that commitment, we have edited the aims and scope of the journal to align with these priorities. Edits, completed under the leadership of the Editor with feedback from the Associate Editors and the journal’s Advisory Board, include: (a) expanded language regarding an interest in studies with consultants, consultees, and clients from diverse backgrounds and settings; (b) a new commitment to publishing empirical and conceptual research focused on anti-racism and social justice with implications for consultation practice, training and research; and (c) additional language welcoming submissions of consultation research employing a variety of methods.

Another stated commitment was to compile articles that advance racial and social justice into a virtual online issue for our respective journals. Since April 1, 2021 we have released one article per month for 90 days of free access. The articles are focused on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice, and they are publicized on social media including the JEPC Twitter account (@JEPC_Official). We also considered inviting contemporary reflections and commentaries on a classic article related to these themes within each journal, though we did not do this in JEPC. Rather, we prioritized the release of both classic and contemporary articles for free access during the year as previously described. The full list of articles released this year is provided in Table 1.

Table 1. JEPC’s free release articles between April of 2021 and April of 2022

Article	Start Date for Free Access	End Date for Free Access
La Salle, T. P., Wang, C., Wu, C., & Neves, J. R. (2020). Racial mismatch among minoritized students and white teachers: Implications and recommendations for moving forward. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 30(3), 314–343. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2019.1673759	4/1/21	5/31/21
Behring, S. T., & Ingraham, C. L. (1998). Culture as a central component of consultation: A call to the field. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 9(1), 57–72. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532768xjepc0901_3	5/1/21	6/30/21
Sullivan, A. L., Artiles, A. J., & Hernandez-Saca, D. I. (2015). Addressing special education inequity through systemic change: Contributions of ecologically based organizational consultation. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 25(2–3), 129–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2014.929969	6/1/21	7/31/21
Henning-Stout, M. (1994). Thoughts on being a white consultant. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 5(3), 269–273. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532768xjepc0503_5	7/1/21	8/31/21
Albritton, K., Mathews, R. E., & Anhalt, K. (2019). Systematic review of early childhood mental health consultation: Implications for improving preschool discipline disproportionality. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 29(4), 444–472. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2018.1541413	8/1/21	9/30/21
McKenney, E. L. W., Mann, K. A., Brown, D. L., & Jewell, J. D. (2017). Addressing cultural responsiveness in consultation: An empirical demonstration. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 27(3), 289–316. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2017.1287575	9/1/21	10/31/21
Clare, M. M. (2009). Decolonizing consultation: Advocacy as the strategy, diversity as the context. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 19(1), 8–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474410802494929	10/1/21	11/30/21
Herbstrith, J. C., & Busse, G. A. (2020). Seven million and counting: Systems-level consultation for students of LGBTQ+ families. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 30(1), 29–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2019.1565539	11/1/21	12/31/21
Awad, G. H., Patall, E. A., Rackley, K. R., & Reilly, E. D. (2016). Recommendations for culturally sensitive research methods. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 26(3), 283–303. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2015.1046600	12/1/21	1/31/22
Harper, E. A., James, A. G., Curtis, C., & Ramey, D. (2021). Using the participatory culture-specific intervention model to improve a positive youth development program for African American adolescent girls Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 31(1), 61–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2019.1652618	1/1/22	2/28/22
Parker, J. S., Castillo, J. M., Sabnis, S., Daye, J., & Hanson, P. (2020). Culturally resonsive consultation among practicing school psychologists. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 30(2), 119–155. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2019.1680293	2/1/22	3/31/22
Williams, J. M., & Greenleaf, A. T. (2012). Ecological psychology: Potential contributions to social justice and advocacy in school settings. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 22(1–2), 141–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2011.649653	3/1/22	4/30/22

Another commitment we made was to engage in additional efforts to ensure scholars of color and other marginalized voices are represented on the editorial board, in other leadership positions, in the scholarship published within our journals, and in broader efforts to shape the present and future vision of the journal. As JEPC Editor, I (DN) have actively recruited individuals from minoritized backgrounds with knowledge of educational and psychological consultation to join the JEPC Editorial Board. The Associate Editor team from the journal is comprised of individuals from a diversity of ethnic and racial backgrounds and identities. We have also consulted with key stakeholders outside of our immediate team (e.g., scholars from minoritized backgrounds who have previously published in JEPC) regarding the journal’s directions in prioritizing anti-racism, social justice, and equity.

Engaging in our own continued self-reflection and professional development regarding how we can better promote anti-racism, equity, and justice was another stated commitment from our journals. Daniel Newman (JEPC Editor), Lindsay Fallon (JEPC Associate Editor), Amity Noltemeyer (SPI Editor), and Sally Grapin (SPI Associate Editor) have met monthly since June, 2020 as part of our partnership. During this time, we have reflected upon and discussed anti-racism, social justice, and equity in our journal practices and publications, and held each other accountable for progress toward our mutual commitments. For example, during each meeting, we refer to our initial statement, and discuss actions taken to meet each item and plan for future actions. The JEPC editorial leadership team has also reviewed articles in the JEPC archive to consider how these issues are reflected throughout the journal’s history, which articles are important to make accessible for free, and how we may build upon topical coverage in the future. We have also read literature related to bias in the publication process (e.g., American Psychological Association [APA], 2021; Buchanan et al., 2020) for our own professional learning, for example.

Another stated priority is to create spaces for dialogs about diversity, anti-racism, and equity considerations in the review process as well as opportunities for identifying, scrutinizing, and challenging personal biases. We have recently developed guidance for reviewers regarding bias in the peer review process informed by literature in this area, which will be published in a forthcoming issue of SPI (Fallon et al., in press). Building upon this effort, we plan on developing a guidance document to support authors in navigating implicit biases when conceptualizing and composing manuscripts, which will eventually be published in JEPC. Our intention is to share what we are learning about bias in peer review through various forums (e.g., presentations, professional listservs, and formal training for our respective Editorial Boards), and to stimulate discussion on these important issues. Additionally, in the coming year, we will continue to pursue previously articulated priorities including soliciting manuscripts that extend scholarship around social and racial justice, releasing articles focused on these topics for free access, and engaging in our own ongoing self-reflection and professional learning. As part of our learning, we (leaders from JEPC and SPI) will continue to meet regularly, collaboratively develop ideas, and hold each other accountable for action related to our ongoing commitment. Once again, we invite anyone with related ideas or interests to contact us to further this dialogue.

Acknowledgment

The authors acknowledge Drs. Amity Noltemeyer and Sally L. Grapin from the editorial team of SPI, who contributed to the development of our joint initiative and this statement. Noltemeyer and Grapin (2021) articulated a parallel statement updating their journal readership on actions related to our joint commitment, which is related to but also unique from this one given its focus on SPI, specifically.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Daniel S. Newman

Daniel S. Newman, Ph.D., NCSP, is an Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program in the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services at the University of Cincinnati. His research interests include school consultation practice and training, clinical supervision, and professional issues in school psychology. He is the Editor of the Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation.

Kizzy Albritton

Kizzy Albritton, Ph.D., NCSP, is an Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include expanding the role of school psychologists working in early childhood settings, exploring the implementation of multi-tiered frameworks in early childhood settings, and examining school-based issues that may influence the academic and career outcomes of students from ethnically and racially diverse backgrounds. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation.

Courtenay A. Barrett

Courtenay A. Barrett, Ph.D., NCSP, is an Assistant Professor in the school psychology program at Michigan State University, and a licensed psychologist in Michigan. Her research interests include coaching and consultation within multi-tiered system of supports, data-based decision making, and contextual factors that influence the provision of school psychology service delivery. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation.

Lindsay Fallon

Lindsay M. Fallon, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is an Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her research interests include multi-tiered systems of support for behavior, equity, implementation science, systems change, culturally responsive practice and social justice. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation.

Gregory E. Moy

Gregory E. Moy, Ph.D., NCSP, is Principal Consultant with Stratagem Educational Consulting. He works with schools, non-profit organizations, and families to develop and implement elegant solutions to complex educational problems. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation.

Colleen O’Neal

Colleen R. O'Neal, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in School Psychology in the College of Education at University of Maryland, College Park. Her research interests include socioemotional learning, stress, resilience, participatory research, and consultation with immigrant and refugee populations, in the U.S. and abroad. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation.

Skyler VanMeter

Skyler VanMeter, M.Ed., is a doctoral student in the School Psychology Program at the University of Cincinnati. He is an Editorial Assistant for the Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation.