A Message from the President of ISPA

Childhood is a period that shapes learning and the personal well-being of all young people. For this reason governments spend vast huge amounts of money in education as they see this as a key investment for the future. Schools and families therefore have a major responsibility for promoting the talents of young people so that they can prosper and develop in this ever-changing world. School psychologists can play a key part in this process through working directly with children and with their teachers, parents and other caregivers. This role has never been more important given the uncertain times in which we live.

There are many children in the world who have no access to schools or who attend schools with few resources and with huge classes. Services for children with disabilities in these countries may be almost non-existent. At the other extreme, children in so-called developed countries are educated in increasingly competitive and stressful environments where schools are under growing pressure to improve their performance year after year and where potentially marginalized children, for example those with special needs or from different ethnic groups, can become excluded.

These are some of the diverse and challenging issues facing schools psychologists around the world. Our training and experience in applied psychology places us in a unique position to advise children, schools, parents and other agencies as to how to help young people to make the best use of the opportunities that they are given. And there is abundant evidence that we are being increasingly called upon to undertake these tasks. In almost all countries school psychology is a growing profession. This is particularly evident in so-called developed countries where psychologists have expanded their role considerably and where they are now seen as having a key contribution to make towards shaping and supporting the education and social development of all children. However, there are several countries where school psychology services are poorly developed, where the numbers of psychologists working in schools is extremely small, where there is no career structure, and where their services are not freely available to all children and families.

A key role for ISPA is to promote the development of school psychology around the world so that services can be improved for the benefit of all children. It does this through its committee work, the website, the newsletter (World Go Round), and most importantly through the Colloquium. You can find out more about the history of the Association by reading other pages on this website.

The ISPA Colloquium is an annual event that brings together school psychologists from over 50 countries. It combines keynote presentations, academic papers, symposia, seminars and workshops with a range of social and informal events. It provides an excellent opportunity to make new friends and contacts and to hear about developments in school psychology in different countries.

If you are a member of ISPA, I hope you will find this website helpful in keeping you up to date with developments in the Association and in providing useful and relevant information about school psychology around the world. If this website is your first introduction to ISPA – welcome! If you are interested in joining ISPA please go to the Membership page.

The benefits that come with ISPA membership include:

Reduced registration fees at our annual Colloquium, an outstanding opportunity for professional development held each July in a different country.

5 issues of our newsletter, World*Go*Round, which keeps members informed of the activities of the association. Members also submit articles on topics of general interest related to the practice of school psychology world-wide.

Reduced subscription fees to School Psychology International -- a journal that presents articles on the latest research and practice in the field.

Access to important professional documents developed by ISPA, including a Definition of School Psychology, a Code of Ethics, and Professional Standards.

ISPA makes every effort to serve the needs of its members. We are eager to answer your questions or to hear your feedback. Please comment on issues important to school psychology.

Thank you for exploring the world of school psychology with us.