Albert Sidney Beckham: The First African American School Psychologist

Abstract

Although the field of school psychology has presented a history of its origins (see Benjamin and Baker, 2004;Fagan and Wise, 2007;Merrell et al., 2006 for a review of the history of school psychology), individuals of non-European American descent have largely been ignored by the school psychological establishment. Specifically, in the widely circulated and National Association of School Psychologists published introductory text, School Psychology Past, Present, and Future (Fagan and Wise, 2007) background information is provided on individuals deemed to be important contributors to the development of school psychology (i.e Goddard, Hollingworth, Schmitt). In this text, there are no non-White individuals presented. This statement also holds true for the widely circulated Merrell et al. (2006) introductory school psychology text. Finally, one would expect to find a broad and diverse array of contributors to the field of school psychology in the Historical Encyclopedia of School Psychology (Fagan and Warden, 1996), but 5 School Psychology International

Historically Black Colleges and University students' and faculties' views of school psychology: Implications for increasing diversity in higher education

“…African Americans' relationship with the field of psychology has been problematic. In fact, only recently has there been any mention of an African American practitioner or researcher in the school psychological literature (Graves, 2009). On the one hand, psychology has been beneficial to the population, with testimony of Kenneth Clark being essential in the Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) ruling that overturned the "separate but equal" ruling.…”

Academic Leaderships Views of School Psychology and Black Students: The Case of Historically Black Colleges and Universities

“…Issues that were mentioned included racial identity and Black strengths. Historically, the field of school psychology has leaned in a deficit direction when discussing African‐American issues (Graves, ). However, in recent years that has been a move toward dual‐factor models of mental health that may make the field more attractive to prospective students (Suldo & Shaffer, ).…”

“…Research has consistently documented to the lack of psychologists of color within the field of school psychology (Graves, ). More specifically there is a significant underrepresentation of African‐American school psychologists who represents only 1.9% of the total number of practicing school psychologists (Curtis et al., ).…”

Are Special Education Labels Accurate for Black Children? Racial Differences in Academic Trajectories of Youth Diagnosed With Specific Learning and Intellectual Disabilities

“…While the Association of Black Psychologists has called for a moratorium on utilizing intelligence tests with Black children, psychologists continue to use these instruments especially in school systems that serve significant numbers of Black children (Graves, Proctor, & Aston, 2014). The utilization of intelligence tests as the primary instruments to place Black children in special education is one of the most historically contentious topics in the field of psychology (Graves, 2009; Hilliard, 1983; Williams, 2008). Selected researchers have postulated that special education overrepresentation is a justifiable phenomenon based on the lower intelligence test scores of African American and Latino children (Rushton & Jensen, 2005).…”