How the history of American Psychological Association Division 16 can shape the future of school psychology: Demonstrating organizational transformation.

Over the past 75 years, the history of Division 16 (School Psychology) has been integral to the science and practice of school psychology. As a constituent body of the American Psychological Association (APA), the division has advocated for role definitions and professional boundaries within APA and has represented the specialty of school psychology within the larger community of psychology. Since the convening of school psychology's Thayer Conference in 1955, the division has remained steadfastly committed to promoting the well-being of children. Toward this end, Division 16 has negotiated entry level debates between APA and the broad specialty of school psychology, sustained partnerships within and among APA and other organizations representing school mental health, elevated the place of technology in the profession of school psychology, and promoted the central importance of cultural competence and diversity within the discipline. The past contributions of Division 16 shape the future of the profession and the division in ways that are consistent with and add to Conoley, Power, and Gutkin's (2020) recommendations for strengthening school psychology's contributions to psychological health promotion and risk reduction in schools. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) <strong xmlns:lang="en">Impact and Implications—The 75-year history of the American Psychological Association's Division 16 (School Psychology) has led inevitably to six recommendations for its future contributions to the profession. These include recommendations that the division embrace a broad, ecological vision of children's mental health, which will require that the division advocate for strong and cost-effective training models at both doctoral and nondoctoral levels, the success of which will depend on cohesive partnerships between the division and other school mental health associations. Future school psychologists must be prepared to effectively use technologies that maximize children's learning and mental health. The division must intensify its efforts to recruit more school psychologists into the profession, recruit more school psychologists of color, and ensure that all school psychologists are prepared to be culturally competent practitioners and scholars. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)