On behalf of our members, AASP promotes the school psychology profession through a continuum of grassroots efforts, collaborations, and coalitions. We encourage AASP members to regularly communicate with your elected and appointed AASP Executive Board members. Your stories, challenges, and successes assist us to advance our comprehensive practice model and provide PK12 students with greater access to school psychologists in Arizona schools. We also encourage our members to follow AASP through social media and communications, as well as respond to letter writing campaigns and messaging to legislators and other decision-makers. 

Key Advocacy Priorities

Address shortages of school psychologists

Support effective school safety measures

Increase access to mental health services in schools

Increase investment in education

Promote equity for all students

Advance the Comprehensive Role of School Psychologists

What is advocacy?

Advocacy encompasses a continuum of activities for the purpose of influencing stakeholders. Advocacy focuses on building relationships, creating partnerships, educating the public, and developing leadership. AASP Advocacy committees inform policy and law makers at the federal, state and local level on initiatives that support children, youth, and families in our schools and communities.

• Public policy advocacy is a process of engaging with stakeholders to propose, negotiate, and advance recommendations with key stakeholders. 

• Legislative advocacy refers to efforts to influence the introduction, enactment, or modification of legislation. (NASP Policy Playbook, 2019, p. 15). 

• Advocacy efforts may also target local stakeholders (e.g., school board members, superintendents, community leaders) by educating them on important issues and forming coalitions to support critical initiatives.

• AASP partners with NASP to advance advocacy work at the national, state, and local level. 

How can you get involved in advocacy?

• Share a story about how you successfully advocated for an issue at the student, school or district level.

• Come to an Advocacy in Minutes presentation (add AIM to events calendar and link to them here)

• Share a story about how you promoted awareness about the field of school psychology as part of National School Psychology Week or throughout the year.

• Present to high school students about the field of school psychology using the NASP Exposure Project materials. 

Then tell us what you have been doing so that we can recognize and celebrate your efforts!  No action is too small we want to hear it all! 

Kathy Bohan  Kathy.Bohan@aasp-az.org

Sheri Orrahood Sheri.Orrahood@aasp-az.org

Child and Family Advocacy Committee 

The Child and Family Advocacy committee (CFA) is comprised of board members as well as members at large. Current committee chairs: Marsha Spencer and Shannon Morse

What do we do? 

• We build members’ capacity to advocate individually and collectively at the school, district, state, and national level to further the AASP vision “for all children and youth to thrive in schools and communities, by promoting equity and excellence in educational and mental health practices” (AASP Vision Statement)