Twenty-five years of education in psychology and psychology in education

Abstract

This article is part of a special issue of the American Psychologist celebrating the American Psychological Association's (APA's) 125th anniversary. The article reviews the last quarter century (1991-2016) of accomplishments by psychology's education and training community and APA's Education Directorate. The purpose is to highlight key trends and developments over the past quarter century that illustrate ways the Directorate sought to advance education in psychology and psychology in education, as the Directorate's mission statement says. The focus of the Directorate has been on building a cooperative culture across psychology's broad education and training community. Specifically APA has (a) promoted quality education-from prekindergarten through lifelong learning, (b) encouraged accountability through guidelines and standards for education and training, and (c) supported the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge to enhance health, education, and well-being. After identifying challenges and progress, the article discusses the future of the field of psychology and the preparation of its workforce of tomorrow. (PsycINFO Database Record