Article archive / September 1, 2013
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 1. Source pages: 9.
Amid funding cuts in June that seriously endanger the future of Louisiana's premier training internship for school psychology, the American Psychological Association has renewed the accreditation of the LAS*PIC program for seven more years.
The Louisiana school psychology internship consortium, called LAS*PIC, is a program of the Human Development Center of the LSU Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) in New Orleans. The program attracts high-quality school psychology students to the state and collaboratively places them in area school systems to help combat critical shortages in school psychology services.
Dr. Alan Coulter, the Director for Educational Innovations at the LSUHSC Human Development Center, told the Times, “We and our 199 alumni are delighted that APA has recognized the hard work and earnest efforts of the faculty, professional supervisors, and school partners and our adherence to an authentic school psychology experience for interns.”
However, this past June, with two years remaining on their contract with the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), the program’s funds were cut by Stephen Osborne of the Louisiana Department of Education, noted Colter. “Despite more than 17 school psychology vacancies in Jefferson parish schools and extensive unmet needs in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metropolitan areas,” Coulter explained to the Times, “LAS*PIC was abandoned by the Louisiana Department of Education after 23 years of continuous support.”
“LAS*PIC is entering a new era with the 2013-14 internship class of six pre-doctoral interns,” Coulter said. “Five interns are placed in charter schools in New Orleans and one intern is placed in St. Tammany schools. With the support of our partners and using residual funds LAS*PIC has survived for this year.”
But, he noted, “Within the next two months, a decision must be made regarding the feasibility of continuing to recruit and place school psychology interns for our state. We are doing everything we can to explore alternative sources of funding. We are very appreciative of the support that we have received from the professional psychology community.”
Dr. Allen Coulter is a licensed school psychologist and a former president of the National Association of School Psychologists. Dr. George Hebert, a previous president of the Louisiana School Psychological Association, serves as the LAS*PIC program training coordinator.
Dr. Alan Coulter speaking at the Louisiana School Psychological Association last year. He talked with the Times about the funding issues in the LAS*PIC internship program.
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