The 27th Annual School Psychology Institute will be held on Monday, April 15, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. in Room 118 of the Illinois State University Alumni Center (1101 North Main Street in Normal). Attendees will earn three (3) Continuing Education Credits: ISBE, NCSP, IDFPR (Psychologist). Registration will be held between 8-8:30 a.m. prior to the event or attendees may preregister online.

Janay B. Sander, Ph.D., will be featured at the morning professional workshop, titled “Restorative and Equity-Promoting Practices in School Discipline,” where she will cover positive, restorative practices to reduce disciplinary referrals and escalations of common disciplinary incidents. Attention to trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches will be included. The presentation would be appropriate for school psychology service providers who work closely with teachers, school administrators, and school resource officers around student discipline.

She will also hold an afternoon talk, from 2-3 p.m. in 551 DeGarmo Hall, titled “Police in Schools: What Does the Research Say?” This talk will cover the literature about impact of police in schools. The focus will include key findings for marginalized students including students of color. The presentation will also include discussion of insights from research about how school communities can have constructive conversations around this divisive topic in an effort to build equity promoting practices.

Dr. Sander is a professor and the director of the Ph.D. in school psychology program at Ball State. She is also a licensed health services psychologist. Her expertise is in the overlap across emotional, behavioral, and learning concerns in children and adolescents and how our systems can promote equitable outcomes for all students. She is invested in disrupting our systems that maintain disproportionality by addressing the relational, educational and mental health needs of youth who have disruptive behaviors in school and those who have contact with juvenile justice systems. Her emphasis is on culturally affirming, positive, strengths-based methods.

If you need an accommodation, please contact Student Access and Accommodation Services at (309) 438-5853 or AbleISU@IllinoisState.edu.