In this special issue, Conoley et al. (2020) repeat the call for a paradigm shift in school psychology graduate education from the individual level to the system level and from secondary and tertiary intervention to primary prevention and implementation science to optimize environments for children's overall health and success. This article…

The Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) awards four practicing credentials: (a) Registered Behavior Technician (RBT); (b) Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA); (c) Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), and; (d) Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D). The BCBA is a practice credential obtainable by many with a…

Prevailing narrative in the afterschool literature is premised on the idea that becoming a profession is required to build and sustain the field. Little reflects the concerns of practitioners that current strategies to professionalize do not reflect the complex and diverse nature of the work. This article uses critical theory to explore the…

Over the decades, those in education have waged a noble struggle in an attempt to achieve the respect and dignity worthy of their profession. Their social value, their worthiness, and the critical nature of their success, it can be argued, are every bit as significant as that of practicing medicine. Research consistently demonstrates the positive…

Examines the issue of professional certification for educational technologists. The definitions of certification, accreditation, and licensure are presented, as well as the benefits and pitfalls of certification programs and the role of professional organizations, including AECT. Five related readings are suggested. (BK)

In considering the possibility of certifying specialists in speech communication, it is helpful to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of credentialling standards, to survey certification procedures in other professions, and to identify the steps that would have to be taken to begin a certification program. Two advantages of certification…

The author argues that it is time for the traditional role of staff developer to be strengthened through an enhanced form of personal professional development, professionalization, and promotion of a new professional image. He presents a model program featuring accreditation as opposed to certification. (Author/CH)

Reviews the context, politics, illusions, contradictions, ironies, and possibilities involved in the search for identity in the counseling profession. Provides an overview of counseling psychology's history, its professional bodies, and the profession's political battles. Discusses attempts at establishing an identity and the need for a knowledge…

Discusses the present and future direction of American nursing in terms of health care delivery and services and how they are affected by the economic system, collective bargaining, credentialing, and hopes for the future. (TA)

This overview of nursing in the seventies discusses the profession in relation to such factors as social climate, professional recognition, government influence, and collective bargaining. The author concluded that what was needed in the seventies was the isolation of, and agreement upon, a set of basic integrating beliefs on the nature of…

This essay on the issue of qualifications for librarianship highlights debate over the Master of Library Science (MLS) as legitimate academic credential or minimum qualification, use of the MLS, change and new directions that are transforming field of librarianship, nonlibrarian specialists, and professional role and behavior. Ten sources are…

Discusses the concept of professionalism for librarianship, questioning the position of library associations on credentials as well as the validity of the graduate degree in library science with regard to the individual librarian and public service. (CWM)

Examines the development of standards for accreditation and licensure by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Presents a detailed description of the requirements for clinical membership. Suggests the American Personnel and Guidance Association might learn from AAMFT in designing accreditation programs. (Author/JAC)

After five years existence of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), the training programs at the various centers and projects are beginning to create an impact on educational development in Southeast Asia. Graduates from the SEAMEO centers have made substantive contributions in various fields of specialization in their…

These essays concentrate on the challenge that adult education faces in helping the urban poor develop meaningful paraprofessional careers in the human services. In one essay, the reformist approach to improving access to credentials is compared with the radical approach, which questions the validity of the credentials process as well as its…