Albert Sidney Beckham: The First African American School Psychologist

Abstract

Albert Sidney Beckham was the first African American to hold the title school psychologist. This article examines the life and professional career of Beckham in the context of his contributions to the field of school psychology. It explores his graduate education, the founding of Howard University's Psychological Laboratory and his research and practice as a school psychologist at the Institute for Juvenile Research and Chicago Bureau of Child Study. While much has been written on individual contributors to the field of school psychology, there is virtually no mention of any practitioners of colour. Thus, the purpose of this article is to begin a process of inclusion by mainstreaming the work of a pioneer in the field of school psychology.