Grand Challenges in Educational Psychology

Educational Psychology has a long tradition as a specialty within the field of psychology , formally recognized as a discipline in 1910, when the Journal of Educational Psychology (JEP) began publication. Early psychologists, such as William James and Wilhelm Wundt 1900) both focused on issues central to educational psychology today (e.g., cog-nitive processes, memory, and effective teaching). Indeed, our progress within our discipline has the potential to improve the life of almost every individual, in almost every country, throughout the lifespan. Aside from the classroom, educational psychology can have an impact from the workplace to the military proving ground and the athletic arenas, in home and family life, and beyond. Indeed, some believe that literacy and education can improve both the length and quality of life (e.g., Cleland, 1990). In Latin America, for example, average life expectancy increased from 40 to 70 years at the same time literacy rates increased from 30 to 85% among adults (Thorp, 1998, p. 2). Similarly impressive changes in other countries have been summarized by numerous scholars (e.g., Crafts, 2000, p. 9). By many measures, the efforts of our field have improved the lives of much of the world's population. Yet after all these years of scholarship and scientific study, significant challenges remain. We live in an era of unprecedented promise and unprecedented disparity. The gap between the wealthy and poor has increased to obscene proportions around the world. Access to high-quality education remains difficult for too many, even in the wealthiest countries. Some children carry laptops to school and live in constant connection with the resources of the internet, while in some areas students risk physical danger just to go to school. Further, while literacy rates have improved around the world, many students within the US and elsewhere choose not to complete their secondary school education, a decision that has a profound impact on the trajectory of these students' lives. Sadly, many of these students report dropping out of secondary school due to factors such as boredom (Archambault et al., 2009) rather than an inability to succeed in school. Violence, bullying, and sexual harassment are issues we need to address in the 21st century. In some areas we are also seeing a disturbing trend toward exclusion (or segregation) of girls from formal education. In many countries we rely upon high-stakes tests to make important decisions about students, while at the same time arguing that …