MHS Celebrates Dr. Byron McClure

The month of February is dedicated to honoring and celebrating Black history, excellence, resilience, and innovation while acknowledging where systemic racism persists and giving visibility to the people and organizations creating change. It is also a reminder that Black history and culture is to be celebrated all year round.?

Today, MHS wants to take time to acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Byron McClure in the field of education. We sat down with Dr. McClure to discuss social-emotional learning, supporting Black youth, and the future of school psychology.?

Dr. Byron McClure is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and founder of Lessons for SEL. Dr. McClure is passionate about school psychology and working with Black youth and has dedicated his career to advocating for social-emotional learning in schools. In his work with Lessons for SEL, he has focused on designing equitable resources and putting the needs of youth first. In the past, Dr. McClure has served as an Assistant Director of School Redesign for the District of Columbia Public Schools, leading a full redesign of a high school in Southeast D.C.?

Can you tell us more about what inspired you to advocate for social-emotional learning as a school psychologist??

BYRON: My mission has always been to improve outcomes for youth, but especially for Black youth. As a practicing school psychologist, I couldn’t help but notice the many barriers that Black students often faced, and especially the disproportionate outcomes that often harshly impacted Black youth, such as being overrepresented in special education classes, being more likely to be harshly disciplined, even for similar behaviors or offenses, and often underrepresented in AP, honors, or gifted classes. I also realized how many people spoke about what’s wrong with Black youth and there was a tendency to only talk about Black youth in terms of discipline or consequences.??

In my work, especially with Black youth, I wanted to let them know that they are not the negative stereotypes and labels often associated or placed on them. So, I always made it a priority to be proactive with the youth I worked with by equipping them with the skills needed to navigate the world around them. I pulled from the field of positive psychology to incorporate the PERMA model of well-being and a strength-based approach. I sought to understand protective factors that could serve as a proactive barrier instead of being responsive. I also was heavily inspired by the work of Dr. James Comer (see the article I wrote here on Dr. Comer ), who I consider to be the pioneer of social-emotional learning. To me, Dr. Comer’s social-emotional development model is my inspiration and philosophical approach to improve outcomes and well-being of Black youth.???

If you could meet your younger self, perhaps when you were a student, what advice would you give to that younger version of yourself??

BYRON: You were right. People will tell you your ideas are “too big” or “too aspirational," but you are right to have the audacity to believe in the potential of young people and to fiercely fight for the well-being of youth.??

How can school psychologists make a greater impact in the lives of specifically Black youth???

BYRON: I believe school psychologists can make a greater impact in the lives of Black youth by prioritizing strength-based practices, which promote their social-emotional development and overall well-being. More specifically, I strongly believe that school psychologists should be leading the charge in providing Black youth (as well as all youth) mental health support and resources. In particular, this should include universal prevention and targeted interventions. It includes addressing, in a proactive way, any mental health concerns young people might have, but more importantly, equipping them with the protective buffers needed to cope with life's challenges when they arise. It also includes connecting Black youth with local mental health resources and providers to remove barriers to accessing support. To achieve this, school psychologists can work to ensure clear pathways to mental health supports. I also believe school psychologists can help Black youth by working with schools and community partners to provide access to extracurricular activities, social clubs, and other community organizations. Finally, it’s important school psychologists?use evidence-based practices to create an inclusive and supportive environment for Black youth, which can lead to improved outcomes. To lead the charge in providing Black youth with the support they need to be successful will require a shift away from the traditional role and responsibility of school psychologists.?

To be clear, school psychologists have to reckon with [the field’s] role in the historical overrepresentation of Black youth being identified for special education services. School psychologists can have a major impact by not only examining the historical role the field has played in marginalizing Black youth, but to shift away from antiquated practices that only perpetuate disproportionate outcomes and rapidly moving towards practices that reduce disproportionality, providing hope to young people and their families!?

What do you hope to see in the future of school psychology???

BYRON: For starters, I hope to see a future of school psychology that shifts away from what is wrong towards what’s strong. Making this shift in the future will require that school psychologists expand our roles from traditional “test and place,” which means a psychologist is mainly evaluating students to determine placement for special education services. Instead of only testing, I see a future where school psychologists have expanded into the full scope and practice of our field, which includes utilizing a strength-based approach to make data-driven decisions, consult and collaborate with individuals, families, groups, and systems, provide academic and mental health interventions, promote safe and supportive schools, and work with families, schools, and communities to promote equity and address the unique needs of diverse student populations. School psychologists can work with school administrators, teachers, and community organizations to create a positive and supportive school culture that promotes mental health and well-being for all students. This can be achieved through developing interventions and building community-based partnerships that provide mental health services, support, and education to students and their families.?

I see school psychologists providing real hope and inspiration to parents, guardians, students, and staff in a major way. For too long, we have completed psychological evaluations?written at a collegiate level and then shared findings, which don’t often translate to meaningful change for students. Worse, parents have left IEP meetings feeling hopeless. We must be the reason parents, guardians, staff, and especially students, feel hopeful.??

Kelly Vaillancourt, the Director of Policy and Advocacy for the National Association of School Psychologists, spoke on C-SPAN about mental health support for students. She mentioned that we need 63,000 more school psychologists to?ensure every school is adequately equipped with school psychological services. In the future, I see a field where we have a fully staffed workforce of school psychologists who understand and are eager to meet the needs of youth, especially Black youth, who have been historically marginalized.??

Would you like to share any information about any upcoming projects you are working on that we can keep an eye out for??

BYRON: Professionally, I will continue supporting the social-emotional development of youth through 7 Mindsets . I am really excited about the Strength Based Collective , which is a way for people to learn how to adopt and use a strength-based approach. Be sure to keep an eye out for the Black School Psychologist Network (BSPN), which is on a mission to support, advance, and elevate the work of Black school psychologists. The inaugural BSPN Summit will take place April 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia! Finally, I’m stretching myself and stepping out of my comfort zone and developing my own YouTube channel - School Psych Life .?

We encourage you to read more about Byron’s work! Check out our interview with Byron at the 2022 NYASP Conference here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7000454485131096064 ?