Shreveport, LA — Faculty, staff, and alumni represented LSU Shreveport at the Louisiana School Psychological Association’s annual conference.  

The LSPA hosted the annual conference in Lafayette, Louisiana with the theme of “Remember Your Why.” Conference events included regional roundtables, speaker sessions, a student poster symposium, and an awards luncheon.  

LSUS students submitted eight posters in the symposium, and two posters received awards. Students Kaylee Dupree, Brianna Roblow-Law, Sarah Causey, Kristen Cochran, and Sonia Godfrey submitted a poster titled The Impact of Repeated Reading Using Science Lessons. Causey and Godfrey presented the poster and received the 1st Place award. Students Christina Poole and Bian Alwadi presented their practicum case titled Behavioral Assessment of Disruptive Behavior in an Elementary-Aged Student in Special Education, for which they received 3rd place.  

The LSPA also awarded LSUS Alumna Annie Folse Holmes with the 2022 Louisiana School Psychologist of the Year award. Holmes graduated in 2012 after earning her Specialist in School Psychology (S.S.P.) from LSU Shreveport.  

The following members of LSU Shreveport’s faculty presented during the LSPA conference: 

Dr. Steven Powell: Understanding the Effectiveness and Practical Utility of Descriptive Functional Behavior Assessments Conducted in School Settings and Considerations for Effectiveness and Efficiency in Basic Math Facts Fluency Interventions 

Dr. Seth Whiting: Reinforcement vs. Bribery: Theoretical Background, Empirical Analysis, and Implications for Practice 

Dr. Kevin Jones facilitated the University Trainers Forum alongside other school psychology program directors. 

Associate Dean for the College of Education and Human Development Dr. Katherine Wickstrom represented LSUS as an expert panelist together with university trainers and district representatives. The roundtable discussion focused on recruitment and retention of school psychologists in Louisiana. 

Dr. Kevin Jones, Director of the Specialist in School Psychology program at LSU Shreveport, says, “It is pretty amazing that LSUS students at every level – undergraduates, current students, and alumni – earned major accolades at the convention, and several of our faculty were invited to speak. What is most impressive to me, however, is that every one of the LSUS presentations involved applied programs that are making a positive impact on children, families, and schools.”