The state Department of Education and Chaminade University are offering 20 full-tuition scholarships to address the state's shortage of educational psychologists in the public school system.
"The need for school psychologists in our community is really high," said Darren Iwamoto, director of Chaminade's psychology program.
"The mental and emotional health of our pre-K to 12 students have been challenged by many external factors, such as the pandemic and even our everyday social media pressures. It all causes little challenges with our mental health," Iwamoto continued.
He said that school psychologists are becoming more critical in helping educators and students address the lingering mental and behavioral impacts caused by the pandemic. Psychologists not only provide counseling, but also assessment and intervention services aimed at helping students succeed.
"As educators, we are committed to ensuring our students have access to mental and behavioral health services to support their well-being throughout their education journey," said DOE Superintendent Keith Hayashi.
The scholarship covers tuition, books and associated student fees for the 36-month, 60-credit online Education Specialist (Ed.S) in School Psychology.
The application deadline is June 30, with the term beginning on Oct. 2.
More information can be found on the Chaminade University website.
