Application for GPR and/or ATS State-Level Training
The Government and Professional Relations (GPR) and Assistance to States (ATS) committees offer trainings for state associations to help improve their organizational and operational capacity and improve school psychologist’s ability to engage in grassroots professional and legislative advocacy. Trainings are customized to meet the unique needs of the state association requesting the training.
These trainings are provided at little or no cost to the state association. NASP covers the costs for materials and handouts, and travel expenses (airfare, lodging, ground transportation, and per diem) for GPR and/or ATS leaders to conduct the training. State associations are responsible for securing a location for the training, providing an LCD projector and screen appropriate for PowerPoint presentations, advertising the event, registering participants, and any additional costs associated with the provision of beverage/food for participants. States also have the option of engaging in a virtual training workshop. This option contains the same basic training that is available for onsite trainings, but is conducted in a “webinar” style meeting and allows participants to engage in the workshop either in small groups or at their own computers.
Generally, ATS training is provided to help address operational or infrastructure issues within the state association; GPR state training focuses specifically on building grassroots advocacy skills, understanding the legislative process, and how to best address the professional and legislative advocacy priorities of the state association. In some cases, a state may benefit from a combined ATS/GPR training. The following is a sample of topics that can be covered in an ATS or GPR training:
ATS State Training:
ÿ Organizational structure and governance of state associations and NASP
ÿ Strategic planning (including looking at NASP strategic plan)
ÿ Self-assessing state association operational excellence and management (How to use the SAFE tool in strategic planning and operational decision making)
ÿ Leadership development
ÿ Association management (Leadership 101—meeting planning, goal setting, budgets, etc.)
ÿ Fostering diversity in leadership and membership (age, cultural, regional representation, etc.)
ÿ The NASP Standards & the NASP Practice Model (incorporating into state association priorities, marketing to external stakeholders, aligning professional practice)
ÿ School psychologist state credentialing, licensing and titling (purpose, benefits of promotion)
ÿ Professional development (strategic conference planning, collaborating with other organizations, etc.)
ÿ Membership benefits and membership operations and development
ÿ Communication and messaging (website development, using social media, etc.)
GPR State Training:
ÿ Basic and advanced grassroots advocacy (development of networks, capacity building, legislative advocacy strategies, advancing advocacy campaigns, etc.)
ÿ The NASP Standards & the NASP Practice Model (Advocacy and Legislative Focus)
ÿ School psychologist state credentialing, licensing, and titling (Advocacy & Legislative focus)
ÿ Setting legislative priorities and developing advocacy action plans
ÿ Communications and key message development (advocacy focus)
ÿ Coalition building and external stakeholder engagement (Developing coalitions for advocacy purposes)
ÿ Hot Advocacy Related Topics: NCSP Parity, Personnel Evaluation, Medicaid, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), Promoting and Preserving School Psychologist Positions, School Safety, School Based Mental Health, etc.
ATS/GPR State Assistance Training Application
The state association contact person requesting the state training will respond to the following questions for review by the ATS and/or GPR committee chairs and/or co-chairs. Please note the contact person’s name (if different from the state president), phone and email below.
State Association: State President: ______
Contact Person: Phone: E-mail: ______
1) Which training is your state requesting? ______ATS _____GPR _____Unsure
· If requesting an ATS training, please complete the SAFE tool and submit it with this application.
· If requesting a GPR training, please attach your state association’s most current advocacy plan or legislative agenda, if available.
2) What prompted your interest in a state training?
3) How has your state association addressed the issue(s) or challenges identified in question 2? How have these efforts been effective?
4) What are the top three issues impacting school psychologists and/or your state association that you would like addressed in this state training?
5) What outcomes do you hope to achieve as a result of a state training?
6) How do you believe this state training will improve your outcomes and effectiveness?
7) After the training is complete, who will be responsible for follow-up activities?
8) Has your state association previously received a GPR or ATS state training? If so, when was this training and what was the focus?
9) Please indicate, if known, whether any of your current board members participated in any NASP advocacy or state assistance trainings or meetings. Please mark the trainings in the chart below and indicate the number of state leaders that have participated and what years if known:
ÿ Annual Public Policy Institute (Circle Years): 1999 2001 2004 2007 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
ÿ Fall 2013 Pre-Regional Leadership Meeting Advocacy Workshop
ÿ 2013 NASP Convention Documented Session 03: Promoting & Preserving School Psychology
ÿ 2014 NASP Convention Workshop 01: Advocacy in Action: Building Grassroots Advocacy
ÿ Special Session Leadership 101 (ATS) at 2013 NASP Convention
ÿ Special Session Capitol Hill Updates: Held annually at NASP conventions Year(s): ______
ÿ SPAN Contact Meeting: Held annually at NASP conventions Year(s): ______
ÿ State President’s Leadership Meeting: Held annually at NASP conventions Year(s): ______
10) Do you prefer a virtual or in-person training?
Please submit electronically by email your application and supporting documentation to the NASP Chairperson for the training you are requesting:
Assistance to States:
Jennifer Kitson, Chair
Stacy Skalski, NASP Dir. of Professional Policy and Practice
Government & Professional Relations:
Katie Eklund, Chair
Kelly Vaillancourt, NASP Dir. of Government Relations
For questions about this process or your application, please contact the appropriate Chairperson of the ATS or GPR committee or the NASP staff liaison.
Part 2: Determining the appropriate state training and customizing the training to address specific state interests.
The GPR and/or ATS Chairs will lead a review of your application and supporting documentation and determine whether it appears that a state training might be appropriate. If a training is judged to be a possibility, a representative of the committee will contact you to discuss Part 2 of the application process. Part 2 is designed to customize the training to your state’s issues and desired outcomes.
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