The American Psychological Association (APA) is well-known for the commonly used APA academic writing style, but you may not know the full importance of the professional organization among psychologists and educators.

The APA publishes prominent journals, and it makes many important recommendations for policies related to psychological health and education. Its Board of Educational Affairs is primarily tasked with making recommendations regarding educational and training affairs — something Professor Michele Gill now will provide guidance on as a newly elected board member. The board provides oversight for educational policy on all academic levels, from early childhood to higher education.

Gill, a professor of educational psychology in the Department of Learning Sciences and Educational Research, will serve a three-year term on the board beginning this month. Gill was selected following a rigorous campaign process, during which she had to be nominated and interviewed by various committees within the APA to gain their recommendation.

“I’m thrilled that I was chosen,” says Gill, who also serves as academic program coordinator for the Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. “I’ve done a lot of work locally on educational policy, but what I haven’t done is have a voice in the national debate about education. We will create policy papers so that when staffers in Congress are looking at educational policy, they can look at the APA recommendations for policy and what psychologists say best practices are for education.”

Gill has formerly been involved in multiple roles with the APA, including serving as treasurer of Division 15 — the Educational Psychology division — along with serving on the Council of Representatives and the Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education.

This new role will give Gill a national voice in education policy, fulfilling a long-time mission of hers.

“It’s a cause that is just so close to my heart,” Gill says. “The whole reason I became a professor was to improve education. When I was 20 years old, I wrote an undergraduate thesis dedicated to the transformation of the public education system in the United States. That dedication has been my motto. It’s why I got my doctorate.”

Gill will join the board as a representative focused especially on K-12 education.

“One of the things I’m particularly interested in is the re-humanization of education,” Gill says. “The teacher attrition rate is terrible right now; teachers aren’t staying in the profession. Kids need teachers to stay in their profession because getting a new teacher every year can negatively impact student success. I’m excited to help support policy that makes schools better places for teachers and students — I think that’s part of my mission in this world.”

Some other passion areas for Gill include mental health issues in schools, the teacher shortage and safety in schools.

“These are all critical issues that APA deals with through policy papers, setting national research agendas on education and even creating policy briefs that get distributed to staffers for Congress members,” Gill says. “Those are the kinds of things to which I think can make a powerful contribution.”

For Gill, the selection means so much more than just taking on a voluntary leadership role.

“I want to be changing education,” Gill says. “This is what I want to be doing with whatever time I have left on this planet. If I can help make schools better, or if I’ve even done a little bit to advance us in that direction, that will make me so happy.”