Educational Psychology Department announces 2023 Lichtenberg Lecture


LAWRENCE – The Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Kansas will host the 2023 Lichtenberg Lecture at 9:30 a.m. Friday, October 20 in Joseph R. Pearson Hall (JRP) room 150. The lecture will feature Jennifer Randall, Dunn Family Endowed Professor of Psychometrics and Test Development in the Marsal Family School of Education at the University of Michigan.

Randall is also the Dunn Family Chair of Psychometrics and Test Development and the founding President of the Center for Measurement Justice.

Randall’s presentation, “Validity in Pursuit of Justice,” will focus on the theme of validation. “I contend that the validation process, arguably the most important process in educational measurement, has served as one measurement’s primary weapons of racist oppression and marginalization,” said Randall. “I argue for a justice-oriented, antiracist approach– rooted in critical theory – that seeks to actively disrupt our current practices rooted in the white supremacist hegemony.”

Participation in the lecture is free and open to the public, though an online RSVP is required. Learn more and RSVP. Attendees also have the option to join virtually. Zoom log in credentials will be sent to registrants via email.

The Lichtenberg Lecture Series was established by former associate dean and professor emeritus James Lichtenberg as an annual event, designed to bring in professionals from across the country to KU to discuss topics in psychology, counseling, health and research each fall. The lecture is co-sponsored by the Department of Educational Psychology and the School of Education & Human Sciences Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Committee.

The Department of Educational Psychology is part of the top-ranked KU School of Education & Human Sciences.