ACSSW Newsletter

     With the celebration of Thanksgiving growing distant we are well into the 2010 Holiday Season. The challenges of helping families in need increase with our current economy, but it is with confidence that I say families will be the better for your interventions this year. School social workers best understand the pressures families are under.

     During the month of December the ACSSW website will be undergoing some "tweaking", particularly behind the scenes. At times you may go to the site and find an "Under Construction" message. Please be patient. It will be up and running as soon as some technological updates are made. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

     For those who wish to join ACSSW and find the website down, please click the Membership Application link below, download and complete it, and mail to the address at the bottom of this newsletter or fax it to: 1-224-649-4408.  If you have questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact me.

ACSSW asks that you "spread the word" that graduate students may join for FREE and enjoy membership through May 2011. If you are a graduate student, if you supervise graduate students, or if you educate graduate students, please let students know. There are no hidden fees.

Also, if you visit the ACSSW website to Get Connected, you can register for emails and a monthly drawing of professional books or gifts. Get Connected today!

Lastly, there will be no newsletter issued on 12/23 nor 12/30 due to the holiday break. Newsletters will resume on 1/6/2011.

Judith Shine, President

judie.shine@milwpc.com

ACSSW Membership Form

Practice Points

Children of the Undocumented:

Growing Up Under A Cloud

Urban Institute WEBCAST

Monday, December 6, 2010 · 9:00-10:30 a.m. ET

As politicians clash over what to do about the estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants here, educators, child-service organizations, and others must deal with the day-to-day developmental needs and well-being of the 5.1 million children of undocumented parents.

Nearly 80 percent of these young people are U.S.-born citizens. These children--7 percent of all kids in the country--live under a cloud because their parents can be arrested at any time, separated from them, and deported. Meanwhile, over a million undocumented children are themselves subject to expulsion.

This special forum will scan the demographics of the children of the undocumented, explore the developmental and educational challenges they face, discuss social and cultural barriers to integration, and debate how public policy and agencies can foster a healthy atmosphere for children living and learning here.

Webcast note:
You will need to register for the webcast on the same computer you will use to listen. You can register anytime up to and during the event. To access the webcast, go to the same link where you registered, http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=74653. The audio recording will be archived there immediately after the event.

Karen Elfner Childs on Measuring Fidelity of School-Wide Behavior Support

[This] project aims to increase the capacity of school districts to effectively address student behavior via a multi-tiered system of behavioral support implemented through a facilitated team-based process. Read more for "Lessons Learned" and resources.

The Expanding Vision of Positive Behavior Support:

Research Perspectives on Happiness, Helpfulness, Hopefulness

Abstract: Positive behavior support (PBS) represents an empirically driven concern with quality

of life (QOL), support through systems change, and linkage to multiple behavioral, social,

and biomedical sciences. The major impediments to QOL are problem behavior, skill deficits,

and dysfunctional systems. A model for addressing dysfunctional systems is presented, and its

relationship to issues of behavior maintenance and sustainability of intervention efforts is described. The expansion of PBS to new populations and venues will likely be facilitated by linking

this field to other disciplines . . . For full article, click here.

Leadership News

Leadership and Change

Organizations are reshaping themselves to change quickly in order to meet the needs of their customers. [This includes schools.] The organization's top leaders know they cannot throw money at every problem and that they need highly committed and flexible workers. As a leader, you need to emphasize action to make the change as quickly and smoothly as possible. Read more.

John Kotter: Four Ways to Kill a Good Idea

Someone is out to shoot down your best ideas. Do you know how to defend yourself? This book excerpt discusses four "attack strategies" from naysayers. Be a knowledgeable leader. Know what these strategies are.

Research Highlights

Project CORK

Subject bibliographies related to substance abuse and child welfare from the bibliographic database CORK. The references include journal articles, special reports, books, and book chapters. While not specific to school social work, these links provide access to information that can be used in school social work practice.

State Longitudinal Data Systems for Tracking Outcomes for Students with Disabilities through Postsecondary Activities

President Obama's administration has made the development of longitudinal data systems that are able to track individual students from prekindergarten through their postsecondary activities a key component of education reform. This brief policy analysis was designed to describe whether and how states are: (1) implementing longitudinal data systems for tracking the progress of individual K-12 students with disabilities across their academic careers up to and including postsecondary activities, and (2) integrating systems for tracking the progress of students with disabilities into a longitudinal data system for tracking the progress of all students across their academic careers including postsecondary activities.

ACSSW Activities

ACSSW, in conjunction with university professors and direct service practitioners, is involved in a number of activities that are designed to advance the profession while examining and applying the field of research in relation to school social work. It is the intent of ACSSW to facilitate the conversations and activities regarding research between and among academics and practitioners. This is being done with the purpose of strengthening the profession of school social work and facilitating research development and application.

As you are aware, the three major activities being promoted are (1) increasing research projects and their application within the school environment, (2) developing a national school social work role paper and, a more long-term goal, (3) establishing a National Center for School Social Work Research.

The first teleconference on increasing research projects and their applications was held this week on November 30th. Participants included researchers, professors, and practitioners from around the country. A second call was held today, December 2nd. Stay tuned for future developments. If you were unable to participate in either of the calls and would like more information or are interested in adding your talents to this effort, please contact me at judie.shine@milwpc.com or Michael Kelly, Ph.D., at mkell17@luc.edu.

Initial teleconference calls are being scheduled for January for persons interested in helping to develop a national school social work role paper, a much needed professional document. Again, if you are interested, be sure to contact me so that you can be notified of the date/time.

In the near future a Call for Proposals for the 2nd National School Social Work Research Summit will go out. This second national summit, to be held June 26-28 in the Chicago area, will have additional opportunities. This will be a forum in which to (1) learn about current research, (2) become familiar with research models you can apply in your setting and practice, and(3) showcase your projects to colleagues. Further details are pending. Watch this newsletter and the ACSSW website for more information.

Request for Research Assistance

An Examination of Homophobia and Social Work Practice Among a Sample of School Social Workers

Milka Ramírez, MSW, a member of the American Council for School Social Work and the School Social Work Association of America and a school social worker in Chicago, is conducting her doctoral research and would like you to participate in the 30 minute survey. Please take time to support this important research. Click the following link to participate in this essential work: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/homophobiaandsocialworkpractice2