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School Social Work NOW
Supporting Innovative Practice, Effective Leadership & Applied Research
March 2011 - Vol 1, Issue 21 |
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Expression of Support | |
ACSSW wishes to extend deepest sympathies and expressions of support to the people and families of Japan affected by the recent tsunami, earthquake, and their related events, and to any school social workers who have concerns about loved ones in Japan. It is our sincere hope that all loved ones are safe and not subject to undue stress, harm, or loss. Click to find legitimate charities. |
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Training |
Evaluating Your Truancy Reduction Program
This 1.5 day training is offered in response to the many inquires . . . receive[d] from truancy program staff about how to measure the effectiveness of their programs. NCSE has designed this interactive training based on practical training experience, lessons learned about truancy reduction and expertise in research and evaluation. April 14-15, Denver, CO |
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| Greetings! | |
The Luck o' the Irish to You! Have fun on St. Paddy's Day whether on Spring Break or in the trenches. They say today everyone is a bit Irish!
But sometimes even being a wee bit Irish can not help. The governor of Illinois wants to consolidate the state's 868 school districts down to 368. California has pink slipped (sent lay-off notices to) nearly 19,000 teachers and educational personnel. Wisconsin's governor proposes an estimated $1.7 billion less for schools over the next two years compared to what could be expected under current law. Within the last two years Idaho has slashed more than $2 million from the school budget and continues to cut programs and services. New York City is looking at 4,675 lay-offs with some thought that they will hit the poorest neighborhoods hardest. In Florida, the governor's budget cuts per-student funding by nearly 10.2 per cent. Sound familiar? Public education is under siege.
Although we are not public school teachers, clearly school social workers are not immune to the severe funding cuts and layoffs that are now occurring across the country. Generally, when districts need to cut they look to indirect services prior to initiating teacher cuts. While the thinking is understandable, it is not sound. ACSSW encourages all school social workers--in public schools or in universities--to stay abreast of the events surrounding school budgets and overall state budgets. Whether your personal stance is to support the cuts or not, be aware of the issues and act within your capacity to support your beliefs: write letters, make phone calls, participate in debate, join marches, VOTE. Mahatma Gandhi said: "You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result." The Hilton Chicago Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, IL is the setting of the 2nd National Research-to-Practice Summit will be held June 26th-28th. Features this year include a panel discussion and interactive dialogue on the Changing Role of the School Social Worker. Confirmed panelists to date include noted school social work researcher and professor, Dr. Andy Frey, and a social worker/administrator team, Sandra Sarmiento and Jan Kutter, Assistant Director of Student Services, from East Aurora School District 131, Aurora, IL. Ms. Sarmiento and Ms. Kutter have--and are--transforming the role of the school social worker in their district. There will be breakouts in addition to other panels on projects being done within school districts from across the county by school social work practitioners!! These projects are pertinent to the work school social workers engage in every day and will help participants to understand the usefulness of this type of work.
The opportunities to personally engage in this discussion and the National Research Effort are abundant and are only limited by your time and other commitments. This Summit is a forum in which to (1) learn about current research projects, (2) become familiar with research models you can apply in your setting and practice, and (3) showcase your projects to colleagues. Monday night will offer an opportunity to sample big city highlights in the city of Chicago! Plan to join your colleagues for this unique Summit experience and enjoyable leisure times! School teams are encouraged to attend. Watch this newsletter and the ACSSW Website for more information.
Please contact ACSSW if you have questions, concerns, or ideas on how to improve the newsletter. Your ideas and contributions are very welcome. President |
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SSW Jobs Links | |
Brookfield, CT (p-t; long-term sub) Old Lyme, CT
Windham, ME Kansas City, MO (p-t) Tolleson, AZ (LCSW)
Burlington, VT Demarest, NJ Illinois Jobs
Park Ridge, IL (sign-in to access job bank)
Huntington Station, NY South Minneapolis, MN |
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Practice Points |
 School Social Workers and Urban Education Reform with African American Children and Youth: Realities, Advocacy, and Strategies for Change After over 40 years of education reform policies and strategies, America continues its need for systemic education reform. The greatest challenge confronting the nation remains within large urban metropolises where large numbers of minority students attend underfunded and low-performing schools with low standardized test scores and high dropout rates. African American children and youth constitute over 50% of all students in urban school systems. The social work profession has a long history of advocacy with urban minority students dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. Yet, the appropriate body of knowledge that either conceptually or empirically documents practice methods by school social workers practicing within urban school settings with African American students does not exist. In a solution-oriented presentation with implications for school social work practice, advocacy, and research, the author will first review past and present education reform measures. The discussion then turns to ways in which the social work profession can address major issues of education reform with a clear understanding of the educational needs of urban African American children and youth using macro, mezzo, and micro practice measures. Read full article. The Influence of Play Therapy on Classroom Management While written for play therapists, this article is consistent with the skills and expertise of school social workers. "Effective classroom management is not simply about intervention strategies. A positive teacher-student relationship is essential for both responding to and preventing behavior issues. This article summarizes current thinking on classroom management, provides information and research supporting the importance of teacher-student relationship and presents a sample of effective strategies for managing classroom behaviors." For this article and more go to Liana Lowenstein's website. |
| Leadership News |
. . . Understanding leadership in the social work profession has become increasingly important as the profession itself has changed. Social, cultural, economic, political, and demographic factors are creating changes in human service delivery systems as the social work profession has become increasingly more diverse, more market driven, more research oriented, and more complex (Austin, 1997b; Cooke, Reid, & Edwards 1997; Ginsberg & Keys, 1995; Stoesz, 1997). Globalization, managed care, computerization, the Internet, welfare reform, privatization, diversity, and the increasing gap between the rich and the poor are just some of the macro forces currently affecting social work practice. Additionally, Allen-Meares and DeRoos (1997) state that American society views the social work profession with ambivalence, and the political environment is hostile toward the profession. Austin (1995) points out that "human services executives must balance competing definitions of effectiveness that lack explicit criteria for measurement" (p. 1653). Click for the complete article. |
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| Research Highlights | |
Adolescent Borderline Personality Disorder and Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Previous research supports the reliability and validity of using Borderline Personality Disorder with adolescents. There are numerous treatment options for the disorder, but outcome studies indicate the best results are achieved with Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). In this article, the literature surrounding adolescent BPD will be reviewed, followed by a summary of the model of DBT that is used with adolescents and their families. The author [also explores] the fit between DBT and social work. Read more.
Why Do We Need [School] Social Work Research?
Social work research informs professional practice. Through social work research, the profession can:
- Assess the needs and resources of people in their environments
- Evaluate the effectiveness of social work services in meeting peoples needs
- Demonstrate relative costs and benefits of social work services
- Advance professional education in light of changing contexts for practice
- Understand the impact of legislation and social policy on the clients and communities we serve Read more from the Social Work Policy Institute.
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National Social Work News | |
Congressional Social Work Caucus Born
On March 15th US Rep. Ed Towns (NY), along with national social work leaders and other social workers in Congress, reintroduced the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr., Social Work Reinvestment Act. Also introduced was the Congressional Social Work Caucus. This bipartisan group will serve to maintain and strengthen social work in the U.S. and to inform and educate national legislators on areas that pertain to social work.
School Social Workers Improving Student Success Act Introduced
On March 16th, US Rep. Gwen Moore (WI) introduced legislation that would help schools hire or keep school social workers. School social workers provide a range of services to students from counseling to crisis intervention to addressing truancy. Students who benefit from school social workers face multiple issues at home and school, including disability, poverty, abuse, teen pregnancy, drug addiction, bullying, or more. Moore, a long-standing advocate for students stated that "school social workers have a proven track record of helping students overcome obstacles . . ." ACSSW encourages all school social workers and those interested in "improving student success" to contact their congressperson requesting him/her to co-sponsor this bill. For more, click here. |
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In the News |
Classroom Environment May Affect Kids' Mental Health
First-grade classrooms with poor environments -- not enough resources, teachers who feel disrespected by colleagues -- have been linked to a higher number of mental health problems in students, according to a new study. The study doesn't prove that classrooms that face more challenges directly cause mental health problems in kids. However, "being in a classroom with a lack of resources might adversely impact children's mental health because children are frustrated or disheartened by their surroundings," said study lead author Melissa A. Milkie, a sociology professor at the University of Maryland. Milkie said the study shows that schools and teachers play important roles in children's mental health. "I think parents care a lot about their children's mental health -- their emotional and behavioral well-being -- but we as a society don't tend to focus on that as an important educational outcome nearly as much as we talk about and think about academic outcomes," Milkie said. Click here for more. |
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Grants & Funding | IES Releases FY2012 Funding Announcement for Six Grant Competitions in Education Research and Training Connecting Research, Policy and Practice
IES has released FY2012 funding announcements for grant competitions in education and special education research and training. The six competitions are: Education Research Grants (84.305A); Special Education Research Grants (84.324A); Postdoctoral Research Training Program in the Education Sciences (84.305B); Postdoctoral Research Training Program in Special Education (84.324B); Statistical and Research Methodology in Education (84.305D); and Evaluation of State and Local Education Programs and Policies (84.305E). The Request for Applications for each competition is available at http://ies.ed.gov/funding/. IES will announce additional competitions in late March. |
| New Request for Research Assistance | |
New Survey: Factors Impacting School Social Workers
FBAs and BIPs are "naturals" for school social workers. Your participation in this brief 10 minute survey would further the knowledge base about and of school social workers. Dan Koonce, PhD, Technical Assistance Coordinator with the Illinois State Technical Assistance Center-PBIS Network, is principal investigator on this study. If you choose to participate, you will be asked to respond to items regarding the activities you are engaged in as a school social worker. Please read the Consent Form, which explains the experimental procedures and your participation in more detail. Click hear to participate: Factors Impacting School Social Workers.
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: Homophobia & Social Work |
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ACSSW Activities | |
ACSSW's present major activities include:
- increasing research projects and their application within the school environment,
- developing a national school social work role paper,
- a more long-term goal, establishing a National Center for School Social Work Research, and,
- developing the 2nd National School Social Work Research Summit to be held June 26-28 in Bloomingdale, IL, at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort.
If you have interest in assisting with one or more of these projects, don't hesitate to contact Judie Shine. ACSSW strives to be inclusive and transparent in all of its activities and welcomes the participation, whether short or lengthy, of its members. |
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