|
School Social Work NOW
Supporting Innovative Practice, Effective Leadership & Applied Research
April 2011 - Vol 1, Issue 25 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Greetings! | |
April is National Autism Awareness Month. You are encouraged to explore the websites of Autism Speaks and The Autism Society to become more informed and discover opportunities to get involved. Students with autism need and can benefit from the support of school social workers.
As has been promised, the brochure for the 2nd National Research-to-Practice Summit to be held June 26th-28th at the Hilton Chicago Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, IL, is READY!! This year, continuing the theme of Transforming the Practice of School Social Work unveiled last year, participants will explore and engage in dialogue around The Changing Role of School Social Work Practice, focusing on research to practice and practice to research. Take advantage of the Early Bird rates while they last!! On-line registration will be active in a few short days.
This year features:
Leticia Villarreal Sosa, Dominican University
Sandra Sarmiento and Jan Kutter, Team
East Aurora School District 131, IL
Laura Richard, Louisiana State University
Dena Radtke, Milwaukee Public Schools
Milka Ramirez, Chicago Public Schools
Ami Flammini, IL PBIS Network
Nic Dibble, WI State SSW Consultant
Read 2010's participant comments and review 2010 Summit Evaluation data. The opportunities to personally engage in this discussion and the National School Social Work Research Effort are abundant and are only limited by your time and prior commitments. Bring your research questions or projects and gain insights and skills by interfacing with colleagues and university level educators and researchers. School teams are encouraged to attend and enjoy a 10% Team Discount. See brochure for details.
Monday night, June 27th, will offer an optional opportunity to sample the "Big City" highlights of Chicago. Watch this newsletter and the ACSSW Website for updated information or contact us at Summit 2011 or Judie Shine.
Hilton Indian Lakes Resort room reservations may be made online. Enter Group/Convention Code: ACS to insure special Summit rate of $99/night. Reservations may also be made by calling 1-800-334-3417; use the code to identify the group. Hope to see you in June!!
President |
|
SSW Jobs Links | |
New this week: Lawrence, MI St. Charles, IL
ConnecticutJobs Fairfield, NJ Kankakee, IL
Beach Park, IL Tucson, AZ (.5 FTE, 2 positions)
Johnston, IA
Continuing posts: Evanston, IL (summer)
Old Lyme, CT Chaska, MN Washington, DC
NY, NY: Director of Student Services
Kansas City, MO (p-t) NYC Charter School
Tolleson, AZ (LCSW) Prospect, CT (anticipated)
 
 |
|
|
|
|
Practice Points |
Translating Research to Practice
". . . Implementing social work practices grounded in research has been the main theme of evidence-based practice (EBP) literature. This literature proposes two ways to overcome the research-practice disjuncture: Either find the best intervention that has a "seal of approval" and is "evidence-based," or use a process to find effective interventions (Rubin & Parrish, 2007). Either way, practitioners still seem very reluctant to implement research-based methods in their work. EBP attempts to better integrate research with social work practice and education." Read more.
Motivational Interviewing As a Counseling Style
"Motivational interviewing is a technique in which you become a helper in the change process and express acceptance of your client. It is a way to interact with substance-using clients, not merely as an adjunct to other therapeutic approaches, and a style of counseling that can help resolve the ambivalence that prevents clients from realizing personal goals. Motivational interviewing builds on Carl Rogers' optimistic and humanistic theories about people's capabilities for exercising free choice and changing through a process of self-actualization. The therapeutic relationship for both Rogerian and motivational interviewers is a democratic partnership. Your role in motivational interviewing is directive, with a goal of eliciting self-motivational statements and behavioral change from the client in addition to creating client discrepancy to enhance motivation for positive change (Davidson, 1994; Miller and Rollnick, 1991). Essentially, motivational interviewing activates the capability for beneficial change that everyone possesses (Rollnick and Miller, 1995). Although some people can continue change on their own, others require more formal treatment and support over the long journey of recovery. Even for clients with low readiness, motivational interviewing serves as a vital prelude to later therapeutic work." For complete Chapter, click here.
Multiple Responses, Promising Results: Evidence-Based, Nonpunitive Alternatives to Zero Tolerance
A recently published research brief by Child Trends . . . suggests that zero tolerance school discipline policies have not been proven effective by research and may have negative effects, making students more likely to drop out and less likely to graduate on time. Instead, the brief recommends the use of nonpunitive disciplinary action, such as behavior interventions, social skills classes, and character education. The brief is free and available online. |
| Leadership News |
This brief PowerPoint by Peter MacLeod, Director of Social Work, Renfrewshire Council (England), presents the changing role of leadership, the workforce's impact on that change, the culture of organizational leadership, and Action Learning. It is suitable for a brief SSW Board training session and is a good review of leadership in social work. Go to the website and scroll down to the presentation title. Click to open. |
|
| Research Highlights |
What Works for Promoting and Enhancing Positive Social Skills Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Programs and Interventions
"This Fact Sheet reviews 38 rigorously evaluated programs to identify what works to promote positive social skills among children and adolescents (such as getting along with others, expressing empathy to others, trying to resolve conflicts, and regulating emotions and behaviors). This literature review identifies practices that work, or do not work, to promote positive social skills. Most of these interventions include multiple components (for example, parent training, workshops and classroom-based curricula). For these interventions, it is not possible to determine the specific practices that are responsible for producing the impacts.
Overall, most (27 out of 38) of the program interventions that targeted positive social skills or measured impacts on social skills worked, that is, they significantly increased at least one social skill in children or adolescents. Of the interventions that worked, 11 have manuals. Among the remaining 11 interventions, eight had mixed reviews, and three had no statistically significant impacts." Read complete Fact Sheet.
Autism No Longer Skewed to Wealthier Kids
Poor U.S. children living in low-income neighborhoods are still underdiagnosed for autism, but not as badly as in the early 1990s, researchers suggest. Study co-author Peter S. Bearman of Columbia University and the director of the Paul F. Lazarsfeld Center for the Social Sciences, and colleagues examined birth and diagnostic records for all children born in California from 1992 to 2000. All children were tracked until June 2006 to allow ample time for diagnosis of autism. As the disorder became better known, the average age of autism diagnosis fell from 5.9 in 1992 to 3.8 of those born in 2000. "As knowledge has spread about autism, information is now more evenly distributed across different kinds of communities," Bearman said in a statement. "It is also easier to find someone who can diagnose autism, so we no longer see these huge differences in rates of diagnosis. However, it appears that poor kids living in poor neighborhoods still are not being diagnosed."... The study is published in the American Sociological Review. Read more. |
|
|
In the News | |
Girls Hit Puberty Earlier than Ever, and Doctors Aren't Sure Why
... About 15% of American girls now begin puberty by age 7, according to a study of 1,239 girls published last year in Pediatrics. One in 10 white girls begin developing breasts by that age - twice the rate seen in a 1997 study. Among black girls, such as Laila, 23% hit puberty by age 7. "Over the last 30 years, we've shortened the childhood of girls by about a year and a half," says Sandra Steingraber, author of a 2007 report on early puberty for the Breast Cancer Fund, an advocacy group. "That's not good." Girls are being catapulted into adolescence long before their brains are ready for the change - a phenomenon that poses serious risks to their health, says Marcia Herman-Giddens, an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill... Early puberty increases girls' odds of depression, drinking, drug use, eating disorders, behavioral problems and attempted suicide, according to the 2007 report. When these girls grow up, they face a higher risk of breast and uterine cancers, likely because they're exposed to estrogen for a longer period of time. For more, click here.
Study Measures Dropouts' Impact
If more people graduated high school instead of dropping out, many more homes and cars would be sold, thousands of jobs would be filled with qualified candidates and more money in general would flow throughout the country, according to a report released Tuesday by the Alliance for Excellent Education, a Washington-based think tank.
"The best economic stimulus is a high school diploma," Bob Wise, the president of the alliance and a former West Virginia governor, said in a statement. "From the individual student to the bank branch manager, new car salesman or Realtor, everyone wins when more students graduate from high school." For state specific information, read the full report. |
|
Grants & Funding | |
Alcoa Foundation and Institute for Civic Leadership Establish Alcoa Global Service Leaders Scholarship Program
The Alcoa Foundation, the corporate foundation of global aluminum producer Alcoa, has announced a partnership with the Institute for Civic Leadership to establish the Alcoa Global Service Leaders Scholarship Program. The new program invites students between the ages of 15 and 18 anywhere in the world to apply for full scholarships of up to $5,000 to attend ICL's 2011 Summer Academy, a comprehensive, two-week hands-on summer leadership program for students who have passion for leadership and service. The scholarship winners will have a unique opportunity to study and learn together at Dwight International School in Vancouver Island, Canada. Students will learn about sustainable leadership and will master key leadership skills through workshops, team-building exercises, games, and excursions. Deadline: April 22, 2011. Click for more details.
Captain Planet Foundation: Grants for the Environment
The Captain Planet Foundation funds hands-on environmental projects that encourage innovative programs that empower children and youth around the world to work individually and collectively to solve environmental problems in their neighborhoods and communities. Maximum award: $2,500. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline: June 30, 2011. For more information, click here.
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 Applications. |
| New Request for Research Assistance | |
School Social Workers and Reactive Attachment Disorder
Ms. Francesca Bautista is studying Reactive Attachment Disorder at the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse. If you are a social worker, please respond to this short 26 question survey regarding Reactive Attachment Disorder. The results will be used to assess current training and knowledge on Reactive Attachment Disorder. Reactive Attachment Disorder 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 here to participate: Factors Impacting School Social Workers.
ADHD and Collaboration Processes in Schools
"I am a doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice seeking school social workers in urban elementary school settings to complete an online survey about ADHD and collaboration processes in schools for use towards research for a doctoral dissertation. Participation is voluntary, confidential and anonymous. Completion of the survey takes approximately 10 minutes and can be done from any computer with internet access. If you are interested, or know of anyone who may meet the criteria for participation and would be interested in completing the survey, below you will find the link to a secure database for completion of the survey." For more information contact: Mery Diaz, LCSW, Doctoral Student, University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy and Practice Short survey link or Full survey link
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 |
|
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. |
|
|
