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School Social Work NOW
Supporting Innovative Practice, Effective Leadership & Applied Research
April 2011 - Vol 1, Issue 26 |
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| Greetings! | |
On-line registration 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!! Register now to take advantage of the $25 Early Bird discount. Standard rates go into effect on May 8th. See brochure for more rate details.
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. This year features:
Leticia Villarreal Sosa, Dominican University
Sandra Sarmiento and Jan Kutter,
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
Other practitioners from WY, IL and WI who are engaged in various types of service delivery models will also be sharing their experiences.
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.
President |
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SSW Jobs Links | |
New this week: New Haven, CT Minneapolis, MN
Hillsdale, NJ New York, NY (fluent bi-lingual; charter)
Continuing posts: Evanston, IL (summer)
Chaska, MN Washington, DC Tolleson, AZ (LCSW)
NY, NY: Director of Student Services Lawrence, MI
Kansas City, MO (p-t) NYC Charter School
Prospect, CT (anticipated) Johnston, IA Old Lyme, CT
St. Charles, IL Kankakee, IL Beach Park, IL
ConnecticutJobs
 
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Practice Points | |
NASW Code of Ethics Under Attack A Manifestation of the Culture War Within the Profession of Social Work
A review of a sample (n = 55) of professional Codes of Ethics reveals that the profession of social work is unique in taking the stance that social and political action are in the realm of professional responsibility. Recent criticism of the National Association of Social Workers'
Code of Ethics is framed as part of the culture war going on in society and this paper raises questions about the profession's role in perpetuating or perhaps ending the battle. Click for full article.
Embedding Bullying Interventions into a Comprehensive System of Student and Learning Supports
While everybody agrees that school bullying is a major problem, considerable controversy exists over the best way to address the problem. This issue of the Center's quarterly publication presents (a) a brief analysis and synthesis of the current state of the art, (b) underscores the need to avoid another piecemeal set of policy and practice initiatives, and (c) stresses that the growing emphasis on school bullying provides an opportunity to accelerate development of a comprehensive, multifaceted, and cohesive system of student and learning supports. Learn more. |
| Leadership News |
Stop Waiting for a Savior In an opinion piece in The New York Times, Timothy A. Hacsi writes that the real issue in district leadership is not a superintendent's background, but the excessive emphasis put on the notion of leadership itself rather than on empirical evidence about what improves education. Even as advocated fixes for schools change, the role of district leaders has gotten greater attention, and the selection process more political. School reform requires long-term efforts, but "instead we look for a George Washington to fix our schools through intelligence, strength of will and, more recently, going after the right enemies." The problem, Hacsi says, is the time we waste talking about how the last leader failed, how the current leader is struggling, how the next leader must succeed: "Until the headlines and our attention focus on what the research shows can directly improve school performance -- additional money, used wisely; longer school days; better-paid and better-prepared teachers; year-round schooling -- instead of the latest savior/soon-to-be-failure, we, like Ms. Black and Mr. Bloomberg, are missing the point." Read more. Related. |
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| Research Highlights |
Making Sure Children In Military Families Are Not Left Behind
Imagine attending nine schools before graudating from high school. Dealing with the emotional strain of having to end and restart friendships every year. Never establishing a lasting relationship with a favorite teacher. Being barred from participating in a favorite sport because you don't meet residency requirements. Further imagine the frustration of falling academically behind because completed courses in one state aren't credited in another. And all this is happening while mom or dad is on his or her fourth tour of military duty overseas.
For the 1.3 million children of military families currently enrolled in public schools, this world is not imaginary. It's a cost of national security that doesn't show up on spreadsheets. Yet many struggle through public schools that are unaware of--and unprepared for--the special challenges of the military lifestyle. Read more about these students and the work being done to support them.
Research Finds Benefits of Later School Start Times
Teen drivers who start school earlier in the morning may be prone to more automobile accidents, according to a new U.S. study. Students may not be so alert, the study suggests, since early school start times may promote sleep loss and daytime sleepiness . . . "We believe that high schools should take a close look at having later start times to align with circadian rhythms in teens and to allow for longer sleep times," said Vorona who is an associate professor of internal medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School. "Too many teens in this country obtain insufficient sleep. Increasingly, the literature suggests that this may lead to problematic consequences including mood disorders, academic difficulties and behavioral issues." Read more.
Adolescent Brain Development Tied to Resisting Peer Pressure
Just as preteens begin dealing with intensifying peer pressure, certain regions in the brain are actually developing in such a way as to increase the ability to stand firm against risky behavior, according to researchers at three West Coast institutions. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans were given twice to 24 girls and 14 boys from socioeconomically and ethnically diverse backgrounds, once at age 10 and again at age 13 (age 13 represented the transition from childhood into early adolescence). During each scan, the volunteers viewed photos of faces making neutral, angry, fearful, happy and sad expressions. Researchers did a comparison between the fMRI results taken at age 10 and then at age 13. They discovered a significant increase in activity in the ventral striatum and the ventral medial portion of the prefrontal cortex during this three year time period. Investigators also considered the participants' self-reports rating their own ability to withstand negative peer influences and avoid delinquent behavior... Researchers believe this study to be the first to report longitudinal fMRI findings regarding changes in the way the brain processes emotion during this critical time of brain development. The results seem to confirm the growing evidence that ventral striatum development during early adolescence is vital to emotional regulation carried out by the brain's prefrontal circuitry, the researchers concluded. Click here for full article. |
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In the News | |
New Resource: Center on Child Welfare Policy and Practice
A new research center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison promotes child and family well-being through interdisciplinary research and enhanced collaboration and communication among the researchers, policymakers and practitioners seeking best practices in preventing child maltreatment. The Center on Child Welfare Policy and Practice, a joint initiative of the School of Social Work (SSW) and the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP), provides a home base for longstanding efforts on behalf of vulnerable children in Wisconsin and the Midwest and the infrastructure needed to expand that work . . . Center researchers identify "what works" in child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention and share that empirical evidence with individuals and groups vested in reducing the incidence of child maltreatment and improving the circumstances of children and families served by child welfare systems. Learn more.
Risky Behavior Linked to Media Exposure
Exposure via the media to activities such as street racing, binge drinking, and unprotected sex is linked to risk-taking behaviors and attitudes, according to a new analysis of more than 25 years of research. The connection between risk taking and risk-glorifying media was found across differing research methods, media formats, and various forms of risky behaviors, according to an article published online in Psychological Bulletin. The effects are likely to occur both short- and long-term, while increased exposure is likely to be associated with increased risk taking, according to the study's lead author, Peter Fischer, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Regensburg in Germany. Click here for more. |
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Grants & Funding | |
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. |
| More Requests for Research Assistance | |
School Social Work & Delinquency
Your participation is requested in a national survey focusing on school social work and delinquency. The primary investigator, Dr. Lauri Goldkind, is an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Social Service at Fordham University. Her work focuses on the intersection of the juvenile justice and education systems. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and as a token of the researchers appreciation, they are offering a $5.00 Starbucks gift card to the first 250 respondents. If you have already responded to the survey via other means, thank you! Survey link: School Social Work and Delinquency
ONLY 20 MORE RESPONSES NEEDED!!
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
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 |
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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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