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School Social Work NOW
Supporting Innovative Practice, Effective Leadership & Applied Research
May 2011 - Vol 1, Issue 29 |
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Greetings! | |
A reminder and plea to participate in the research projects listed under "Requests for Research Assistance." These are important additions to the work that is being done in the field of school social work. As a profession, we need to support this activity so that we can be better informed and able to demonstrate the effectiveness of our services. If you can't participate in all of the surveys, choose one or two and provide your input. It is very necessary and very much appreciated!
The interactive 2nd National School Social Work Research Summit, June 26th to 28th, is designed for you! It continues the theme of Transforming the Practice of School Social Work that was unveiled last year. This year's participants will explore and engage in dialogue around The Changing Role of School Social Work Practice which focuses on research-to-practice and practice-to-research.
This topic of school social work research needs to be explored and expanded in order to provide better, more effective services to students. Practitioners and researchers from across the country will provide information, ideas and help on how to do just this while engagine participants in the process. Visit the ACSSW website to read more and to download the brochure. On-line registration is available.
The Hilton Chicago Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, IL, is a lovely resort . Make your room reservations 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. .
Don't miss this unique professional development opportunity.
REGISTER NOW!
President
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Please Help Us Grow!! | |
If you appreciate this newsletter and have found an item or two of interest over these many weeks, please forward to a colleague. We do not track to whom you send this email, and it will help ACSSW to become more familiar to school social workers across the country. Thanks!!
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On the other hand, this e-newsletter may have been forwarded to you by a friend or colleague. If you would like to receive complimentary issues for a limited time, please click below. No invoice will be sent.
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Practice Points | |
Embedding - A Severe Type of Self-Harm
In a new study this week, doctors describe a form of self-injury among teenagers called self-embedding, which involves inserting objects into the skin or muscle. The researchers say embedding is on the spectrum of self-harming behaviors, but a much more severe form that appears to be linked to thoughts of suicide and major psychiatric disorders. "There's clearly a more severe intent to hurt themselves than cutting," said Dr. William Shiels, a radiologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and one of the authors of the study... All the patients were teenagers - most of them girls -- between 14 and 18 years old, and had come to the hospital because they had admitted embedding an object or because they ended up with an infection at the site... All the patients had bipolar disorder, which is a mood disorder marked by cycles of mania and depression. Most of the teens suffered additionally from post-traumatic stress disorder, and others also had depression, borderline personality disorder, or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder... The study, which is published in the journal Pediatrics, also found that 90 percent of those who self-embedded had thoughts of suicide. Learn more.
Staying Passionate: 5 Keys for Keeping the Soul in Our Work
Working in the social service world sometimes feels like finding your way through a maze. Navigating the political realities of an agency can be confusing or intimidating. At other times, dealing with the difficult personalities of colleagues, supervisors, or managers can be tiring, discouraging, and exasperating. Some clinical sessions with clients can leave you feeling confounded, with your back against the wall, not knowing which way to turn. Doubt can creep in and make you wonder, "Is change really possible?" "How can I keep doing this work?" "I feel like I have nothing left to give and I just want to quit!" Yes, these challenging realities can wear us down. However, they also have the opportunity to point us to the basics of what drew us into this work in the first place. Read the thoughtful suggestions by Patricia Berendsen.
RTI and PBS: Brothers from Different Mothers or Sisters with Different Misters?
This brief explains the similarities between RTI and Positive Behavior Support. It describes each within the context of a three-tier system and gives insight into what teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders should be doing at each level. It was written by Therese Sandomierski, Don Kincaid, and Bob Algozzine and released by the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Download entire brief. |
| Leadership News |
. . . James MacGregor Burns published a leadership book describing several different types of leaders and leadership styles. Two of the most important styles that Burns identified within his leadership theory were the transformational leadership and transactional leadership styles. Interestingly, Burns identified two other broader categories of leaders - amoral and moral leaders. For Burns, the amoral leader was not really a true leader at all. To be a leader, a person must be able to satisfy the motives of others. That is, the leader must find common ground with their followers and thereby help motivate them to action. To read more from Burns, click here. |
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| Research Highlights | |
Student and Teacher Safety in Chicago Public Schools The Roles of Community Context and School Social Organization
Conventional wisdom has long held that the level of safety in a school is a mirror of the community/neighborhood the school is located in. A new study done in the Chicago Public Schools calls this conventional wisdom into question, finding that the most critical factors in the safety level of a school is 1) the academic achievement levels of the students coming into the school, and 2) relationships of school adults with students. Read full report. |
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In the News | |
Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss Suit Seeking Equal Education for Special Needs Students
A federal judge [today] denied the Louisiana Department of Education's motion to dismiss a
lawsuit brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of thousands of New Orleans students with special needs. These students are denied access to New Orleans public schools and often pushed into schools unable to provide them with the educational services they are due under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Read more. |
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SSW Jobs Links | |
If linked-to page looks blank, scroll down.
New this week: Various Locations Monticello, MN Washington, CT
Hailey, ID
Continuing posts: Evanston, IL (summer) Hillsdale, NJ NYC Charter School
New York, NY (fluent bi-lingual; charter) NY, NY: Director of Student Services
Kankakee, IL Beach Park, IL Woodland Park, CO Prospect, CT (anticipated)
ConnecticutJobs Washington, DC Johnston, IA Tolleson, AZ (LCSW) Revere, MA
Woodstock, VT Sault Ste. Marie, MI |
| Requests for Research Assistance | |
Center for School Mental Health Survey for Educators
The Center for School Mental Health invites educators to participate in a study examining educators' training, experiences, and openness to support in working with students with mental health concerns. Findings from the study can be used to help mental health clinicians effectively support educators. You can participate by completing the online survey which asks questions about your training in working with students with mental health concerns, the types of student mental health concerns that you most often encounter, and your openness to various types of support for working with students with mental health concerns. It will take you approximately 5-10 minutes to complete the study. The deadline is May 13, 2011. Please email Sharon Stephan or call 410-706-0941 with questions or concerns about this study. To complete the survey, please click here.
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
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.
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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Grants & Funding | |
CVS: Caremark Community Grants
The CVS Caremark Community Grants Program is currently accepting proposals for programs targeting children with disabilities that address: health and rehabilitation services; a greater level of inclusion in student activities and extracurricular programs; opportunities or facilities that give greater access to physical movement and play; provision to uninsured individuals with needed care, in particular programs where the care received is of higher quality and delivered by providers who participate in accountable community health care programs. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: nonprofit organizations. Deadline: October 31, 2011. Learn more.
Nominations Invited for Mario Savio Young Activist Award
A cash prize of $6,000 will be given to a social change activist between the ages of 16 and 26 who is working within an organization or community effort to promote peace, human rights, economic or social justice, or freedom of speech. Deadline: June 30, 2011. For more click here.
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.
PTO Today: Parent Group of the Year
PTO Today's Parent Group of the Year Contest is an opportunity to showcase hard work while giving a school the chance to win cash and prizes. Maximum award: $3,000, plus a free DIRECTV system for the school, installed in up to eight rooms. Eligibility: all parent groups -- PTO, PTA, HSA, PTC, etc.; public and private schools; rural, suburban, and urban schools. Deadline: June 1, 2011.
Click for more.
NEA Foundation Nickelodeon K-8 Big Help Grant
Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to K-8 public school educators in the United States working on issues related to environmental awareness, health and wellness, students' right to a quality public education, and active community involvement. Deadline: June 1, 2011. Learn more.
Yes to Seed Fund and Whole Foods Market Offer K-12 School Garden Grants
Grants of up to $2,000 will be awarded to K-12 schools working to provide gardens that engage students in learning about nutrition and the importance of fruits and vegetables. The partners will provide Seed Fund Grants of $2,000 to schools in each of five participating Whole Foods regions in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, and five Starter Garden Grants of $500 to schools nationwide. Deadline: May 31, 2011. Click to apply. |
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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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