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School Social Work NOW
Supporting Innovative Practice, Effective Leadership & Applied Research
July 2011 - Vol 1, Issue 36 |
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Professional Development Opportunities | |
This link includes state, national and international professional development opportunities.
Professional Development Opportunities
If you represent an organization with PDOs of interest to school social workers, please contact us with details. We will consider each request in terms of relevancy, timing, and interest level. |
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Greetings! | |
Summer is swiftly passing by and, as you enjoy the break from the hectic pace of school social work, here are a few things to think about and perhaps act upon.
The 2nd National School Social work Research Summit, The Changing Role of School Social Work Practice, held near Chicago in late June was an exciting and informative experience. Participants gained useful and applicable tips and knowledge related to research and practice and can bring new tools to their districts and buildings. In addition, genuine dialogue between practitioners, university educators and researchers benefited all and new relationships were forged.
Handouts from the 2011 Summit will soon be available on the ACSSW website to Summit participants. Watch for an email with password information.
Planning for the 2012 Summit is already underway. It will again be held at the lovely Hilton Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, IL. Dates are still being determined but are expected to be in late June once again. Start to plan now for another professional experience that asks you to share your talents and practice wisdom in an active way!!
George Williams College in Williams Bay, WI, invites you to attend the Doctor of Social Work Information Session on Saturday, July 16, 2011. It is located in southeastern WI on Lake Geneva. This information session will begin at 11:30 am with a light lunch served. If you have interest in attending or receiving an information packet about the DSW program please email Carole Peters, admission counselor, office phone 815-337-6041.
NASW is seeking input on its draft of Standards for School Social Work Services. This is an opportunity to weight in on this important issue. See article and link to comments under "Practice", below.
If you have ideas or comments regarding what you'd like to see in next year's e-letter issues, don't hesitate to contact us. Send your thoughts to: Ideas and Comments.
Do enjoy your well-earned Summer respite. Relax, have fun, and gear up for another exciting year in 2011-2012!!
Judith Kullas Shine
President |
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Practice Points |
NASW is developing Standards for School Social Work Services and needs your help in ensuring that the revised standards are relevant to current practice. Please review the draft standards and provide feedback using the form found at the link. The public comment period ends at 11 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on September 2, 2011. This is your opportunity to contribute to the growth and ethics of school social work. Visit the link now.
What Is Practice Research in Social Work?
Abstract: Practice is subject to increasing pressure to demonstrate its ability to achieve outcomes required by public policy makers. As part of this process social work practice has to engage with issues around advancing knowledge-based learning processes in a close collaboration with education and research based perspectives. This has given rise to approaches seeking to combine research methodology, field research and practical experience. Practice research is connected to both "the science of the concrete" - a field of research oriented towards subjects more than objects and "mode 2 knowledge production" - an application-oriented research where frameworks and findings are discussed by a number of partners. Practice research is defined into two approaches: practice research - collaboration between practice and research - and practitioner research - processes controlled and accomplished by practitioners. The basic stakeholders in practice research are social workers, service users, administrators, management, organisations, politicians and researchers. Accordingly, practice research is necessarily collaborative, involving a meeting point for different views, interests and needs, where complexity and dilemmas are inherent. Instead of attempting to balance or reconcile these differences, it is important to respect the differences if collaboration is to be established. The strength of both practice and research in practice research is to address these difficult challenges. The danger for both fields is to avoid and reject them. Full article.
Promoting Identification with School Among Latino Youth
Much of the research on academic achievement among Latino youth presents data that document low levels of school success, high drop-out rates, and low levels of college completion (Kewal Ramani, Gilbertson, Fox, & Provasnik, 2007). According to results from the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP), Latinos in middle school have significant gaps in reading and mathematics achievement as compared with their non-Hispanic white and Asian student counterparts (Kewal Ramani, Gilbertson, Fox, & Provasnik, 2007). The educational disparities faced by Latino children and youth in the United States begin in early schooling experiences and persist throughout all levels of education (it is important to note that "Latino" and "Hispanic" are used interchangeably here, as both terms are frequently used in the literature to refer to individuals of Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and South and Central American descent who are residing in the U.S.). Read more. |
| Leadership News | |
 Ethical Leadership: What Is It Really?
There has been much discussion regarding the apparent lack of ethics in leaders of public and private organizations, and elected officials. This commentary proposes a foundation that can be used to establish a standard for ethical leadership. The commentary is grounded in classical ethical theories that can be applied to today's leaders. The author concludes that ethical leaders will not compromise the good of the whole for the privilege of a select few. If leaders keep this in the forefront of their leadership and decision-making, it is likely we will see a rise in ethical leadership. It will not be necessary to define ethical leadership in words. Instead it will be demonstrated by our leaders. Read more beginning on page 34.
Perception is Reality: Your Strengths Matter
Perception is reality. While you perceive yourself to be an effective leader even under stress, do your colleagues share this perception of you? Your perception of effective leadership may be shared by others who work with you. People in leadership may see a relationship between "leaders in title" and "leaders in action" from their own experiences, but this is not guaranteed. Understanding
yourself is imperative. Embracing your strengths and appreciating others' perceptions of you help you to be a better leader. Possessing a keen sense of self will help you to be an authentic leader and provide insights about what makes you stand out to others. While not all leaders possess distinguishable leadership traits or skill sets, certain commonalities are expected from all leaders. Take the time to know yourself by investing in assessments and candid discussions designed to
embrace the leader that you are in your heart and mind. Learn more. |
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Research Highlights |
Researchers studying autistic toddlers have discovered their brain activity appears to be out of sync at a very early stage -- a finding that sheds light on the biology of the condition and might help in earlier diagnosis. In research published in the journal Neuron, scientists in Israel used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to look at the brains of sleeping toddlers and found that certain types of neural activity are disrupted in autistic children, but not in typical children or in others with delayed language development. "What we looked at is how the activity is synchronized," Ilan Dinstein of Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, who led the study, said in a telephone interview. "And we found that the synchronization was different -- specifically in toddlers with autism and across the hemispheres (of the brain) in areas related to language and communication." Click here for more.
Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools
According to this report, middle schools reported 40 incidents of violence per 1,000 students compared to 21 incidents per 1,000 students in both high schools and elementary schools in 2009-10. Full report. |
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In the News | |
For Roma Children, Schools Still Separate but Unequal
In the film "Our School," filmmaker Mona Nicoura follows Roma students as they integrate into a mainstream Romanian school. Learn more about the background of the Roma people, take a hard look at the unequal experiences of Roma children in schools across Eastern Europe and find out how you can take action -- all in Laura Varlas' recent Whole Child blog post. Read the full post.
Mental Problems of US Soldiers' Kids Tied to War
The longer U.S. soldiers were deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan, the more likely their children would be diagnosed with mental health problems, according to a study published Monday. The study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, analyzed medical records of 307,520 children of active-duty Army personnel, aged 5 to 17 years old. It found almost 17 percent of them exhibited mental health problems. "Children of parents who spent more time deployed between 2003 and 2006 fared worse than children whose parents were deployed for a shorter duration," the study's researchers wrote... The children whose parents deployed at least once, for an average of 11 months, as part of the U.S. Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan were especially likely to suffer from adjustment, behavioural, depressive or stress disorders than those whose parents never went to war, the study found. Boys were more likely to have mental health problems than girls, according to the report, which reviewed records for patients cared for at military medical facilities and at civilian facilities using military medical insurance. Click here for more.
Preschool Benefits Last Into Adulthood, Study Says
One of the largest and longest follow-up studies on preschool finds its enduring benefits last well into adulthood, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. Better jobs, less drug abuse, and fewer arrests are among advantages identified by the study, recently published online in the journal Science, which tracked more than 1,000 low-income, mostly black Chicago kids for up to 25 years. Chicago's intensive Child-Parent Center Education Program is ongoing and publicly funded, and focuses on language development, scholastic skills, and building self-confidence. It involves one or two years of half-day preschool, and up to four additional years of educational and family services in grade school. Preschool teachers have college degrees and are certified in early childhood education, and parents are encouraged to be involved in the classes. The study's lead researcher, Arthur Reynolds of the University of Minnesota, said the average cost per child for 18 months of preschool in 2011 is $9,000, but his cost-benefit analysis suggests at least $90,000 in benefits per child in terms of increased earnings, tax revenue, less criminal behavior, reduced mental health costs, and other measures. "No other social program for children and youth has been shown to have that level of return on investment," he said. Read more.
Report Indicates an "Epidemic" of Substance Abuse Among Minors
One in four youths who used addictive substances, such as drugs and alcohol, before age 18 became addicted compared to only one in 25 who began use at age 21 and older, according to a study. The report suggests that substance use has reached an "epidemic" level among minors, with 75% of high school students having already tried such substances. "The combination of adolescence, an American culture that glorifies and promotes substance use, and easy access to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs creates a perfect storm for our teens and for taxpayers," said Jim Ramstad of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. Continue.
Controversial Overhaul for MI Schools
The MI Governor has created a statewide school district aimed at reforming the worst public schools by putting them into an independent system. Among the biggest changes are devoting 95 percent of school funding into the classroom. The school principal will make hiring and firing decisions. The changes will go into effect for the 2012-13 school year and focus on 34 failing schools in Detroit. Read more. |
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SSW Jobs Links | |
If linked-to page looks blank, scroll down.
Continuing posts: Chicago Public Schools ConnecticutJobs Oxford, MI Williston, VT Milan, TN (scroll down) |
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Call for Poster Sessions and Media Presentations | |
OJJDP Seeks Presenters for National Conference Poster Sessions and Media Presentations
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) calls for poster and media presentations for its upcoming national conference, "Children's Justice and Safety: Unite, Build, Lead." The conference will be held on October 12-14, 2011, at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD.
The poster session will feature visual presentations of recent program initiatives, research findings, and other information of interest and importance to the juvenile justice, delinquency prevention, and victimization communities. The media room will feature audiovisual materials (including TV and/or Internet-based PSAs, news segments, and training videos) from OJJDP-funded initiatives and programs. Submissions must be postmarked on or before Friday, August 5, 2011.
OJJDP Conference Information. |
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Grants & Funding | |
National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) Research & Development Competition
The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) FY 2012 Research and Development Center Competition announces a research and development competition.
Topics include:
1. Interventions for Families of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders;
2. Interventions for Families of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders;
3. School-Based Interventions for Secondary Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders; and
4. Reading Instruction for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students;
For more information about these funding opportunities, please see the Request for Applications (RFA) and contact the appropriate program officer listed.
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.
Sodexo Foundation and Youth Service America Invite Applications for Youth-Led Children's Hunger Volunteer Projects
Twenty-five $500 grants will be awarded to volunteer projects that address the issue of childhood hunger at the community level and are conducted by young people between the ages of 5 and 25 who live in the United States. Deadline: September 16, 2011. Link to Complete RFP. |
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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 3rd National School Social Work Research Summit to be held in late June 2012 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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