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School Social Work Now!
Supporting Innovative Practice, Effective
Leadership & Applied Research
October 2011 - Vol 2, Issue 8 |
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Bookmark These |
Some Free, Some Not
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Greetings! | |
New Orleans, here we come!
ACSSW will host a first-ever Louisiana based school social work conference in exciting New Orleans from January 30-31, 2012! In collaboration with the Louisiana Department of
Education, Tulane University, Louisiana State University, and school social work leaders, this interactive conference will bring knowledgeable presenters on action research, evidence-based SSW practice, trauma and violence in schools, ethics and boundaries, psychotropic medications, LGBTQ issues, and more. Check out the details on Evolving Roles in School Social Work Practice in the New Orleans Conference Brochure.
Room reservations can be made at the Drury Inn & Suites, New Orleans for a low $104/night, single through quad. The conference price is available 3 days before and after Monday, January 30th, so plan to come early--spend the weekend exploring the wonderful city of New Orleans. And be sure to check out the amenities and free services at the Drury. To insure availability during the pre-Mardi Gras festivities, secure reservations by January 15th--or sooner! See more details in the brochure.
Learn about Free Things to Do in New Orleans and start planning your trip now. Bring the family! Here, in this little corner of the American South, where European traditions blend with Caribbean influences, the history is as colorful as the architecture; the food is the stuff of legend. New Orleans is ...The Crescent City ...a sportsman's paradise ... the birthplace of Jazz ... a place like no other.
Judith Kullas Shine
President |
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Professional Development Opportunities |
It's Fall!! And that means it's time to take advantage of one or more of the many professional growth opportunities across the country. This link includes state, national and international professional development opportunities. New events are added several times a month. If you represent an organization with PDOs of interest to school social workers, please contact ACSSW with details. All submissions will be considered for posting based upon relevance, timing, and interest level.
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Recommended Read for November | |
School Social Work: An Evidence-Informed Framework for Practice
by M. Kelly, J. Raines, S. Stone
& A. Frey
Reviews at Oxford University Press
"This text will become an instant classic for its scholarship and readability. Each chapter is filled with information for improving school social work practice using the available research evidence at every level of intervention. In this extraordinarily engaging practice book, Kelly and colleagues show practitioners the process for asking important questions about what constitutes effective school social work practice and provide specific strategies for practitioners to use when improving their practices." -Cynthia Franklin, PhD, Professor and Stiernberg/Spencer Family Professor in Mental Health, University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work
"School Social Work is a timely and valuable resource for school social work students and practitioners. The authors of this book draw upon their extensive experience as school social work practitioners, educators, and scholars to provide practitioners and students with a process for bridging the gap between research and practice. Their chapter on iatrogenic effects is notable since this topic is rarely addressed in school social work practice texts." -David R. Dupper, PhD, Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Tennessee
Oxford Univ. Press-SSW/Kelly Better World Books-SSW/Kelly |
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Practice Points | |
Abstract
Summary This article examines and discusses the research field of children exposed to domestic violence, a field which has greatly expanded during the last 10 years. The author presents an overview of this research, discusses its implications, and describes future challenges and contemporary knowledge gaps.
Findings The author argues that the field is dominated by studies that a) are quantitative, b) use the mothers as the informant and c) are represented by traditional psychology and social medicine, rather than social work. These studies have found substantial support for the negative emotional and behavioral consequences that children exposed to domestic violence suffer. However, many questions and problems remain unanswered. These questions include both the research field itself and the need for new approaches such as qualitative research including the voice of the child, longitudinal studies, and questions regarding methodology and research ethics.
Applications The author argues that there is a need for more qualitative research in general and social work research in particular. The implications for social work practice and policy are discussed. Read complete article.
Children, Adolescents and Psychotropic Medications
Few issues in health care generate more heat than the growing use of psychotropic medications among children and adolescents. Science, culture, politics and values collide in a fireball of beliefs, policies and practices that, like so much else in modern American life, flame out between two opposing poles: those who believe these medications can unlock the full potential of children to grow up and lead healthy, productive lives; and those who believe their increasing use represents the "medicalization" of normal behavior in children without considering the long-term biological and socio-cultural consequences. Many Americans have neither the time nor patience to endure the heat. It's easier to drift to the poles, to systems of fixed belief, than to sort through the complexity embedded in the central question: More children and adolescents are taking psychotropic medications. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Well, it depends. Exactly what it depends on is the subject of this Arizona Health Futures Issue Brief. Click here for complete report.
Childhood Poverty Among Hispanics Sets Record, Leads Nation
The spread of poverty across the United States that began at the onset of the Great Recession of 2007-2009 and accelerated last year hit one fast-growing demographic group especially hard: Latino children. More Latino children are living in poverty -- 6.1 million in 2010 -- than children of any other racial or ethnic group. This marks the first time in U.S. history that the single largest group of poor children is not white. In 2010, 37.3% of poor children were Latino, 30.5% were white and 26.6% were black, according to an analysis of new data from the U.S. Census Bureau by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center. Learn more. |
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Leadership News | |
This report is the largest to date to confirm through quantitative data that effective school leadership is linked to student achievement. Principals are the central figures in leadership, this study concludes, but top schools also benefit from a "collective leadership" that includes teachers and others in decision-making. Access the full report here. Executive Summary. |
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Research Highlights | |
Cognitive therapy is a treatment process that enables patients to correct false self-beliefs that can lead to negative moods and behaviors. The fundamental assumption is that a thought precedes a mood; therefore, learning to substitute healthy thoughts for negative thoughts will improve a person's mood, self-concept, behavior, and physical state. Studies have shown that cognitive therapy is an effective treatment for depression and is comparable in effectiveness to antidepressants and interpersonal or psychodynamic therapy. The combination of cognitive therapy and antidepressants has been shown to effectively manage severe or chronic depression. Cognitive therapy also has proved beneficial in treating patients who have only a partial response to adequate antidepressant therapy. Good evidence has shown that cognitive therapy reduces relapse rates in patients with depression, and some evidence has shown that cognitive therapy is effective for adolescents with depression. Read more.
Abstract: In this paper I [Professor Stanley L. Witkin] raise some questions about current understandings of practice research and whether they are worth pursuing. In particular, the notion of a gap between practice and research is examined in terms of how it constricts thinking about this issue. I also attempt to explicate some of the less examined assumptions associated with practice research. Finally, I suggest that we embrace multiplicity, not by trying to accommodate all views under the practice research umbrella, but by accepting that there will be many versions of practice research that will have differential appeal. Full article. |
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In the News | |
Robots to Help Children with Autism
. . . Researchers at the Robotics Research Lab at University of Southern California have created studies for children with autism to interact and play with Bandit, a small human-like robot with movable eyebrows and mouth, and motion sensors that allow him to back away or move forward. The designers hoped to create a balance between human and robot so that he is approachable and engaging without being too realistic or intimidating.
"In autism, there was already anecdotal evidence that children with autism often respond favorably to robots and show social behaviors they do not display with unfamiliar people," Maja Mataric, co-director of the Robotics Research Lab at USC, told ABCNews.com. "Some work had already been done with toy-like robots before we got involved in the research. We were specifically interested in using human-like child-sized robots which would serve as peers, not toys, in the interaction with children." More.
As Brain Changes So Can IQ
A teenager's IQ can rise or fall as many as 20 points in just a few years, a brain-scanning team found in a study published Wednesday that suggests a young person's intelligence measure isn't as fixed as once thought. The researchers also found that shifts in IQ scores corresponded to small physical changes in brain areas related to intellectual skills, though they weren't able to show a clear cause and effect. "If the finding is true, it could signal environmental factors that are changing the brain and intelligence over a relatively short period," said psychologist Robert Plomin at Kings College in London, who studies the genetics of intelligence and wasn't involved in the research. "That is quite astounding." ... But the new findings by researchers at University College London, reported online in Nature, suggest that IQ, often used to predict school performance and job prospects, may be more malleable than previously believed-and more susceptible to outside influences, such as tutoring or neglect. "A change in 20 points is a huge difference," said the team's senior researcher, Cathy Price, at the university's Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging. Indeed, it can mean the difference between being rated average and being labeled gifted-or, conversely, being categorized as substandard. Complete article here.
ADHD Guidelines Expanded
Primary care physicians should begin evaluating children for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at age 4 and continue through age 18, according to a new clinical guideline from the American Academy of Pediatrics. An accumulation of evidence in recent years has enabled diagnosis and management of ADHD in a broader pediatric population. Earlier versions of the guidelines covered children ages 6 to 12. Read more on this controversial decision. |
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Research Survey Request for Assistance | |
Bibliotherapy & School Social Workers
I am a doctoral student at Dominican University's Graduate School of Library and Information Science, River Forest, Illinois. I am seeking school social workers to complete an online survey about bibliotherapy for use towards research for a doctoral dissertation. For the purposes of this research bibliotherapy is defined as the use of books or other reading materials (poetry, magazines, comic books, etc) to assist with the counseling process. Participation is voluntary, confidential and anonymous. Completion of the survey should take approximately 30 minutes and can be done from any computer with internet access. If you are an interested social worker, or know of a school social worker who would be interested, the survey link is below. For more information, contact: Elizabeth Garcia, Doctoral Student, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Dominican University. Thank you in advance for your participation. Bibliotherapy Survey Link
Survey on Substance Abuse Prevention and Collaboration Seeks Participants
The Partnership at Drugfree.org is conducting a survey to increase understanding of the best way to develop collaborations between law enforcement, substance abuse prevention agencies, and educators to prevent teens and young adults from engaging in substance abuse. Results will inform the development of a substance abuse collaboration training manual that will be free and available to participants and interested communities. The survey is funded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Take the survey online. |
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Grants & Funding | | ING Unsung Heroes Award
ING Unsung Heroes began in 1995as a way for ING to demonstrate its commitment to the education community. Grants are given to K-12 educators utilizing new teaching methods and techniques that improve learning. Each year, educators submit applications for an ING Unsung Heroes grant by describing projects they have initiated or would like to pursue. Each project is judged on its:
innovative method, creativity, and ability to positively influence the students. All K-12 education professionals, whether or not they are clients of ING, are eligible. Specifically, these individuals must be: (1) Employed by an accredited K-12 public or private school located in the United States, or (2) Full-time educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, orclassified staff with effective projects that improve student learning. Deadline: April 30, 2012. Details here.
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Invites Applications for Dissertation Fellowships in Education
The fellowships are intended to support doctoral students for work done after the successful defense of their dissertations. Although applicants must be candidates for a doctoral degree at a graduate school in the United States, they need not be U.S. citizens. Applications are encouraged from a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to education, sociology, economics, psychology, statistics, and psychometrics.
The fellowship is a one-time award of up to $25,000, which may be used for a period of not less than nine months and up to eighteen months. Four fellowships will be awarded. Complete program information and the application form are available at the Cooke Foundation Web site. Deadline: February 3, 2012. Link to complete RFP.
Libri Foundation: Books for Children
TheLibri Foundation Books for Children Grants donate new, quality, hardcover children's books for small, rural, public libraries across the country. Maximum award: varies. Eligibility: Libraries should be in a rural area, have a limited operating budget, and an active children's department. The average total operating budget of a Books for Children grant recipient must be less than $40,000. Deadline: January 23, 2012. Application Guidelines.
NEA Myra Sadker Student and Teacher Awards
The Myra Sadker Foundation supports educational equity efforts for students and teachers to advance social justice. Myra Sadker was a pioneer in creating fair classrooms for all students. These awards build upon her work. Teacher Awards fund a lesson, unit, or project that promotes fairness and human dignity. Student Awards fund projects or activities proposed by students of any age that promote the goals of the Myra Sadker Foundation. Dissertation Awards are designed to financially support doctoral level dissertations that explore or promote educational equity. Deadline: December 1, 2011. More. Sadker Foundation Website. |
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ACSSW Activities | |
ACSSW's present activities include:
- increasing research projects and their application within the school environment;
- developing a national school social work role paper;
- establishing a National Center for School Social Work Practice, Leadership and Research, a long-term goal,
- hosting the first Louisiana State-wide School Social Work Conference, January 30-31, 2012, in New Orleans, LA, and
- developing the 3rd National School Social Work Research Summit to be held June 24-26, 2012, in Bloomingdale, IL (a Chicago suburb) at the Hilton Chicago/Indian Lakes Resort.
If you have interest in participating in any of these activities, contact Judie Shine. ACSSW strives to be inclusive and transparent in all of its activities and welcomes, whether lengthy or short, the participation of its members. |
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