School Social Work Now!

Supporting Innovative Practice, Effective

Leadership & Applied Research 

Special Ed Vouchers May Open Doors for Choice

School choice proponents are now looking to private-school vouchers for special education students, whose programs go largely unchallenged in court, as a way to clear the path for other students, reports Nirvi Shah in Education Week. Seven states  -- Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Utah -- have voucher programs for students with disabilities; some have multiple programs. Another 10 state legislatures are considering new voucher offerings targeted at special education this legislative session. In a recent article, Marcus Winters of the pro-school-choice Manhattan Institute said proponents shouldn't dismiss using special education vouchers as a driver for the movement as a whole; he called special ed "one of the fastest-growing types of school-choice program" and "one of the most promising avenues for advancing school choice." Currently, voucher programs for special education students differ from state to state, with a range of requirements and stipulations in their use. Many parents are also unaware that when they elect to use vouchers, they lose their rights under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). At the same time, districts across the country already enroll some students with disabilities in private programs, at districts' expense. In this case, students with disabilities and their parents maintain all rights under the IDEA.  Learn more. 

Teen Brains: Driving Without the Brakes 

The next time your teenager behaves inexplicably, remember: his brain is like a car without brakes. The more primitive parts of the brain are well developed, acting like a powerful accelerator encouraging teens to take risks, act on impulse and seek novel experiences. But the areas that control planning and reasoning have not yet matured. As a result, teens are less likely to stop, think things through, modify their behavior or fully consider the consequences of their actions. On March 20, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear two cases, Jackson v. Hobbs and Miller v. Alabama, concerning teenagers who have committed homicide offenses. The Court will consider whether they should be eligible for sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The medical and mental health community have been following these cases closely, and providing input to the Court on the science of adolescent brain development. The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association, among others, have filed amicus briefs emphasizing just how different teen brains are from those of adults.  Continue here.  

Non-suicidal Self-injury in Teens Predicts Later Self-Harm    

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and family problems are the 2 strongest predictors of suicide attempts in depressed adolescents, and NSSI is the strongest predictor of future NSSI, according study results presented here the EPA 2012: 20th European Congress of Psychiatry. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents in the developed world, and 35% of cases involve a history of depression. In his presentation at a poster session, Paul Wilkinson, MB BChir, MD, university lecturer and honorary consultant in child and adolescent psychiatry, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, reported that 41% of children and adolescents who complete suicide have attempted it previously. However, about 15% of adolescents engage in NSSI at some point, making it more common than suicide attempts... Dr. Wilkinson told Medscape Medical News that the take-home message is that "nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents with depression is an important marker for suicide risk. Therefore, their families need to be given advice on how to reduce this risk."  Continue here. 

Development of an Interconnected Systems Framework for Student Mental Health     

This paper developed by the National PBIS TA Center and the Center for School Mental Health, aims to establish an interconnected systems framework linking Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and School Mental Health in order to build more responsive and effective systems that connect mental health and schools. To read the white paper click here now.

Different Ways to Measure Fidelity of Implementation of PBIS 

A Leadership Competency Model

Each organization requires a different set of professional competencies for each leadership position. Although leaders do not need to be the Subject Matter Experts (SME) for the tasks that they direct, they must have a basic understanding of the systems and processes that they control. Again, each position requires a different set of skills and knowledge. . . Professional Competencies form the mortar that binds the pyramid together. Without some knowledge of the technical skills that they direct, the pyramid soon begins to fall apart and the organization begins to operate in damage control mode.  Learn more. 

Marketing and Communications in Nonprofit Organizations   

Responding to Students Affected by Trauma: Collaboration Across Public Systems   

Despite Progress, 1 in 4 Drop Out    

...Aggressive efforts to prevent students such as Burke from dropping out contributed to a modest 3.5 percentage point increase nationally in the high school graduation rate from 2001 to 2009, according to research to be presented Monday at the Grad Nation summit in Washington. The event was organized by the children's advocacy group America's Promise Alliance founded by former Secretary of State Colin Powell. The graduation rate was 75 percent in 2009, meaning 1 in 4 students fails to get a diploma in four years, researchers found. That's well below the organization's goal of 90 percent by 2020. Researchers found that the number of "dropout factories," schools that fail to graduate more than 60 percent of students on time, had dropped by more than 450 between 2002 and 2010, but that 1,550 remain. The increase in graduation rates was primarily because of growth in 12 states, with New York and Tennessee showing double digit gains since 2002, according to the research. At the other end, 10 states had declines: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, New Jersey, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada. So far, only Wisconsin has met the 90 percent benchmark, although Vermont is close.  More facts.

Private Clinicians Increasing in Schools    

...Despite the challenges of creating intimate therapeutic space in a bustling school building, school officials in Boston and other cities are increasingly importing private clinicians to deliver much-needed mental health services to behaviorally troubled students. This arrangement helps districts avoid the expense of hiring more counseling staff while reducing the gap nationwide between the number of children who need psychological or emotional help and those who actually get it. The Home for Little Wanderers, which employs Yazdi, has recently taken a lead role in expanding private one-on-one therapy sessions in Boston, expanding from 20 to more than 40 the number of public schools that it operates in over the past two years. The agency now has 38 mental health therapists serving some 600 students. Their sessions, typically about 45 minutes, are mostly billed to Medicaid, the government insurance program for low-income families... "Students can't learn if their mental health needs aren't met,'' said Andria Amador, assistant director for behavioral health services in the Boston public schools.  Read more.

Abuse in Childhood Common Among Alcohol Addicts, Study Finds     

Abuse in childhood appears to be a particularly strong risk factor for developing alcohol addiction later in life, researchers reported Thursday. Alcohol dependence is linked to many risk factors -- including genetics, drinking in adolescence and having other mental health disorders. A history of physical, sexual or emotional abuse in childhood is known to be another risk factor. The new study, however, shows how strong this link could be. Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse surveyed 196 men and women who were inpatients being treated for alcohol dependence. Almost one-quarter of men and 33% of women reported a history of childhood physical abuse while rates of sexual abuse were 12% for men and 49% for women. In addition, the study found that sexual abuse raised the risk of also developing anxiety disorder and emotional abuse increased the risk of developing depression. People who were physically abused in childhood and became alcohol dependent were more likely to have a history of suicide attempts. Alcoholics who experience more than one type of childhood abuse were more likely to develop another psychiatric disorder or to attempt suicide. The study appears in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.  Continue here.

Spotlight on Bullying & Harassment: the Law and One School's Response    

New this week:  Cheyenne, WY (summer school)     Clinton, MI     Hartford, CT

Millbury, MA     Watertown, MA 

IL PBIS Network, Research and Evaluation Director

Continued this week:  Arlington Heights, IL     Austin, TX     Berwyn, IL     Bronx, NY    

Burlington, NC     Cedar Rapids, IA     Cumberland, RI     Eau Claire, WI

Highland Park, IL (3 PT interns)     Long Island City, NY     Milwaukee, WI

New Orleans, LA     New Rochelle, NY     New York, NY     Oak Bluffs, MA

Providence, RI     Reading, PA     Springfield, PA          Willmar, MN

Connecticut (Various Locations)

Search Tool Helps Users Find Grants to Fund Youth Programs 

The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs has created an online Web Tool that allows users to search for federal grant opportunities by youth topic or federal agency. The tool uses a filter to search for grants that are likely to fund youth programs. To learn more and determine if you are eligible, click here.

Elmer's and Kids in Need Foundation Teacher Tool Kit Grants

The Kids In Need Foundation, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free school supplies to economically disadvantaged school children and underfunded teachers, has announced the second year of a teacher grants program sponsored by Elmer's Products.  K-12 teachers across the United States are eligible to apply for one of approximately two hundred and fifty Elmer's Teacher Tool Kit grants. Grants will range from $100 to $500 for projects to be completed during the 2012-13 school year.

Grants will be awarded to teachers who wish to conduct classroom projects selected from a catalog of more than five hundred projects currently in the Kids In Need Guide to Award Winning Projects. Grant awards will be based on financial need, description of how the particular project meets the educational needs of students and satisfies state standards or school curriculum requirements, and the number of students who will benefit from the project.  Deadline:  TBA.  More information and RFP form. 

STOP Act Grants  

First Nations Development Institute: Native Youth and Culture Fund       

The Native Youth and Culture Fund through the First Nations Development Institute will provide up to 20 grants to fund projects that address social issues related to youth such as drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, and mental health. Proposed applicants should incorporate culture and tradition (e.g., preserves cultural practices, increases youth leadership, increases access to cultural customs, and engages elders in activities). Tribal governments, tribal programs, and Native nonprofits in or near Indian lands are eligible to apply. Deadline:  Letter of Intent, March 2, 2012; application, March 30, 2012.  Info and application. 

Typical or Troubled? APF School Mental Health Education Grants   

For those who work in or with two or more middle or high schools, you are eligible to apply for a grant sponsored by the American Psychiatric Foundation to implement the Typical or Troubled? ™ School Mental Health Education program. Grant awards include: a grant of $1,000 or $2,000, innovative educational materials, brochures, evaluation tools, technical assistance, and connections with many of your colleagues across the nation. Typical or Troubled? ™ is a school community program designed to educate teachers and other school staff on: the warning signs of emotional and behavioral health issues; how to talk to students who may be experiencing problems and engage family members; and help connect students to appropriate resources within the school or community.  Implemented in 45 states, the program has resulted in critical interventions with students in need, ignited positive dialogue and collaboration among the school communities, and resulted in establishing or improving referral systems for treatment and services.  Deadline:  March 30, 2012.  Info and application.  

Activating Empathy: Transforming Schools to Teach What Matters     

• increasing research projects and their application within the school environment;
• developing a national school social work role framework paper;
• establishing a National Center for School Social Work Practice, Leadership and Research, a long-term goal,
• hosting the 2nd Louisiana State-wide School Social Work Conference, winter 2013, in New Orleans, LA.  Exact dates to be determined. 
• 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.