School Social Work Now!

Supporting Innovative Practice, Effective

Leadership & Applied Research 

"A Student [Came] Down and Said 'There's a . . . Guy in the . . . English Classroom With a Gun''': Recovering From Violent Invasion  

Abstract:  On the morning of September 27, 2006, a 53-year-old drifter with no ties to the community walked into Platte Canyon High School in Bailey, Colorado, with several firearms, taking a college-prep English class hostage. After a 4-hr stand-off, one 16-year-old student-along with the drifter-was killed in subsequent police action. This case study examines the recovery prioritization and leadership foci of the school's administration throughout the year immediately following the shooting. Crisis recovery lessons-particularly those involving school violence-are presented and explored. The case study is presented from the perspective of Principal Bryan Krause.  Full text. 

DSM-5 Draft Criteria Open for Final Public Comment through June 15th     

Comments on the draft fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) are now being accepted. This commenting period marks the third and final time DSM-5 draft criteria will be available for feedback. Following this period the site will remain viewable with the draft proposals until DSM-5's publication. Click here for more information.

Resource Document: Restraint and Seclusion

The Department of Education has identified 15 principles that it believes states, local school districts, preschool, elementary, and secondary schools, parents, and other stakeholders should consider as the framework for when states, localities, and districts develop and implement policies and procedures which should be in writing related to restraint and seclusion to ensure that any use of restraint or seclusion in schools does not occur except when there is a threat of imminent danger of serious physical harm to the student or others, and occurs in a manner that protects the safety of all children and adults at school. 

Additionally, this document provides a synopsis of ongoing efforts by federal agencies to address national concerns about using restraint and seclusion in schools. Two attachments at the end of this document provide information about state policies on the use of restraint and seclusion in our nation's public schools and an annotated resource guide on the use of restraint and seclusion in schools.  Full document. 

Good News for SSWs re: Race to the Top Grant Applications

NAPSO co-chair, Myrna Mandlawitz, shared information on the new RTTT grant applications.  The "eligible applicants" are school districts, consortia of school districts, and education service agencies.  Applicants can focus in on a few schools within a district, specific grades, or even specific subject areas.  The only caveat is that a school district can only be part of one application.  The other important feature is the heavy emphasis on "personalizing" and "individualizing" education.  In fact, "personalized learning environment" is an absolute priority all applicants must meet.

Cecilia Munoz from the White House Domestic Policy Council "talked about the need for a 'team' to implement the plans.  She mentioned teachers, administrators, community leaders, etc., so they're definitely looking at a broad effort.   UNFORTUNATELY, once again, the group clearly missing from her comments was "specialized instructional support personnel" [SISP/pupil service providers].  She DID however mention looking at the  physical, social and emotional needs of students....so there is a definite opening for SISP.  I interpreted some of what she said to be the 'community schools' model, i.e., co-locating services in the schools -- but there definitely seems to be an emphasis on student supports."

Applications are expected out in early July and will be due in October, with the hope of awarding  of 15-20 grants in December.  It is important to check if your school/district is applying for the grant.  If so, it is an opportunity to "get to the table" and help the district to address the social and emotional needs of students and recognize that school social workers provide many services in these arenas.  More information.     

Ethical Consequences of Using Social Network Sites for Students in Professional Social Work Programs 

As students transition from being a typical college student to someone in a professional social work program, the expectation is that they will become assimilated into the culture of the social work profession through the acquisition of values, attitudes, knowledge, and skills (Lay, Khaja, McGuire, & Gass, 2008; Weiss, Gal, & Cnaan, 2004). Professional socialization or the manner in which it occurs for students has not been adequately demonstrated within the social work literature, but is considered to take place within the classroom and through field placements, exposure to professional settings, and modeling behavior of peers and professors (Barretti, 2004; Weiss et al, 2004). Although questions remain regarding the process of professional socialization, the rapid expansion of technology and proliferation of online social network sites (SNSs) add yet another environment that warrants consideration for social work students. More.   

Dilemmas in Doing Insider Research in Professional Education 

Abstract only:  This article explores the dilemmas I encountered when researching social work education in England as an insider researcher who was simultaneously employed as an educator in the host institution. This was an ethnographic project deploying multiple methods and generating rich case study material which informed the student textbook Becoming a Social Worker (Humphrey, 2011). But a series of dilemmas materialized over the four-year period of the project. First, ethical dilemmas emerged around informed consent and confidentiality when conducting surveys of students and reading their portfolios. Second, professional dilemmas stemmed from the ways in which my roles as a researcher, academic tutor, social worker and former practice educator converged and collided. Third, political dilemmas pertained to the potential for the project to crystallize and convey conflicts among stakeholders in the university and community. Since the majority of research in social work education is conducted by insiders, we have a vital interest in making sense of such complexity.  Must purchase full article. 

Ethics and On-line Research Methodology  

The ethical concerns and strategies involved with using computer technology for research purposes are still being debated. The purpose of this paper is to explore specific areas of concern with on-line research regarding recruitment, informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, deception, and avoidance of harm. Starting from a historical perspective, an analysis of the impact on various stakeholders is discussed along with strategies to address and resolve ethical issues associated with on-line research.  Continue. 

Why Don't We Have Any White Kids?

In a lengthy article in The New York Times, N.R. Kleinfield profiles the Explore Charter School in Flatbush, Brooklyn, which is 92.7 percent black, 5.7 percent Hispanic, and has a scattering of students of mixed race. None are white or Asian. The school exemplifies a larger truth in New York City: With a highly diverse student population, 650 of the nearly 1,700 schools in the system still have populations that are 70 percent a single race; more than half the city's schools are at least 90 percent black and Hispanic. What are the ramifications of this segregation for students, who must ultimately navigate an interracial world? Student and parent reactions varied, but teachers at Explore -- its staff is 61 percent white and 35 percent black, with most administration members white -- worry the effects are negative.  Full article.  Interesting.

Teens Text More Than Adults, but They're Still Just Teens 

It's lunchtime in a suburban high school in Nashville, Tennessee, and Andrew*, 17, has already sent more than 200 text messages. Assuming he woke up at seven, that's roughly one text every 90 seconds. 

New this week:  Albany, NY     Gages Lake, IL (SPED)     Johnston, IA (PT)

Lawrence, KS     Rush City, MN     Southfield, MI     Tenafly, NJ     

Continued this week:  Bellevue, WA     Bethel, AK (3 positions)     Berwyn, IL

Bronx, NY     Burlington, VT     Burr Ridge, IL     Evanston, IL

Gary, IN     Julian, CA     Long Island, New York     New Orleans, LA

Revere, MA     Topeka, KS     Tucson, AZ     White Bear Lake, MN

Connecticut (Various Locations)

Director of Social Work, Bilingual, Chicago, IL

UW-Madison Field Instructor, Madison, WI

Special Edition of Social Work and Christianity: Towards A Christian Critique of Evidence-based Practice in Social Work 

 Evidence-based Practice (EBP) is now entering its second decade in social work scholarship and practice. This special issue seeks to add a Christian perspective to the literature on the implementation of EBP in social work practice, policy, and education. Many scholars and practitioners hail EBP's impact on client outcomes and argue that it represents a deepening of our ethical commitment to empowering practitioners with a process and tools that lead to the best possible client care, while other scholars point out the limitations of the EBP approach. This special issue of Social Work & Christianity seeks to expand the epistemological and practical discussions about EBP to add a further (and we believe, necessary) complication to the debate over EBP in social work: namely, how can EBP be practiced in the multitude of Christian social work contexts we see around the world? This special issue seeks to further debate the pros and cons of using EBP in social work by asking simply, "How can Christian social workers incorporate EBP into their work?" Papers for this special issue are encouraged to look at EBP as a process that integrates clinical expertise, client circumstances, research evidence, and client values and to formulate a paper discussing one or all of those dimension from a Christian perspective. Papers can employ a variety of methodologies, though special emphasis will be given to papers that use a conceptual lens to build a foundation to either critique or defend EBP from a Christian social work perspective. Papers can be up to 20 pages, double-spaced and in APA style (6th Ed.). Contact Michael Kelly at Loyola University Chicago with any questions and to submit papers as email attachments.  

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.  

NFL Fuel Up to Play 60    

The National Football League's Fuel Up to Play 60 will award grants up to $4,000 to K-12 schools enrolled in their wellness program. Grants may be used to support a variety of programs, activities, and tools including student engagement and motivation, family engagement, in-school promotions, staff development, and nutrition and physical education materials. The deadline to submit applications is June 1, 2012. For more information and to apply click here.

OJJDP: Underage Drinking Research Funding

• 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. 
• presenting 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.