School Social Work Now!

Supporting Innovative Practice, Effective

Leadership & Applied Research 

Illinois State Recommended Practices and Procedures for School Social Work  

How Are Clinical Studies of Mental Disorders Designed?    

Clinical researchers call the standard scientific approach for trying out treatments a double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Understanding this term, and knowing how and why this approach is used, should help you to decide whether to become a research volunteer.

An important part of scientific research is comparison. Clinical research often will compare an investigational treatment to one that is used frequently and thus has familiar, or predictable, effects. To make the comparison useful, the investigator must try both methods on similar groups of subjects.

Researchers call the treatment with the predictable or known effect the control. The control may be a standard, commonly used treatment, or it may be a placebo. A placebo is something that does not directly affect the illness or symptoms under study in any specific way. (You may have heard a placebo described as a "sugar pill.") Some studies use both a standard treatment and a placebo as controls.  Continue reading explanation.

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatments for Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents  

Anxiety disorders are fairly common in childhood.  Studies employing cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) in adults suffering from this group of illnesses have laid the groundwork for their application in youths.  This article will delineate the principle components of CBT along with recent advances in its uses.  A review of well-controlled studies of different anxiety disorders in youths will be provided.  Full text.

Separation Anxiety and School Refusal  

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), separation anxiety is a fairly common anxiety disorder, occurring in children younger than 18 years and lasting for at least 4 weeks, that consists of excessive anxiety beyond that expected for the child's developmental level related to separation or impending separation from the attachment figure (eg, primary caretaker, close family member). (See Epidemiology, History.)[1]

Separation anxiety is often the precursor to school refusal, which occurs in approximately three fourths of children who present with separation anxiety disorder. It is important to screen for selective mutism because some children may have school refusal as a symptom of selective mutism. The diagnosis of selective mutism involves a comprehensive evaluation, including ruling in or out comorbid conditions such as expressive and receptive language delays and other communication disorders.[2, 3]  More.

When Funding Goes Local, Some Localities Lose 

A study by the U.S. Census Bureau finds the recession has changed the balance in education funding, Stateline reports. For the first time in 16 years, local governments bore greater responsibility for education spending than states, with the federal government paying more than 10 percent, an unprecedented increase largely in stimulus dollars, in many cases propping up states. According to Michael Griffith of the Economic Commission on the States, declining state revenues increased the distance between haves and have-nots, because wealthier districts in many parts of the country were better able to make up for fewer state dollars. This gap, and what states have done to combat it, are the subject of another report released by the Rutgers Graduate School of Education and the Education Law Center. This report ranks states on the basis of state and local education-funding levels in the 2008-09 school year and funding distribution, adjusted for poverty rates and regional wage differences, among other factors. It finds Utah, New Jersey, and Ohio to be "fairest," giving significantly more funding to schools with higher poverty rates. High-poverty school districts received less per-pupil funding than wealthier districts in 16 states, less than 80 percent of the funding given to wealthier districts in Nevada, Illinois, New Hampshire, and North Carolina.  More.        

Teaching Adolescents to Become Learners:  The Role of Noncognitive Factors in Shaping School Performance  

A new report from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research summarizes research on five categories of non-cognitive factors related to academic performance: academic behaviors, academic perseverance, academic mindsets, learning strategies, and social skills. It then proposes a framework for thinking about how these factors interact to affect academic performance, and about the relationship between non-cognitive factors and classroom/school context, as well as larger sociocultural context. It evaluates evidence that non-cognitive factors matter for students' long-term success, clarifying how and why these factors matter, determining if these factors are malleable and responsive to context, if they play a role in persistent racial/ethnic or gender gaps in academic achievement, and how educators might best support the development of non-cognitive factors within their schools and classrooms. The report concludes that if teachers want students to be successful -- both within their current courses and in future endeavors -- then they must attend to student engagement in class material and coursework performance, not just tested performance. To make this shift, educators must understand how best to help adolescents develop as learners. This should not be framed as an additional task for teachers, though for many it may mean teaching in new ways. By helping students develop the non-cognitive skills, strategies, attitudes, and behaviors that are the hallmarks of effective learners, teachers can improve student learning and course performance while also increasing the likelihood that students will be successful in college.  Continue.  Full report.

Title IX Promise Unmet for Pregnant Students  

New this week:  Dolton, IL     Eau Claire, WI     New Haven, CT     Robbinsville, NJ                  

Continued this week:  Bellevue, WA     Berlin, CT     Berwyn, IL     Burr Ridge, IL

Chelsea, MA     Escondido, CA     Evanston, IL     Falcon, CO     Gages Lake, IL (SPED)

Gary, IN     Johnston, IA (PT)     Lake Forest, IL     Lawrence, KS

Long Island, New York     Pittsburg, KS     Rush City, MN     Swanzey, NH    

     Topeka, KS     Tucson, AZ     White Bear Lake, MN

Connecticut (Various Locations)

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.

Social Work Education, Research, and Practice Grant Program   

The New York Community Trust will provide funding to academic institutions and nonprofits that partner with academic institutions both nationwide and in New York City that build an evidence base for social work intervention. Grants may be used to support projects that are innovative in both the classroom and field and connect training and research to communities, make macro practice a priority and improve training in policy, management, and leadership, and support research that helps social workers improve practice and addresses larger social issues. The deadline is September 28, 2012, although applications are accepted year round.  Awards in December.  For more information and to apply click here.    

Good News for SSWs: 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.

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. 

CVS/Caremark Community Grants are currently accepting proposals for programs, targeting children under age 21 with disabilities, which address health and rehabilitation services or enabling physical movement and play. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: non-profits located in states that also have CVS stores. Deadline: October 31, 2012.  More info.

• 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, February 18-19, 2013, in New Orleans, LA, at the Tulane University Lavin-Bernick Center.   
• presenting the 4th National School Social Work Research Summit.  Watch for details to come. 

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.