School Social Work Now!

Supporting Innovative Practice, Effective

Leadership & Applied Research 

Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs   

The 2013 CASEL Guide identifies well-designed, evidence-based social and emotional learning programs with potential for broad dissemination to schools across the United States. Based on CASEL's work in research and practice spanning nearly two decades, we provide a systematic framework for evaluating the quality of classroom-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs. In addition, the Guide shares best practices for district and school teams on how to select and implement social and emotional learning programs.  2 Page Summary.  Download 2013 Guide.  

What Works for Female Children and Adolescents:  Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Programs and Interventions   

Girls face unique developmental challenges in childhood and adolescence. Compared to boys, girls tend to report more mental health problems1, and they are susceptible to reproductive health risks, such as unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. While a number of evidence-based programs have been found to be effective at reducing risk factors for children and adolescents, many programs have differential impacts for girls and boys. Understanding what works for girls is critical to improving outcomes youth. This brief and its companion brief, focused on boys, examine programs and strategies that work, as well as those that don't for each gender.

This research brief synthesizes findings from 106 random assignment intent-to-treat evaluations of social interventions that targeted female children, adolescents, and young adults, or co-ed interventions that provide separate data about impacts for the female subgroup. Interventions were excluded from the review if they did not include at least 100 girls in the evaluation sample. 

Overall, 51 of the 106 programs had a positive impact for girls on at least one of the outcomes reviewed, 27 had mixed findings, and 28 did not have a positive impact on any of the outcomes studied. While several themes emerged within each outcome area, there was no approach that worked across all outcome areas.  Learn about the programs.

What Masquerades as Leadership (But Is Not)  

Although David Mudie doesn't use the term in this article, he is offering a critique of elements that are associated with the transactional model of leadership. He explains that leadership is not about control, or simply rewarding and punishing behavior to get people to do what the leader wants. Like most explanations about leadership, there are differing opinions on the points made in this article, but by and large it reflects a more modern view of effective leadership.  Complete article. 

Collaboration and the Value of the Dissenting Voice   

Although the word collaboration can conjure up images of people working happily together, I rather think we would get closer to reality if we included a few arguments, some eye-rolling and some exasperated over-emoted sighs to round out the picture. Mostly this kind of friction happens because, as individuals, we differ from each other in culture, experience and skill. The perspectives we hold come from those things. And, as human beings, we can cling to them stubbornly, shutting out the possibility that there may be another way.

But, if we want to truly extract the best ideas and create the best outcomes, we must be prepared to include the likelihood that our view is not always going to be the best.  More.

School Engagement Among Parents of Middle School Youth   

Most researchers, policymakers, and educators believe that children do better in school when their parents are involved in their education. However, there is no gold standard for how to engage parents in their children's schooling. For example, according to the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), parents should be given ample opportunities to become actively involved in the child's school, assist with their child's learning, and become full partners in the decision-making or advisory committees.  While NCLB enumerates various ways parents should be engaged in their children's schooling, the law does not offer suggestions about how to draw parents into participation.  Consequently, schools often employ a broad range of parent-involvement efforts , with little clear evidence about what works best and for whom.. . .This issue brief draws on Chapin Hall's multiyear evaluation of a full-service schools initiative (Elev8), using the initiative as an illustrative case study to reflect on the efficacy of different parent engagement approaches during the middle school years.  Complete brief here.

Research Shows Psychotherapy Is Effective but Underutilized  

Psychotherapy is effective, helps reduce the overall need for health services and produces long-term health improvements, according to a review of research studies conducted by the American Psychological Association.  Yet, the use of psychotherapy to treat people with mental and behavioral health issues decreased over the last decade while the use of medications to address such problems has increased, according to government and insurance industry data.

"Every day, consumers are bombarded with ads that tout drugs as the answer to their problems. Our goal is to help consumers weigh those messages with research-based information about how psychotherapy can provide them with safe, effective and long-lasting improvements in their mental and physical health," said Melba J. T. Vasquez, PhD, past president of the American Psychological Association who led the psychotherapy effectiveness review project.  Read more.

10,000 Ohio 3rd Graders Could Be Held Back    

New this week:     Aurora, IL     Timonium, MD     Windham, ME (.4 FTE)               

Continued this week:  Bronx, NY     Burlington, VT     Hopkins, MN (.5 FTE)     Lewiston, ME     Newark, NJ     Peoria, IL     Vernon Hills, IL  

Connecticut (Various Locations)

 Dean, LSU, College of Human Sciences & Education

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.

Nestle Very Best in Youth Program Grants  

• 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.