Funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies and the Open Society Foundations, this study also found that when students are suspended or expelled, the likelihood that they will repeat a grade, not graduate, and/or become involved in the juvenile justice system increases significantly. African-American students and children with particular educational disabilities who qualify for special education were suspended and expelled at especially high rates. Read report.

The Effectiveness of Interventions to Reduce Psychological Harm from Traumatic Events Among Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Children and adolescents in the U.S. and worldwide are commonly exposed to traumatic events, yet practitioners treating these young people to reduce subsequent psychological harm may not be aware of-or use-interventions based on the best available evidence. This systematic review evaluated interventions commonly used to reduce psychological harm among children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events. Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide) criteria were used to assess study design and execution. Meta-analyses were conducted, stratified by traumatic exposure.

Evaluated interventions were conducted in high-income economies, published up to March 2007. Subjects in studies were 21 years of age, exposed to individual/mass, intentional/unintentional, or manmade/natural traumatic events.

The seven evaluated interventions were individual cognitive-behavioral therapy, group cognitive behavioral therapy, play therapy, art therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and pharmacologic therapy for symptomatic children and adolescents, and psychological debriefing, regardless of symptoms. The main outcome measures were indices of depressive disorders, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder, internalizing and externalizing disorders, and suicidal behavior. Full study.

Matrix of Children's Evidence-Based Interventions

. . .This matrix includes for each intervention a description, the evidence of its effectiveness, availability of technical assistance and training materials, the population and setting with which the program was tested, andsources that identified the program or intervention. Some of the information for specific interventions was derived from blending sources (i.e. the evidence, population, or setting of a particular intervention may come from different sources), or was expanded on by further search. Therefore, the information presented for each intervention is not necessarily uniform where the population, setting and outcomes may not all stem from the same study. Technical assistance and training materials for each program/intervention were sought, and those found are listed. The matrix does not contain all known information on the programs or interventions listed. . . The matrix contains 92 entries and several factors must be taken into consideration while using it. Read more. 

Center for School Mental Health Call for Proposals   

Deadline:  February 4, 2013 

Proposals are now being accepted for the 18th Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Healthto be held October 3-5, 2013 at the Crystal City Gateway Marriott Hotel (1700 Jefferson Davidson Highway) in Arlington, Virginia. The Conference is hosted by the Center for School Mental Health (CSMH) and the IDEA Partnership (funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), sponsored by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education). The theme of the conference is What Works in School Mental Health: Collaboration from the Inside Out.  [ACSSW encourages school social workers to submit!]

The conference features twelve specialty tracks and this year will also include a special topic area on funding and sustainability in school mental health. The Annual Conference offers speakers and participants numerous opportunities to advance knowledge and skills related to school mental health practice, research, training, and policy. The conference emphasizes a shared school-family-community agenda to bring high quality and evidence-based mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention to students and families. The intended audience for the conference includes clinicians, educators and related personnel, administrators, youth and family members, researchers, primary care providers, advocates, and other youth-serving professionals.  All proposals must be submitted via the online proposal form.     

Special Issue on School Social Work and Military-connected Schools:  New Directions in Practice, Research, Policy and National Leadership

Deadline: February 28, 2013

Guest Editors: Ron Avi Astor, University of Southern California Schools of Social Work and Education & Rami Benbenishty, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel

     Children & Schools will publish a special issue on the needs of public schools serving military-connected students. These students experience multiple deployments, family separations, and other stressful life events that their non-military-connected peers do not undergo. Recent studies have shown that supportive schools can shield students from intense depression, conduct problems, feelings of alienation, anxiety, and school failure; however, for schools to serve as protective settings for military-connected students, school personnel need to be aware of both this population's presence and its particular needs. . .

School social workers can take a national leadership role developing and implementing practices and policies that address the needs of military-connected students. . .

The overarching goal of this special issue will be to present articles that describe the current state of school social work knowledge and best practices in military-connected schools and provide insights and implications that will help teachers, principals, school social workers, and other staff better serve military-connected students in the future.  Manuscripts examining the perspectives of school staff, students, and parents in military-connected schools and outlining best practices for such schools are encouraged. More information and to submit.