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School Social Work NOW!
Supporting Innovative Practice,
Effective Leadership, and Applied Research
Vol 4, Issue 30
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Another senseless tragedy has occurred, this time on a college campus, UC-Santa Barbara. Given the numbers of schools and universities in the country, this type of tragedy is still thought to be relatively rare. But, if it happens to you and those you love, it is life-changing. Nothing will be the same. Is your school doing anything notable to prevent or prepare for the possibility of such an event? If you are, please let ACSSW know what training and/or precautions the school district is taking. We'd like to know.
On October 6th, ACSSW will be hosting its 2nd annual Wisconsin-based Mental Health in Schools Institute. Check out the Mental Health in Schools Brochure to view the topics which include: anxiety and school refusal, boundaries/ethics and technology, Signs of Suicide Program, bullying prevention, assisting students in military families, managing conflict in the workplace, violence assessment, and more! Two promising topics not yet confirmed are child abuse and trauma, and current drug use among students. Watch for updates soon. Register today to take advantage of the very affordable Early Bird rate. Seating is limited.
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Save the dates--January 26 and 27, 2015! ACSSW is once again heading to beautiful New Orleans for the 4th annual National School Mental Health Institute for School Social Workers. Watch the newsletter and ACSSW website for more news in the future!
Judith Kullas Shine
President
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A principal, superintendent, parent, and social worker weigh in on mitigating the impact of poverty on the nation's schools and children
The principal - Holistic: Poverty impacts my students daily: My school serves 445 students in grades pre-K-5; 78 percent receive free- or reduced-price lunch. I have found that elementary principals must adopt a holistic approach to learning to properly address the effects of poverty on children and their families. By building cohesive, collaborative systems that work together-instead of in isolation-we can change children's lives.
The superintendent - Funding Impact: As superintendent, I let my principals know the role of the district office is to support and assist in the Title I application process. The district looks to see that principals, teachers, staff, parents, and students can work as a team. The team goal is to uncover interventions that work for students and to establish a positive working culture for all stakeholders. It's also important to recognize that it takes at least three years for positive and substantial change to occur. There is no silver bullet.
The parent - Support: Being a foster parent for 15 years has provided me an opportunity to understand how intense, high-poverty environments affect children. Many foster children come from high-poverty situations; often, they are exposed to neglect and abuse. These environments put them at risk for major traumatic stress. One way educators and school counselors can support foster children is to understand this stress, and seek professional development focused on mitigating it. The local child welfare agency can provide this training for educators.
The school social worker - Ownership: Poverty does not create mental health issues, per se, but the presence of numerous psychosocial stressors caused by poverty and families' limited access to resources can create traumatic experiences and reduce students' abilities to cope with the difficulties of life. These experiences can lead to mental health diagnoses such as post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder, which have both been linked to poverty. Read more.
The Interstate Compact for Educational Opportunities for Military Children (MIC3) is an agreement between states that outlines how states will remove barriers to educational success for military- connected children who experience frequent moves and parental deployments...What does it say? The actual document is several pages long and includes information on the purpose, definitions, and rules governing the Compact. The part of the document that addresses what states will do (the "meat" of the Compact) includes policies that address student enrollment, placement, attendance, eligibility for extracurricular participation and graduation. (Editor's note: Good information for school social workers!) Learn more.
What is it? Conduct disorder. Does every child who breaks society's rules have Conduct Disorder? How can you tell if it is Conduct Disorder? So how are ODD and CD related? Conduct Disorder and co-morbidity. Prognosis and Course of Conduct Disorder. Long term outcome of ODD/CD. What can be done? Non-Medical Strategies for ODD and CD. Medical Interventions.
These topics and more are addressed in this paper. Click here to access.
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October 6, 2014
Pewaukee, WI
January 26-27, 2015
National School Mental Health Institute for
School Social Workers
New Orleans, LA
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If you're an educator, at any level or grade, sitting back and expecting education change to happen, without you getting involved, you need to stand up now. If you think that you can't do something, or start change, you're mistaken. And if you spend time fearing that leadership won't let you do things that are educationally sound in the direction of change, you're wasting your time, your colleagues' time and, most of all, your students' time.
The hardest thing is to do nothing while complaining that you can't do anything. The easiest thing to do is to try to make a difference. Get started doing something. Try a bit of stealth leadership. Learn how to be a stealth leader. |
 Special education systems and policies are reflected and embedded in cultural beliefs about disability. Variations in the special education systems in the United States and Japan reflect cultural differences in beliefs about disability and affect the experiences of parents with children with disabilities, including expectations for their relationships with professionals. Enhancing parents' experiences is critical, as they have a direct impact on children's development through their caregiving and advocacy. Discussion of U.S. and Japanese parents' beliefs about disability and special education, as well as their experiences, illustrates the cultural embeddedness of special education service provision and affords opportunities to consider diverse strategies for strengthening school social work practice beyond what is taken for granted within any particular cultural context. Full study. |
School Violence in Context:
Culture, Neighborhood, Family, School & Gender
by Rami Benbenishty & Ron Avi Astor
This empirical contrast of universal with culturally specific patterns is sorely needed in the school violence literature. The authors' innovative research maps the contours of verbal, social, physical, and sexual victimization and weapons possession, as well as staff-initiated violence against students, presenting some startling findings along the way. When comparing schools in Israel with schools in California, the authors demonstrate for the first time that for most violent events the patterns of violent behaviors have the same relationship for different age groups, genders, and nations. Conversely, they highlight specific kinds of violence that are strongly influenced by culture... They reveal, for example, how Arab boys encounter much more boy-to-boy sexual harassment than their Jewish peers, and that teacher-initiated victimization of students constitutes a significant and often overlooked type of school violence, especially among certain cultural groups. Crucially, the authors expand the paradigm of understanding school violence to encompass the intersection of cultural, ethnic, neighborhood, and family characteristics with intra-school factors such as teacher-student dynamics, anti-violence policies, student participation, grade level, and religious and gender divisions. It is only by understanding the multiple contexts of school violence, they argue, that truly effective prevention programs, interventions, research agendas, and policies can be implemented.--OUP Related.
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Free 1.5 CEUs for School Social Workers
ACSSW is very pleased to offer an opportunity for any school social worker to earn 1.5 FREE CEUs due to ACSSW's sponsorship of an excellent program:
Plan, Prepare, Prevent: The SOS Online
Gatekeeper Training Module
The SOS Signs of Suicide® Prevention Program is an award winning, nationally recognized program designed for middle and high school-age students. The program teaches students how to identify the symptoms of depression and suicidality in themselves or their friends, and encourages help-seeking through the use of the ACT® technique (Acknowledge, Care, Tell). This course is available free to school social workers. With sponsorship from ACSSW, all learners will receive 1.5 contact hours upon completion. Click to Learn More. To register call 781-239-0071 or email SOS Registration and mention that you'd like to register.
Columbia University Teachers College Press published 4 guides geared to support teachers, administrators, student personnel staff, and parents. For a limited period, and as supplies last, TCP has agreed to provide FREE copies of the guides to social workers and educators working with military kids in schools including: teachers, school administrators, PPS workers, and military parents. School social workers should be aware of this wonderful, time-limited, FREE offer from TCP. Many school social workers will benefit from these guides.
The process is simple. Each individual desiring a free book would need to click on the link, select the type of book s/he desires, and fill out name, mailing address, etc. on the Qualtrix form after selecting the book desired. The book will be mailed in a few weeks.
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School Social Work Positions
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Continued - listed by state abbreviation
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Bethel, AK
Springdale, AR
Phoenix, AZ
Whittier, CA
Colorado Springs, CO
Connecticut (various)
Washington, DC
Washington, DC #2
Fulton County, GA
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Griffin, GA
Macon, GA
Heartland, IA AEA
Northbrook, IL
Streamwood, IL
Indianapolis, IN-SW coordinator
Wichita, KS
Springfield, MA
Lewiston/Auburn, ME
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Dearborn Heights, MI
Washington, MO
Durham, NC
Bronx, NY
Providence, RI
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Under-performing schools are raising student-performance levels by lengthening their school day from six-and-a-half hours to eight. Concerns over how to successfully improve failing schools have lead researchers to look at the benefits of longer days with a more varied curriculum. They found that when students in low-income areas are given more time, test scores improve between 11 to 24 percent. That improvement isn't subtle, according to the National Center on Time & Learning, which says the test scores not only improve, but also close in on those of well-performing schools. Continue here.
UNCP School Social Work Students Take On Child Mental Health
While North Carolina is having great success in reducing its dropout rate in the public schools, children with behavioral and emotional disabilities are being left behind. Dr. Summer Stanley's class at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke would do something about it.
During the spring semester, the class worked to build a multi-faceted program to raise awareness of the problem. The course, School Social Work, turned into a service-learning laboratory for the students and the community.
The plan, which culminated in a community meeting, was comprehensive, including a media relations piece, and included establishing partnerships with Scotland County Schools and Eastpointe, a regional community mental health care provider. More.
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SAMHSA launched the Girls Matter! webinar series to discuss challenges, opportunities, and strategies for supporting adolescent girls. Professionals working with adolescents will have a chance to learn more about the unique needs of girls ages 12-18, and how those needs impact their behavioral health and development. Each month, Girls Matter! features a free 90-minute webinar, which covers a related behavioral health topic. Review archived webinars and register for the next 2. Next webinar is June 10th..
Supportive School Discipline Webinar Series Event: School Discipline Laws and Regulations
June 11, 2014, 3:30 - 5:00 pm EST
The U.S. Departments of Education and Justice are pleased to inform you about the next Supportive School Discipline Webinar Series event. This webinar will take place on June 11, 2014 and review the School Discipline Guidance Package's Compendium of School Discipline Laws and Regulations, discuss latest trends in policymaking related to school discipline, and feature a practitioner who is implementing a new policy. The School Discipline Guidance Package was jointly issued by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice on January 8, 2014. For more information and to register, click here.
Archived
The CSMH and the IDEA Partnership presented a webinar, School Mental Health: A Federal Perspective, on January 30, 2014. Following the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, the President put forward a number of initiatives aimed at making schools and communities safer and to increase access to mental health services in his plan, Now is the Time. As he said, "We won't be able to stop every violent act, but if there is even one thing we can do to prevent any of these events, we have a deep obligation, all of us, to try." This webinar provided an overview of federal efforts that have already been put in place, as well as those that have been proposed for the upcoming years. Presenters David Esquith, Director for the Office of Safe and Healthy Students (OSHS) Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), U.S. Department of Education, and Ingrid Donato, Branch Chief, Mental Health Promotion, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), provided participants with information about other existing federal initiatives to prevent youth violence and promote positive student outcomes. Strategies that support students, schools, and communities as well as the importance of cross-system partnerships were highlighted. The webinar recording is available as well as the PowerPoint. Access here.
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"Now Is the Time", Project AWARE Grants
from Nic Dibble, WI Education Consultant for SSW
The purpose of this program is to assist local educational agencies to begin to support the training of school personnel and other adults who interact with youth in both school settings and communities to detect and respond to mental illness in children and youth, including how to encourage adolescents and their families experiencing these problems to seek treatment. The training for staff provided through the grant must be Mental Health First Aid or Youth Mental Health First Aid. Award amount: Up to $50,000/year. Deadline: June 16, 2014. Eligibility. More info.
The School Climate Transformation Grant-Local Educational Agency Program provides competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to develop, enhance, or expand systems of support for, and technical assistance to, schools implementing an evidence-based multi-tiered behavioral framework for improving behavioral outcomes and learning conditions for all students. Projects should: (1) build capacity for implementing a sustained, school-wide multi-tiered behavioral framework; (2) enhance capacity by providing training and technical assistance to schools; and (3) include an assurance that the applicant will work with a technical assistance provider, such as the PBIS Technical Assistance Center funded by the Department, to ensure that technical assistance related to implementing program activities is provided. Deadline: June 23, 2014. Eligibility. Applicant info.
This program provides funding to LEAs to increase their capacity both to identify, assess, and serve students exposed to pervasive violence, helping to ensure that affected students are offered mental health services for trauma or anxiety; support conflict resolution programs; and implement other school-based violence prevention strategies in order to reduce the likelihood that these students will later commit violent acts. These projects must offer students: (1) access to school-based counseling services, or referrals to community-based counseling services, for assistance in coping with trauma or anxiety; (2) school-based social and emotional supports for students to help address the effects of violence; (3) conflict resolution and other school-based strategies to prevent future violence; and (4) a safer and improved school environment, which may include, among others, activities to decrease the incidence of harassment, bullying, violence, gang involvement, and substance use. Applicants must address all four subparts of this absolute priority. Deadline: June 30, 2014. Eligibility. Applicant info.
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