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School Social Work NOW!
Supporting Innovative Practice,
Effective Leadership, and Applied Research
Vol 5, Issue 34
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Are you a leader? A leader in your school or district? In your profession? In your community? At ACSSW we believe that school social workers are natural leaders. But do you see yourself as such?
What is a leader? Is it someone who runs an organization? Someone who draws a large salary and has many people working for him/her? Someone who has a state level position? Or is a leader also someone who challenges unfair student labeling during an IEP meeting? Or someone who helps parents to understand that the behavior of their child is developmentally typical even if not desirable?
Leaders and leadership are all of the above and more. During the 2015-2016 school year ACSSW will be encouraging you to reflect on your leadership on the job and to start to use, if you aren't, language that reflects and demonstrates to others that you ARE a leader in the district, someone who can contribute to the success of students and help the district reach its goals. Think about it...what is leadership to you? Send us your thoughts and we'll publish them in the newsletter.
Early Bird Registration for the 2015 ACSSW Mental Health in Schools Institute, September 28th, is still available through July 31st. Groups of 3 or more from the same district/school/agency are eligible for a group discount. Don't delay. Read the brochure and register online today! Early Bird payment is not due until September 1st.
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Blog: "I've done a few articles at this point about things I wish I knew in Social Work school(See Part I, Part II, Part III), but I realized after a particularly crazy few weeks(read: months) that I missed a few important topics. These aren't necessarily areas that I wasn't taught, or wish I had known, but instead are areas that I wish I paid more mind to way back when. We teach our clients that learning the skills and coping techniques help when crisis occurs, what we forget for ourselves is that the same goes for us. And it is much more difficult to incorporate something when you're already knee deep in a situation and a career than if it is already a part of you. Let's take a look." Continue.
It may be one of the least controversial statements in American education today: "Parent involvement can make a difference in a child's education." However, the question and conflict arises on how to define that involvement. Do all the PTA meetings, take-home flyers and Back to School nights actually generate increases in student achievement?
The Center for Public Education examined the research and found that creating a partnership between parents and schools focused on academics truly does have significant impact on student achievement. Through my own research on parental involvement in children's education, I found that school age children spend approximately 70% of their waking hours (including weekends and holidays) outside of school. 86% of the general public believes that support from parents is the most important way to improve the schools. Lack of parental involvement is the biggest problem facing public schools. Full article.
Think Small: How a Subtle Change Can Have a Huge Impact
Do you resist change? Do you work hard to maintain the status quo, regardless of its effect on you? Is it possible that you might better tolerate change if you approached it in small doses?
All too often, when we think of bringing about change in our lives, we consider making choices that have far-reaching effects, with sweeping consequences for ourselves and perhaps others. These seemingly super-sized changes beget long to-do lists of follow-ups and follow-throughs that can leave us overwhelmed and exhausted before we've even begun. More.
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 Many professionals think they are pretty good at managing their internal communications. Maybe you have a system of color-coded, prioritized folders in your email box, of which you're particularly proud. Or you're that senior leader who makes a point to get coffee with your direct reports individually once a month, so you're confident that everyone on your team is in the loop.
If you think either of these methods of communication are enough to make employees--and ultimately [others]--happy, your good intentions are severely misguided. More.
How many hours do you spend communicating by email every day? Most of us would answer, "Too many!"
According to a study by McKinsey® & Company, people spend 28 percent of their working week reading and replying to emails. However, despite the risk of becoming overloaded with messages, it remains one of the most powerful and efficient communication tools.
Using email is a quick and easy way to stay connected with your team members, customers and stakeholders, particularly those who are geographically dispersed . However, it can be very easy to send ineffective emails, create the wrong impression, or even damage your reputation with sloppy practices.
In this article, we'll look at 10 common mistakes that people make when they send emails, and explore what you can do to avoid these. Read the tips.
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Abstract: Building on the evidence-based solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) approach, an innovative university and school district partnership has generated alternatives to suspension and arrests of at-risk youth. Previous policies emphasized a get-tough, zero-tolerance approach. The results of these policies were discouraging and especially detrimental to minority youth. Using university-based marriage and family therapy therapist interns trained in solution-focused techniques, the PROMISE program focuses on strengths and successes. Implemented in a large urban school district in the United States, the initial statistics show that the program has been more effective than the previous program utilizing get-tough policies. In the 2013-2014 academic year, the overall recidivism rate of suspended students decreased dramatically compared to the previous year. The percentage of students suspended within the same school year dropped from 50% in 2012-2013 academic year to 8% in the 2013-2014 academic year, with the PROMISE program in place. In this article we briefly describe the changes in school district policy and overall handling of at-risk youth and present three case examples to illustrate the SFBT part of the inter-vention. The success of the program illustrates the usefulness of solution-focused approaches, both with individual clients (the students) and with organizations (the entire school district). PDF.
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The Community-Partnered School Behavioral Health Modules
~ Free Training Series and CEUs Offered ~
www.mdbehavioralhealth.com
Signs of Suicide Program & Gatekeeper Training Module 1.5 CEUs. Free.
from Teachers College Press. A hard copy will be mailed to you. Free.
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Recommended Read for June-July-August
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Remnants of a Life on Paper
By Bea Tusiani, Paula Tusiani-Eng and Pamela Tusiani
The book tells the story of a young woman suffering with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), a psychiatric illness characterized primarily by mood swings, unstable relationships, depression and self-destructive behavior. Pamela Tusiani's copious journals, moving artwork and poetry provide an intimate glimpse of her battle with a personality she could not control. Intertwined with Pamela's voice, Bea Tusiani tells the story of her daughter's struggle and the roller-coaster effect it had on her family. The two points of view present a unique insight into Pamela's state of mind. Based on Bea's and her husband's notes, taken during conversations with Pamela, her doctors and othe r healthcare providers, this book allows the reader to live through Pamela's day-to-day ordeal and experience the anxiety, love and fear of her family members. This is not just the story of one vibrant, gifted young woman and her courageous family. It is a real life account of an illness that irreparably changes one's world. Download a Clinical BPD Teaching Guide.
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| Professional Development Opportunities |
This annual report, a joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), provides the most current detailed statistical information on the nature of crime in schools. This report contains 23 indicators of crime at school from a number of sources, including the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), the School Crime Supplement to the NCVS, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the School Survey on Crime and Safety, and the School and Staffing Survey. Topics covered include victimization at school, teacher injury, bullying and cyber-bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and crime at postsecondary institutions. Access report. Brief summary.
Gov. Greg Abbott last week signed into law a measure that will decriminalize unexcused absences. As of Sept. 1, Texas will no longer be one of only two states that sends truant students to adult criminal court.
The new law requires school districts to "take meaningful steps to address the underlying issues that can cause truancy, thereby helping children stay in school and succeed," read a press release by nonprofit advocacy group, Texas Appleseed. . .
Under the old law, students could face court for having three unexcused absences in a four-week period and students who missed school more than 10 times in six months faced misdemeanor charges for failing to attend school. Read more.
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School Social Work Positions
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Continued - listed by state abbreviation
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Death and grief will affect the lives of almost all children at some point, often leading to struggles with academic performance, social relationships, and behavior. The death of a loved one is immensely challenging for anyone, but children and teens can find it particularly difficult. Scholastic.com, through the generosity of the New York Life Foundation, hosted a live, interactive webcast on the subject of Children and Grief. Using actual scenarios from children and parents, childhood grief expert, pediatrician, and author Dr. David Schonfeld, MD, and Chris Park, president of the New York Life Foundation, talked about misconceptions, and imparted valuable advice on how educators and all other caring adults can best support grieving children-whether it's right after the loss or years later. Download webcast.
Archived by SAMHSA & KSOC-TV
Various Archived Webinars from the Center for School Mental Health, University of Maryland
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SchoolGrants
SchoolGrants was created in 1999 as a way to share grant information with PK-12 educators. Grant writing can be intimidating to those who are new at it. SchoolGrants helps ease those fears by providing online tips to those who need them. Finding suitable grant opportunities requires a great deal of time and research - SchoolGrants reduces the effort by listing a variety of opportunities available to public and private nonprofit elementary and secondary schools and districts across the United States. Sample grants are available as well as the opportunity to sign up for a listserv and newsletter. More info.
3rd Quarter Deadline: September 30, 2015
Grants of up to $500 are available for "innovative programs, events, or projects" from the Meemic Foundation for Michigan, Wisconsin or Illinois. Apply online using their easy application that takes less than 30 minutes to complete. These grants are open to any employee of a K-12 public or private school. Universities and colleges may also apply. Fill-in-the-blank application.
Grants are accepted year round, but the third quarter cycle ends September 30th. Grants are up to $500. Recipients will be notified by November 15th.
The foundation says it supports "basically anything that supports teachers and enhances the student's educational experience" - from field trips to books to behavior modification programs; science, music, or art equipment to professional development.
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