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School Social Work NOW!
Supporting Innovative Practice,
Effective Leadership, and Applied Research
Vol 6, Issue 38
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October 17 - 18, 2016
Milwaukee, WI
- designed for school social workers
- offers an opportunity for training in nationally approved PREPaRE 2 crisis and trauma response. Brochure
- Early Bird Registration - extended through September 10th! Act now!
January 30 - February 1, 2017
5th Nat'l Advancing School Social Work Practice Institute
New Orleans, LA
- learn much, play hard, and enjoy new connections
- join us at Tulane University
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Register now or submit a proposal--due September 15th. Join your colleagues in a professional learning experience that is worth your time!
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As we go to press, Louisiana, especially Baton Rouge, is experience trauma cause by flooding. The following may be important, helpful information.
...Floods carry risks to psychological as well as physical health. Much of the research on the emotional impact of floods was conducted following the 1972 Buffalo Creek Flood in Logan County, WV. In a town of 5,000 residents, 125 died and 4,000 lost their homes. The vast majority of family members surveyed continued to struggle with severe psychological symptoms up to two years after the flood.
When floods occur, children may witness anxiety and fear in usually confident parents and caregivers. They may see adults' best efforts fail to protect their homes. Children may lose pets, cherished memorabilia, and toys; they may not understand why parents must dispose of contaminated belongings during the clean-up process. Children may also experience the horror of seeing severely injured people or dead bodies. Adults may find it difficult to gauge the emotional impact of floods on children, who often hide their symptoms to avoid worrying them. Full article.
...In our assessment, these are compelling arguments in favor of legalization; however, one critical question that remains is: What do changes in the distribution and use of marijuana mean for young people?
The articles in this issue by Fleming et al. [4] and Bailey et al. [5] provide a timely contribution as we grapple to understand adolescent marijuana use risk in a 21st century context. Fleming et al. examining youth surveillance data collected in Washington State between 2000 and 2014--identified meaningful increases in marijuana-specific risk factors (e.g., low perceived harm, favorable attitudes about use) among public high school students, but found that the prevalence of marijuana use has remained stable over time. This is consistent with a recent data from the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey which found that the prevalence of adolescent marijuana use has remained stable since the Centennial State legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2012 [6]. Continue here. (See page 2 of article for additional resources).
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The power of position, the power to punish, and the power to control information can be risky to wield. They push your team members into a position of weakness and can leave you looking autocratic and out of touch. Your team members will likely not enjoy being lorded over, and may even attempt to undermine you if you use your power simply as a show of strength.
Fortunately, there are three types of power that are much more positive: charismatic power, referent power, and expert power. Of these, expert power has to be earned and requires a great deal of energy and focus to maintain. But it tends to be longer lasting than other forms of power and more rewarding as a result. Develop expert power.
Any relationship we enter into occupies our mind and uses our energy. This includes our relationship with things. The things we own require attention -- from basic maintenance like a car or a house, to needing to be put away after use or a decision of whether to keep or toss.
The things we own own us as it takes energy to deal with them and unless we change our relationship with the stuff we own, it will end up owning us...
If we think it's hard to understand how a relationship with things works, it is harder still to learn the mechanisms underscoring human relationships. Understanding ourselves is complex enough. Expanding to learning about human communication -- for example, emotional expression and non verbal communication like physical contact -- is sometimes a lifelong pursuit. Read more.
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In a cafe in south London, two construction workers are engaged in cheerful banter, tossing words back and forth. Their cutlery dances during more emphatic gesticulations and they occasionally break off into loud guffaws. They are discussing a woman, that much is clear, but the details are lost on me. It's a shame, because their conversation looks fun and interesting, especially to a nosy person like me. But I don't speak their language.
Out of curiosity, I interrupt them to ask what they are speaking. With friendly smiles, they both switch easily to English, explaining that they are South Africans and had been speaking Xhosa. In Johannesburg, where they are from, most people speak at least five languages, says one of them, Theo Morris. For example, Theo's mother's language is Sotho, his father's is Zulu, he learned Xhosa and Ndebele from his friends and neighbours, and English and Afrikaans at school. "I went to Germany before I came here, so I also speak German," he adds.
Was it easy to learn so many languages?
In schools working to reduce suspension rates, teachers could take a cue from Aretha Franklin: Considering how young people view respect can greatly improve classroom management, new studies show.
A one-time intervention to help teachers and students empathize with each other halved the number of suspensions at five diverse California middle schools, and helped students who had previously been suspended feel more connected at school, according to Stanford University research published in April in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Changing the mindset of one teacher can change the social experience of that child's entire world," said Jason A. Okonofua, a Stanford University social psychologist who led the experiments.
In- and out-of-school suspensions have come under increasing scrutiny as a discipline tactic. One recent study from the University of California, Los Angeles, estimates that because suspensions are so closely linked to later school dropout and referrals to law enforcement, cutting the 16 percent nationwide rate for all 10th grade suspensions by even 1 percentage point could save taxpayers $691 million over students' lives. Learn more.
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Recommended Read for July & August
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Traumatic Experience and the Brain: A Handbook for Understanding and Treating Those Traumatized As Children
by Dave Ziegler
Traumatic Experience and the Brain is the result of Dr. Dave Ziegler's three decades of experience with children traumatized by abuse and/or neglect. This book details the effect of such trauma on the developing brain, describing how it actually rewires one's perceptions of self, others, and the world. It is a book of hope for foster, natural, and adoptive parents of such "broken" children and the therapists, teachers and social workers who attempt to help them. Dave Ziegler, M.S., Ph.D., is the director of Scar/Jasper Mountain, a residential treatment program in Oregon for some of society's most damaged children.
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| Professional Development Opportunities |
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For the first time, every school in USD 260 [Derby, KS] will have at least one social worker. The district created five new social work positions and hired six new social workers. Every elementary school will have their own social worker for the 2016-17 school year.
Each year, the district evaluates its needs by talking with building administrators. This year, social and emotional support for students and their families was a top priority said Heather Bohaty, assistant superintendent of human resources. Read about these new school social workers.
Corporal punishment has declined so rapidly in the United States in the last 15 years that many people think it's practically nonexistent in modern American public schools.
To the contrary, more than 109,000 students were paddled, swatted, or otherwise physically punished in U.S. classrooms in 2013-14, according to Education Week Research Center analyses of the most recent wave of federal civil rights data.
Corporal punishment is often seen by proponents as a good alternative to suspending students. But in a field that requires specialized certification for all manner of programs and subjects, corporal punishment stands out for the virtual nonexistence of training or detailed procedures on how to paddle children of different sizes, ages, or psychological profiles. And in the absence of such training or guidance, the practice can leave students more vulnerable to injury and districts at greater risk of expensive lawsuits. More.
The teacher asked her fourth-graders to sit in a circle and rate their feelings from one to 10. Christopher Bland clenched his fists. He ripped a piece of paper to shreds. As his classmates spoke, he rocked back and forth. Tonia Rowe-Russell made a mental note: Keep an eye on this one, usually so smiley, eager to please. He stopped writing during writing time. She asked what was on his mind. His baby sister died that summer, he told her. She hadn't known. Her mom had passed away, she said. She shared a silly memory and asked if he could think of one. He drew himself and his sister atop a colorful castle, surrounded by trees.
They put that picture - and one of her mother - on an "In Loving Memory" wall next to his desk. It seemed to calm him.
But Rowe-Russell knew from 19 years of teaching at South L.A.'s West Athens Elementary School that when her students experience trauma, it needs to be addressed before they can concentrate and learn. Full article.
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School Social Work Positions
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The Intersectionality of Race and Class in Identity-Based Bullying
October 6, 2016 - 2 - 3 pm ET
This session will focus on creating greater awareness of the intersectionality of race and class in bullying incidents and the role of the educator in understanding the subtle and more nuanced differences from traditional bullying . Drawing on recent examples, as well as participant experiences, this interactive workshop will explore the relationship between bullying, stereotypes, race, class and school climate. We will discuss strategies for responding to bias-motivated bullying ,help students better understand the specific role of being an ally and to develop the motivation to create inclusive school environments for all students. Learn more and register.
The Impact of Terrorism on Children: What Harms, What Helps
The University-Based Child and Family Policy Consortium, in collaboration with the Society for Research in Child Development, hosted "The Impact of Terrorism on Children: What Harms, What Helps" webinar on February 16, 2016. Based on an SRCD Social Policy Report written by James Garbarino and colleagues, and the Social Policy Report Commentary by Ann Masten, this webinar will discuss the research on the effects of children's exposure to terrorism. Access webinar. Approx. 1 hr.
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3rd Quarter Deadline: September 30, 2016
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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