Education Commons^™

Understanding Deaf And Hard Of Hearing College Student Experiences Of School Social Work Services In The K-12 Education System, Kota Takayama

JADARA

This article focuses on Deaf and Hard of Hearing college students’ experiences with school social work services. This study surveyed 136 Deaf and hard of hearing college students about their experiences with school social work services, their concerns about social workers’ competencies, and service delivery. The results of the study imply that school-based social work services should be culturally relevant and school social workers culturally competent. Furthermore, the results indicated that respondents ranked services they felt most comfortable asking about and which aspects of service delivery they felt were most important.

School Social Work: Now More Than Ever, Michael S. Kelly

International Journal of School Social Work

We are excited to publish our 5th volume of the International Journal of School Social Work, marking five continuous years of the journal's publication. This issue is arriving at a crucial time for our schools and communities around the world, and in this brief essay, I argue that it's never been a more exciting and consequential time to be a school social worker.

Facilitating Racial Equity: Evaluating A Leadership Workshop Series For School Social Workers, Summer G. Woodside, Veronica Hardy

International Journal of School Social Work

This article provides an overview of a leadership training workshop series designed to provide professional development to Pre-K through 12th grade school social workers about racial equity and leadership. The series' objectives included promoting social workers’ understanding of and obligation to facilitating racial equity in schools, analyzing educational data through a racial equity lens, conceptualizing school social workers as influencers in addressing racial inequities in schools, and collaborating with school professionals of various disciplines to practice and implement evidence-based approaches for facilitating racial equity in schools. The authors conducted five workshops that were developed based on state school social work …

Teen Depression, Stories Of Hope And Health: A Promising Universal School Climate Intervention For Middle School Youth, Michael S. Kelly, Peggy Kubert, Heather Freed

International Journal of School Social Work

This study describes the delivery of the Teen Depression: Stories of Health and Healing (TDSHH), a brief school-based depression awareness delivered for middle school students. The main objectives of the proposed evaluation were to examine the effects of TDSHH on middle school health students in the areas of knowledge about depression, willingness to seek help from adults and belief that adults can help. Two Chicago suburban middle schools agreed to be part of the TDSHH intervention study. In both schools, a pre/post-test wait-list control quasi-experimental design was used. Each student in the study (total N=223) completed a questionnaire that incorporated …

When Personal Raises Political: Experience Of Racial Discrimination And Distrust Of Authorities Among Children Of Immigrants, Luis Fernandez-Barutell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Substantial research has addressed the association between welcoming or hostile contexts and sociopolitical behavior among second generation immigrants. Previous analyses have conceptualized positive elements (e.g., group solidarity) and negative factors (e.g., anti-immigration bias) related to specific outcomes, such as voting or activism. This study examined factors associated with distrust of authorities and, in particular, whether experiencing personal discrimination based on race/ethnicity is related to distrust of government and police among second generation Latinos in the United States. Our results confirmed that experiencing discrimination in two contexts (school and police) is indeed related to distrust of authorities. Recommendations for practice and …

It’S About Time: Initial Findings From A Feasibility Study Of A Time-Study Tool For School Social Workers In Michigan, Michael S. Kelly, Steven Whitmore

International Journal of School Social Work

Starting in late Summer of 2015, the two authors began collaborating on the pilot testing of a school social work (SSW) time-study tool with a sample of SSW in suburban Detroit (n=9). This article details the path towards the development of the time-study tool, drawing from the extant literature on workload and caseload issues in related special education fields, and resulting in the time-study tool that was first piloted with SSW in 2015-2016. Initial data from year one of the two-year 2015-2017 pilot project is shared in this article, along with qualitative data based on interviews with the SSW in …

Data-Driven Recommendations For Promoting Collaboration Among School Security Personnel And School Social Workers In The United States, Soohyoung Lee, Matthew Cuellar

International Journal of School Social Work

In response to recent incidents of school violence in the United States over the last two decades, there has been a nationwide increase in the use of school security personnel in today’s schools. Concurrently, school social work practice continues to grow as a subspecialty of social work that provides crucial services to youth in school. Despite this increase in demand across both fields of practice, and an overlap in professional interests, current research suggests that we know little about how school social workers interact with and perceive school security personnel within their schools, and ultimately how such interaction and collaboration …

Cognitive Behavioral Intervention For Trauma In Schools (Cbits): A School Social Work Perspective, Karla B. Horton Phd, Lmsw

International Journal of School Social Work

This article reviews research about the effects of traumatic events on the functioning of children and adolescents in a school setting. Interventions with traumatic stressors have been shown to work best when they incorporate multiple elements such as policy change, teacher and administration buy-in, and parent meetings. One intervention, Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS), has been successfully developed and implemented by school social workers, teachers, and parents to address a range of traumatic stressors. This article will review CBITS training and examine how it could be used to address traumatic stressors in children and adolescents to lower …

School Social Work In Northern Uganda In A Post-Conflict Context: A Case Of Anaka Foundation, Julius Omona

International Journal of School Social Work

Anaka Foundation is an indigenous NGO that is operating in northern Uganda in response to the post-war development challenges. Anaka recently concluded a school social work project, a specialization which is common in Western countries, to attempt to improve the learning environment of vulnerable children selected from nine government aided primary schools. This school social work pilot project was supported with a grant from AfriCarinthia, an organization from Austria. Relevant social work theories were applied and significant systems in the learning environment of the children were targeted through different interventions. A mixed before-and-after evaluation approach was used to arrive at …

School Social Workers: A Call To Action In Support Of Human Rights, Leticia Villarreal Sosa, Raylinn Nuckolls

International Journal of School Social Work

The global climate of extremism and direct attacks on marginalized groups such as LGBTQI persons, Muslims, women, immigrants, and refugees creates a need at this critical juncture for school social workers to ground themselves in the international definition of social work, which defines social work as a human rights profession. While there are many challenges to upholding human rights conventions across the world, a human rights framework can assist school social workers in promoting human rights and advocating for vulnerable and marginalized populations. In the context of global migration, children can be especially vulnerable to human rights violations. A human …

The Impact Of Mental Health Issues On Academic Achievement In High School Students, Patricia Lea Sutherland

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

An adolescent’s time in school is not merely academic; they are developing socially, physically, and emotionally. Prior research has demonstrated a correlation between a student’s poor academic performance and his/her need for emotional and mental health support. This research project sought to answer the following research questions: 1) Do mental health services in a high school setting help facilitate students’ academic achievement? and 2) Does a focus on mental health issues improve overall health and well-being in high school students? Participants for this study are 10 staff members (including teachers, administrators, counselors, and others) of a high school in San …

School Social Work In A Global Context, Leticia Villarreal Sosa, Michael S. Kelly

International Journal of School Social Work

We are pleased to announce our second issues of the International Journal of School Social Work (IJSSW). With its publication, IJSSW continues our focus on providing open access to evidence based and peer reviewed literature to school social workers around the world. As social workers, our practice is inherently global regardless of where we practice and by creating ways to share information across borders. When we practice from a global social work perspective, we appreciate diversity and understand global issues that face the students and families we serve. In particular, this understanding comes with special attention to differences in privilege, …

Empowering Students Through The Application Of Self-Efficacy Theory In School Social Work: An Intervention Model, Nancy A. Delich, Stephen D. Roberts

International Journal of School Social Work

Self-efficacy is a construct well suited for social workers in the educational setting. Among the various job functions that school social workers assume, a large portion of their time is directed toward providing counseling and clinical services. Perceptions of self-efficacy are based upon the extent students expect to successfully attain their goals. Self-efficacious students with strong beliefs in their abilities will choose activities and social situations where they believe that they will be successful. Thus, they will be motivated to devote more time and effort toward accomplishing related goals. Conversely, inefficacious students of similar intelligence and capabilities may choose to …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of Social Work Services In Rural School Districts, Breanna Heinrich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students in rural communities are often subject to unique barriers and challenges that impact their holistic emotional, cognitive, physical, and social success in school. Because these factors have a strong impact on school attendance, behavior, and overall success, educators have begun to implement social work programs within both rural and urban school districts across the nation. While existing research affirms the effectiveness of school social work, very little research has been conducted to determine the effect in rural school districts. This paper evaluates the impact of a newly developed social work pilot program in two West Texas school districts implemented …

Why It Makes Sense To Practice Child Welfare Social Work In The Public School System: An Evaluation Study, Desiree Joanne Robinson Moody

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to propose why it makes sense to practice child welfare social work in the public school system (kindergarten through 12th grade), and to evaluate why there is a need for child protective services (CPS) child welfare social workers to be active and out-stationed in the public school setting. A questionaire was developed to interview and obtain responses from nine experienced retired and prior social workers.

Expanded School-Based Health: The Mental Health And School Connection, Dr. Jill D. Duba

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

Research suggests that expanded school-based mental health (ESMH) programs can offer benefits and hope for children and their families. Such programs are part of a national progressive movement involving collaborative relationships between schools and community mental health agencies. The purpose of this article is to highlight the constructs and details of ESMH programs, as well as counselor training possibilities.

Do Educators Value School Social Workers?, Keynasia Kami Daniels

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to examine educators' (teachers and school administrators) level of knowledge about the professional role of school social workers and the value that educators place on the functions carried out by social workers as pupil support personnel.

School Retention And Academic Self-Efficacy With Elementary Students, Cheryl Anne Spiro, Karen Monique Frazier

Theses Digitization Project

The significance of this project was to incorporate specific tasks into a classroom setting that would be used to enhance retained student's self-regulatory efficacy. The interns hypothesized that group interventions could help children who were retained to increase their belief in themselves and their abilities.

Teachers Experiences Of Social Services On An Elementary School Site, Wendy Marie Nims

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Effective Administration And Implementation Of External Programs Addressing Social Issues Operating Within Schools, Roselyn R. Cole

Dissertations

Problem. It is difficult for schools to make sound decisions regarding whether to use external programs to address teenage pregnancy, AIDS, substance abuse, or any other social issue. Questions arise as to which administrative factors impact decisions to use an external program and also what indicators influence successful program implementation. The effects of central office support for a program, staff training, and ample funding are administrative factors to be examined before a program is selected.

Method. The research was conducted across several school districts within Indiana. Data collection involved the distribution of a questionnaire developed for this study. Schooladministrators comprised …

A Program Of School Social Work, Phyllis Marie Jaszkowiak

Dissertations and Theses

School social work is in a state of flux. Traditional casework services in the schools, as the only function of the school social worker, is becoming less viable.

The study of Assumption school and area points out some problem areas, as well as strengths. In view of these problems and strengths, a broadened school social work program is discussed. The program centers around prevention, treatment, and research. A basic principle upon which all is based is a team approach of social work, school, and community. The discussion leads to the community school concept, which is currently seen as one of …