School Social Work: VCU INTRO TO SOCIAL WORK

About 5 percent of the nation’s social workers are at work in the public school system.

Legislation to know

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KEY TERMS

What are the roles of a school social worker?

What is school social work?

SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK

School social work is a specialized area of practice the social work profession. Per Virginia regulations school social workers must must obtain a Virginia Board of Education (VDOE) Pupil Personnel Services License with an endorsement in School Social Work to practice. This must be renewed every 3 years.

Level of education & specific credentials

In 1987, over 50 percent of homeless children were not attending school.

IDEA’s policy of inclusion involves making every effort to educate a child with a disability in his or her own neighborhood school and with his or her own peers. Support services are brought to the child, rather than taking the child to services in a special school. Unless the IEP stipulates a special reason to move the child, he or she should attend the regular neighborhood school or be moved to an appropriate school as close as possible to his or her home

Students with Disabilities

Bilingual education was introduced in the United States in the 1960s under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Bilingual education means teaching students in two languages: their native language and English.

Bilingual education and immirgation

Vast majority of deaf and hard of hearing students attend mainstream schools. In 2007, only about 15 percent of deaf and hearing impaired students attended a school for the deaf

Students who are deaf or hearing impaired

Critical Public Policies facing school social work

Poor and homeless students

LGBT youth are 3 times more likely to drop out of school and 4 and a half times more likely to skip school than their hetero- sexual classmates. A large part of the reason why LGBT students do not attend school is the abuse they face from classmates, and sometimes also from teachers and administrators, because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students

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No Child Left Behind Act Required that every child must learn to read, write, multiply and subtract at grade level. Every state was required to set standards, which applied to all schools that received Title I funding, and demonstrate whether they achieved those standards.

Education of Homeless Childrenand Youth (EHCY) Federal program that provides grants to state and local educational agencies to ensure that homeless children have access to education.

Education for All Handicapped Children Act Mandate for educating every child, including children with disabilities.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Law reauthorizing Education for All Handicapped Children Act; sets legal standards and requirements for education of children with disabilities.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Law requiring federal assistance to poor schools and communities for educating children.

Multicultural education

Designed to teach principles of social justice. Multicultural education allows students to develop their own identities and reach their true potential as learners. It respects individuality while promoting respect for others. In a multicultural setting, students learn to think critically about their world and take ownership of their lives. Multicultural education teaches students how to be better citizens. It empowers them to transform both themselves and society in positive ways

To promote multicultural education school social workers can: 1. Provide opportunities and encourage teachers, students, and parents to share their own life stories, attitudes, prejudices, and values as they relate to dealing with different ethnic groups. 2. Provide opportunities to acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of different groups. 3. Encourage teachers to select content that includes different cultural view- points and interpretations. Content should also reflect positive role mod- els of different ethnic groups. 4. Provide opportunities for students to discuss issues like racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism. 5. Provide students with opportunities to develop cross-cultural communication and conflict resolution skills

Educational environment that permits a child with disabilities the most freedom he or she can handle.

Least restrictive environment

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Skillsets that social workers need

NASW identifies the following as primary skills needed by school social workers:

The ability to strengthen the connections with home, school, and community by identifying and linking these constituents to create the best learning environment for the student The ability to build mutual communication and support among all participants in the school system, including parents, students, staff, and the community The ability to develop preventive and healing intervention programs for problems in the school system, such as sexism, heterosexism, or racism The ability to provide meaningful and relevant consultation and in-service programs to teachers and school administrators concerning student needs and rights, and counterproductive school policies The ability to provide training and support for conflict resolution programs and other student support programs, such as drug prevention, sex education, alternative suspension programs, and parent education programs

in school violence and guns

Richmond has pockets of high poverty rates and significant socioeconomic disparities. School social workers may encounter students and families facing financial hardships, lack of access to basic resources, and limited support systems. Addressing these challenges requires providing assistance with basic needs, connecting families to community resources, and advocating for equitable opportunities.

Richmond is a diverse city with a rich history, including a significant African American population. School social workers must be culturally competent and sensitive to the needs and experiences of students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. They may need to address racial disparities in education, address racial bias, and promote inclusivity and equity within the school environment.

Some neighborhoods in Richmond experience higher rates of violence and trauma

Richmond, like many urban areas, struggles with educational disparities, including achievement gaps and high dropout rates

often working alone

limited community resources

high absentism

richmond va

Advocacy efforts take place in schools through the IEP process, in the community, and in the larger society through the promotion of state and national policies that advance and protect students’ rights and improve the educational environment.

difficulty adovatcating for systemic change

difficulty balencing roles and responsibilities

large emotional toll

difficulty with collaboration and coordination

complex family situations

limited resources

heavy caseloads

challenges of being a school social worker

Making every effort to educate a child with a disability in his or her own neighborhood school and with his or her own peers.

inclusion

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while this wasnt included in the textbook chapter it's important to discuss

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Advocate for educational equity: less disparity between school programs in poor districts and in rich districts. Act as consultants on school policy matters, such as discipline, cultural sensitivity, and child abuse and neglect Consult with school boards, community members, and parent groups. School social workers trained in conflict resolution strategies can act as a mediators in conflicts between parents and schools or in conflicts among students.

serve to link the school, home, and community by providing direct services, such as mental health intervention, crisis management and intervention, and community liaison in the schools while monitoring and evaluating the organization of school systems and policies. The school social worker helps students use their strengths to meet the identified needs, and also helps them gain access to school and community resources when appropriate. primarily advocates, consultants, and mediators. Advocate for the rights of all students, especially students who are socially and economically isolated and students with disabilities.

roles of the school social worker

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Value: Importance of Human Relationships Significance: School social workers must recognize the complex importance of human relationships. School social workers understand that relationships between and among people are an important vehicle for change, especially within the family unit.

Value: Competence Importance: School social workers continually strive to increase their professional knowledge and skills and to apply them in practice. They have to fill many roles so they need to be competent in many areas.

Two ethical values from the NASW Code of Ethics

The many roles of the school social worker

The school social worker has an obligation to identify student needs and mobilize community resources to maximize opportunities for students to reach their potential. They are involved in school funding issues. Social workers actively advocate and campaign for funding methods.

Include liaison work between home, school, and community; assessment and testing; case management services; development of programs to prevent students from dropping out, joining gangs, or using drugs and alcohol; development of support groups for students who are dealing with death or whose parents have divorced; helping students organize to address issues that hinder their education, such as bullying and discrimination; immigration concerns of nonnative students; truancy or attendance problems; child abuse and neglect; services for students with disabilities; after-school services; counseling; referrals; teacher empowerment; peer mediation; interdisciplinary teamwork (with the school psychologist, school nurse, teachers); and school reform.

the act of removing a child with a disability from special education classes and placing him or her in one or more regular education classes.

mainstreaming

Efforts by school social workers have focused on finding ways to reduce feelings of alienation and helping students achieve a sense of belonging. Also attempts to make the school environment more relevant to students’ needs. Effective strategies include peer tutoring, mentoring programs, outreach programs, cultural awareness activities, peer support groups, work-study programs, and service learning

Appropriate interventions include stress management, assertiveness training, communication and decision-making workshops, and peer support groups. Many school social workers are involved in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program. A collaborative effort between schools and local law enforcement.

Teenage Pregnancy and Disease Prevention

Violence Prevention

Dropout Prevention

Tobacco, Alcohol, and Illicit Drug Prevention

US teen birth rate remains higher than the rates in Great Britain and Canada. Latino and African American teens are three times more likely to become pregnant than a white teenager. Teenagers who live in poverty, grow up in single-parent families, and have parents with low levels of education are most likely to become pregnant

For every 1,000 students, 40 are victimized by crime while in school Approximately 28 percent of students report being bullied and being injured by bullies during school

challenges social worker face in the school

School social workers help ensure the social functioning and success of every student.

School social work is the provision of services in educational settings by credentialed school social workers. School social workers use a distinct body of knowledge and a unique set of skills to enhance home–school–community collaboration.

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The focus of school social work changed again during the 1960s. efforts of school social workers began to be assessed using social science research techniques. school social workers began to focus on school reform and to address the problem of inequality in educational opportunities. They also began to tackle such issues as racism and students’ rights in response to racial tensions brought about by integration and busing.

learn more about the history of the US public school system and how it developed

Prior to the twentieth century, most children did not attend school. But by the early 1900s, most states had passed legislation mandating school attendance. This was a significant turning point for children’s rights; no longer could children be forced to work rather than attend school.

Due to the result of mandatory attendance, schools were faced with a larger and more diverse student body, and they needed assistance to adjust to these new academic and cultural circumstances. The specialization of school social work was founded in the early 1900s to respond to this need

Historical Background

According to The Century Foundation, we are underfunding our, “K-12 public schools by nearly $150 billion annually

50 percent of deaf and hearing impaired students who graduate from high school do so reading at only a third- or fourth-grade level

Conservative estimates suggest that there are between 2.25 and 2.7 million LGBT school-age youth in the United States.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, 1 of every 10 students was a member of a nondominant group. By the end of the twentieth century, the number was one of every four.

There are almost 19 million first- or second-generation immigrant children in the United States. Between 1995 and 2014, their numbers increased by 51 percent. Estimates are that by 2050, 34 percent of children in the United States will either be an immigrant themselves or a child of an immigrant

According to the Virginia Department of Education there are 8,998 homeless students is the state of Virginia. Loudoun County, one of the most affluent counties in the country, reported the highest number of homeless students in Virginia at the start of the 2022-23 school year.

statistics

Outline for expected level of educational performance goals, objectives, and outcomes for a child with disabilities.

individualized education plan