The ARP Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) program focuses on increasing state educational agencies' (SEAs) and local educational agencies' (LEAs) capacity to provide wraparound services by hiring staff, dedicating resources, and planning partnerships with community-based organizations (CBOs). This brief: (1) summarizes the role and expertise…

Recent proposed legislation to change the public school funding formula has not taken the social work profession into account. There has been a lack of participation from professional associations in creating this legislation--critical legislation that enables school districts to determine what ancillary school support staff they will or will not…

This article calls for school social workers to work in schools to reform school systems that have historically failed and are currently failing African American children. While the hope of education is to assist students to realize their potential, school systems across the nation are not reaching this goal. School social work has a duty, a…

This qualitative study of school social workers who practice with youths identified as seriously emotionally disturbed offers guidelines for the use of information gleaned through consultation in clinical decision making. School social workers engage in regular consultation with professionals in the school setting, the community, the family, and…

Students and other members of a school community frequently experience grief and loss. This article uses a dual process model to describe students' grief and loss. It also describes the manifestations of grief at different stages of children's development, as well as interventions at different levels of the school environment. The ability to help…

This article provides a model that school social workers can use to prepare elementary school children for the return of classmates whose appearances have been significantly altered as a result of illness or injury (e.g., loss of limbs, severe scarring), for whom return to school is often difficult. School social workers can be instrumental in…

Federal laws address some of the factors that have been associated with school failure, specifically poverty and disability. The primary federally funded legislation that addresses the needs of at-risk youths in public are the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 and No Child Left Behind (2002). This article reviews the intended…

The purpose of this article is to introduce the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten (ECLS-K) database to school social work practitioners and researchers. This database not only serves as a viable source for evidence-based practice pertaining to the influences of families and schools on the academic achievement of children beginning at…

This is an exploratory study that makes use of survey research methods and a convenience sample (N = 222) to examine how urban school social workers' perceived knowledge of neighborhood and community risk and protective factors affect their levels of self-reported effectiveness in practice tasks. Using hierarchical multiple regression, the…

Nearly one million adolescent girls in the United States become pregnant annually, which has significant negative social and economic consequences. The number of teen pregnancies totals 50,000 in Florida, where state statutes require that these adolescents be provided with ongoing education and other support services in schools. While school…

While research has shown that social workers can have positive impacts on students' school adjustment, evaluations of overall practice models continue to be limited. This article evaluates a model of community-school social work practice by examining its effect on problem behaviors and concerns identified by teachers and parents at referral. As…

With the current emphasis on accountability in kindergarten through twelfth-grade education, greater demands have been placed on school social workers. In fact, many federal, state, and school officials are demanding the use of evaluative outcome research that demonstrates the potential impact of supportive services. The present study examined the…

This publication of the Iowa School Social Workers' Association is dedicated to the enhancement of social work practice in schools. Within the social work profession, school social workers may find themselves on the cutting edge and forefront of issues affecting students. The articles in these journals attempt to provide comprehensive knowledge…

Integrated school psychological services were implemented 12 years ago in the Greeley-Evans Public Schools by combining the positions of school psychologist and school social worker and placing each professional in an elementary school full-time. After 5 years, services were expanded to secondary schools such that all schools had a full-time…

This publication of the Iowa State School Workers' Association is dedicated to the enhancement of social work practice in schools. Within the social work profession, school social workers may find themselves on the cutting edge and forefront of issues affecting students. The articles in these journals attempt to provide comprehensive knowledge…