Over the past few years, state legislators have proposed and enacted legislation that undermines youth rights and imposes education censorship. To discuss the impact on support-based mechanisms in schools, qualitative interviews (n = 11) and one focus group were conducted with school social workers. This study privileges practitioner wisdom to…

The National Evaluation Framework for School Social Work Practice is an evaluation tool developed over a decade ago to provide clarity and guidance on how to evaluate the roles and duties of school social workers (SSWers). As SSWers have varying roles and responsibilities in different school ecosystems, the need to use a valid and reliable…

As the need for school social work (SSW) practitioners increases, more research may be useful to understand how roles and practices are shaped and how this differs from their perceptions of essential practice. To understand the roles and functions of SSW, a survey of nine critical components was developed through an evaluation of national…

The National School Social Work Practice Model 2.0 calls on school social workers to cultivate a supportive school climate as one of its four core focus areas. In line with the model's professional principle of equity, as state legislators continue to pass explicitly anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, the imperative to address gender equity in schools…

The beginning of 2020 marked the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and a new reality. Mainstream learning loss discourse emerged as young people faced new social challenges and rising inequities. However, how we define some of these challenges may pose new barriers to equity promotion. Deficit-based narratives often negatively construct youth…

Although care coordination (CC; i.e., the organization of care activities between professionals to facilitate appropriate service delivery; McDonald et al., 2007) has yet to be studied extensively within schools, preliminary research suggests coordinating school mental health supports can be beneficial (Francis et al., 2021) and that…

This article highlights a research study investigating how school social workers (SSWers) are prepared during their MSW programs to work in various school settings. A survey was completed by 175 SSWers at the School Social Work Association of America 2019 National Conference. The results suggest that survey participants deemed insufficient the…

During a modern era of rising white nationalism and racial reckoning, the opportunity to reimagine the national model for school social work practice was explored in partnership with practitioners, scholars, researchers, and leaders of the profession. It sparked a parallel process of engagement that required the critical analysis of the systemic…

Interactions among peers continue to come with challenges from in-person correspondence to communication through technological devices. Research has shown that in 2021, students ranging from ages 12 to 18 experienced some form of intimidation and harassment. Race, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, and disability were…

There is limited empirical evidence about educational interventions for students experiencing homelessness, who experience distinct disadvantages compared to their low-income peers. We explore how two school staffing interventions in New York City shaped the attendance outcomes of students experiencing homelessness using administrative records…

Work climate affects the quality of early childhood education and care activities. The aim was to explore how the staff describe demands and resources in their jobs, and whether different profiles could be distinguished among those with turnover intentions and those without. The research was based on the Job Demands-Resources model [Bakker, A. B.,…

Mandatory reporting is the first step in a troubling and common cascade: Poverty, reframed as "neglect," precipitates far too many reports, with roughly one-third of children enduring a CPS investigation. Investigated families are monitored and coerced to change their parenting (usually without support for alleviating their poverty),…

School social work (SSW) roles are often surrounded by ambiguity across schools, districts, states, and nationally. The School Social Work Association of America's National Practice Model and National Evaluation Framework, along with the National Association of Social Workers' "Standards for School Social Work Services" are the guidance…

Student mental health has been in steady decline for the past decade, and many school personnel believe they cannot adequately support student mental health needs. While professional school social workers (SSWs) are recognized as critical school-based mental health professionals in many states, 14 states do not yet offer a path for SSWs to become…

Despite the important role public schools serve in students' lives, schools are an epicenter of racialized traumatic events for youth of color. School social workers are well positioned to lead racial equity in their schools and intervene to support more equitable outcomes for all students. Ample research has demonstrated educational inequities…