Recent educational programs and initiatives hinge on effective collaboration between education professionals, such as school social workers, school psychologists, teachers, and principals. Our inquiry seeks to build on prior conceptual work to unpack the collaborative stance of school social workers by examining how they conceptualize their role…

The "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" (IDEA) and related accrediting agencies (e.g., The Council for Exceptional Children) dictate the training of preservice teachers. Likewise, the accrediting agencies in the field of social work (e.g., The Council for Social Work Education) specify the content for aspirant school social…

This paper recounts the history and relationship of school counselors and school social workers in Wyoming. The establishment of the guidance department at the University of Wyoming and Wyoming's original certification standards for counselors are detailed. The impetus for employing school social workers in Wyoming schools is discussed. The…

This paper proposes an andragogical, adult education, or "learner-friendly" model as an appropriate basis for a program of continuing professional education, specifically for school social workers. It discusses the various factors that must be taken into account in the design, construction, and execution of such a program. The following factors…

A Connecticut school's interdisciplinary team approach toward maintaining black handicapped students in the mainstream of a secondary school is described from the point of view of individual team members. The team consists of a social worker, a guidance counselor/psychologist, special education teacher, and reading specialist. The special…

Traditionally, school systems isolate pupil personnel staff from the classroom and the learning process. School psychologists, social workers, and counselors work one-to-one with special or problem students who are referred to them by classroom teachers. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina reject this traditional model. Instead,…

A team consisting of a school psychologist, a social worker, and two school counselors developed a program in Newton, Massachusetts to deal with children's problems resulting from their parents' separations and divorces. School staff was surveyed and interest was reported in the following areas of separation and divorce issues: (1) knowing more…

Bibliotherapy has been used by the helping professions as a treatment technique for many years, and several studies suggest that it can be an effective treatment tool. In helping children who are experiencing difficulties, bibliotherapy treatment involves the child reading about others who have solved similar problems. An increasing number of…

This paper examines several perspectives and their implications for school social work services to prevent and deal with school failure and dropping out. It examines the different reform efforts and factors involved with dropping out of school. Much of this discussion is shaped by the personal general school social work experiences and knowledge…

The purpose of this paper is to address the evaluation of the social service component of Head Start, through its main contributor, the family service worker (FSW). Sixty-six Head Start family service workers--arranged in 3 focus groups of 10 to 20 workers--from both rural and urban communities in the Southeast met to discuss the characteristics…

In the United Kingdom social workers perform two major functions: they work with students with behavior problems who have been referred to them by schools as a last resort, and they ensure that needy students receive benefits such as clothing, maintenance allowances, boarding school assistance, and transportation to and from school. These services…

The issue of appropriate truancy intervention is addressed in this description of the efforts of Minneapolis, Minnesota to design a continuum of interventions that relies on the resources of both the school and juvenile court. Exigencies which precipitated a truancy pilot project are discussed: a shared belief that truancy is a signal for…

Divorce is a complicated situation, requiring multifaceted interventions and supports. This paper describes a program designed to enhance the ability of social structures to support children experiencing the impact of parental separation and divorce. The program is a four-part, school-based intervention aimed at educating significant adults…

Although school social workers (SSW's) are one of the few resources in the schools primarily designated to prevent and remediate personal and social problems that contribute to underachievement and deviant student behavior, many SSW's in Georgia are being replaced by noncertified attendance workers. Some educators claim that these attendance…

Studies have estimated that nearly 20 percent of high school students are experiencing life problems which can be directly attributed to their use of mood-altering chemicals. Many of these life problems, including truancy, declining academic performance, behavior problems, and chemical use itself, directly affect the school system. Any school…