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…

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…

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…

Since the establishment of the first charter school in 1991, over 7,000 charter schools have opened across the United States. Charter schools are publicly funded schools that are exempt from some of the local or state regulation and serve as alternatives to the more traditional public and private schools for many children and families. As charter…

During the beginning stages of COVID-19, school social workers in New York City (NYC) were at the forefront of managing the mental health of youth and families. There were multiple barriers that interfered with the level of care that school social workers wanted and needed to provide to both students and their families. This article is an NYC…

Restorative justice (RJ) is both a philosophy and a set of practices meant to repair harm and maintain connection in the face of wrongdoing. While RJ is becoming increasingly popular among K-12 educators and in schools, emphasis is typically on its social justice applications, including its use as an alternative to zero-tolerance discipline…

The role and duties of a school social worker can differ greatly by state. The National School Social Work Practice Model and the National Association of Social Workers' school social work standards describe practice approaches and behaviors endorsed by the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA). The National Evaluation Framework for…

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…

This study addresses a gap in the literature by examining K-12 administrators' perceptions of school social workers' usage of student data. Before the start of the 2020-2021 school year, school social workers from a national organization invited their administrators via email to complete a survey, producing 48 responses. Administrators perceived…

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…

The effects of burnout on client service provision, organizational health, and individual well-being are increasingly a focus of social work research, particularly against the societal backdrop of the post-COVID-19 era. Children and their families rely on school social workers (SSWs) to meet increasingly pressing and common mental health needs.…