School social workers approach their direct practice from ecological systems and justice-oriented perspectives. As such, they may hold a critical role in providing needed sexual health and dating education and services to adolescents with disabilities. Thirteen high school social workers who work closely with adolescents with disabilities were…

Despite scholarly calls for school social work (SSW) practice to orient more toward systems within and around schools, evidence indicates that individual and small-group interventions continue to dominate practice as well as the research that informs it. In response, the authors propose a more thorough consideration of educational and sociological…

The purpose of this article is to share results of a mixed-methods research study designed to shed light on similarities and differences between school-employed and agency-employed school-based social workers' preparation and practice as a precursor for collaboration in expanded school mental health. Online survey data from a national sample of…

School social workers frequently serve as the primary mental health providers to youths with mental health problems. Although school social workers play a primary role in care, many students also receive outside counseling services. Previous research has not examined whether practice approaches differ when considering mental health practice with…

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation is an important policy intervention aimed at changing school, district, and state department of education policies and practices to improve student outcomes. These efforts are compromised because NCLB does not prioritize the conditions necessary for improving academic outcomes. One such necessary condition…

This study explores school social workers' perceptions of their ability to successfully engage in practice tasks that reduce the likelihood of school suspension and undesirable behaviors among racial and ethnic groups within diverse geographical locations (urban, suburban, and rural). Using survey research methods with a convenience sample, 201…

School social workers have historically had a great deal of flexibility in the practices they use, yet few studies have systematically examined them. This study used data collected as part of the National School Social Work Survey to examine the practice of school social workers within the context of the principles of the response to intervention…

School social work takes place within the dynamic context of the educational landscape, yet research indicates that school social work practice has been slow to adjust to the demands of that landscape. Little research has assessed whether school social workers are being adequately prepared to address the educational shifts that underlie today's…

This article addresses how school social workers can decrease overload in their roles. A two-step process of envisioning an ideal role is outlined: (1) indentifying priorities and activities that are effective or in need of expansion and (2) weeding out activities that could be done differently or no longer serve their purpose. The author…

This article describes the use of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) to reduce conflict in the student-teacher relationship. A case study of a homeroom teacher and a sixth-grade student is presented. This innovative family treatment model is demonstrated to be a useful tool for improving the student-teacher relational system, resulting in amelioration…

This qualitative study explored school social workers' relationships during instances of abuse and neglect reporting, focusing on reports made for children and adolescents already receiving school social work services. Although school social workers frequently file abuse and neglect reports, little is known about how they manage clinical and…

In home visiting programs for children younger than age three, home visitors work with parents to enhance the child's environment. This study examined how the home visitor-parent relationship, amount of contact, and level of need affected the intensity of case management interventions received. Researchers interviewed 90 mothers to measure the…

This article describes the results from the first year of a longitudinal study of a school social work caseload in a large midwestern school district. The purpose of the investigation was to examine the relationship among case characteristics, types of services provided, and case dispositions. Data were collected using a management information…