Educational disparity has been a long-standing social and political concern, and is a grand challenge for social work because of its implications for equal opportunity and social justice. As stewards of social justice in public K-12 educational settings, school social workers help students gain access to and effectively use resources and support…

Community schools provide integrated services and supports, often through partnerships with community-based organizations, to mediate health and psychosocial barriers to learning faced by children from low-income families. Wediko Children's Services conducted a program evaluation with over 500 students at two schools in low-income communities in…

Schools today are faced with the challenge of equipping students with the skills they need to succeed in life outside the classroom while also teaching the academic material required. More often, teachers are called on to establish environments in which students learn social and emotional skills alongside academics. With increased recognition that…

This article reports on outcomes of an Australian pilot school-based early intervention program called Got It! (Getting On Track In Time!). Findings contribute to evidence for the effectiveness of interventions for children with early-onset conduct problems. The Got It! program incorporates universal and targeted components for children ages five…

Educational outcomes for youths in foster care are poor compared with those of their peers who are not child welfare involved. This qualitative study examined the impact of adoption on the educational experiences of older youths with disabilities who were adopted from the child welfare system. Researchers conducted interviews with families of…

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' (CMS) Parent University is an innovative, collaborative initiative designed to engage parents in their children's education. Working with community partners, Parent University offers unique courses and workshops such as Parenting Awareness, Helping Your Child Learn in the 21st Century, Health and Wellness, and…

Intervention research is vital for social work, as it aims to develop practice/program approaches and provide evidence to understand which interventions are effective and for whom. Despite growing attention, little social work research exists that evaluates interventions. Among the reasons for the dearth of intervention research within social work…

The purpose of this article is to share results of an exploratory qualitative research study designed to shed light on experiences of an interdisciplinary group of elementary school staff and graduate students in a school-based services project. A researcher conducted 20 interviews with staff and graduate students who represented the fields of…

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001 (MCKV), which provides funds to local educational agencies (LEAs), is almost a decade old, yet no evaluations of its academic effectiveness have been reported. Using a systems theory framework, the authors answer the question of whether homeless students in grade 6 from LEAs…

This study evaluates a gender-sensitive peer education program emphasizing male responsibility for decreasing rape developed through a long-standing agency and school collaborative. Sessions were led by trained male and female high school leaders. Repeated surveying revealed that at posttest and three-month follow-up, the program decreased…

This article describes how concept mapping techniques were applied to evaluate the development of a solution-focused, public alternative school program. Concept Systems software was used to create 15 cluster maps based on statements generated from students, teachers, and school staff. In addition, pattern matches were analyzed to examine the…

Prevention programs in schools are one response to youth, community, and family violence. Many of these programs target older children and adolescents. This quasi-experimental study evaluated the preschool curriculum of the Peacemakers program, which was developed by a consortium of social service agencies for implementation in schools. This…

A school social worker and three social work interns in a semirural alternative high school with a predominant Hispanic student enrollment evaluated the Taking Charge group intervention. The group is an evidence-based life skills intervention for adolescent mothers, and it was evaluated on its efficacy for improving participants' school…

On the basis of systematic evaluation of three program databases, totaling 246 programs, this article provides a discussion on a best practice program for low-income African American students transitioning from middle school to high school in urban school settings. The main research question was "Of the programs touted as best practice, is there…

The purpose of this article is to set forth an innovative methodological protocol for culturally grounding interventions with high-risk youths in alternative schools. This study used mixed methods to evaluate original and adapted versions of a culturally grounded substance abuse prevention program. The qualitative and quantitative methods…