To date, no suicide behavior data related to school-based peer suicide prevention programs have been published. The Hope Squad program uses trained students to intentionally facilitate help-seeking with distressed peers. Suicide concern contact data (SCCD) from school counseling centers were collected from 2013 to 2017 as part of routine…

The middle school transition has been identified as a difficult time for youths, resulting in adjustment difficulties across a variety of domains. Although some research has examined strategies that are useful for the adjustment outcomes associated with the transition, more research understanding student perceptions of what is helpful in the…

Studies examining student-level outcomes associated with interprofessional team collaboration in schools remain anecdotal despite repeated calls for well-designed, rigorous, multimethod research. The purpose of the current study was to use a mixed-methods approach to explore how interprofessional team collaboration affects student-level outcomes…

The community school movement represents a promising approach to school reform that brings much-needed attention to the intersections of child, family, and community well-being. Although the community school movement of today shares many core values and goals with school social work, it has undergone a different developmental trajectory. As a…

This article examines the leadership roles and practices of community school coordinators (CSCs) in three full-service community schools (FSCSs). FSCSs are designed to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of historically underserved students through expanded learning opportunities, integrated service provision, family engagement, and…

For more than two decades varied models of school-linked services and school-family-community partnerships have been advanced with the goal of improving the educational, developmental, mental health, health, and social outcomes for children and families. This study presents an analysis of the impact of a school-based ecological model for parent…

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…

Reducing disproportionality in school discipline is a grand challenge for school social work. Although the causes of disproportionality in exclusionary school discipline are interrelated and complex, one solution is to introduce alternatives to suspensions and expulsions that discipline students while keeping them engaged in school. The teen court…

Using mixed methods, this case study explored outcomes associated with the adoption and implementation of a community schools approach in four Title I schools using the Community Collaboration Model for School Improvement. Trends in school data demonstrate academic achievement improvements in three of the four schools. Absenteeism and the number…

Children with disabilities (CWD) face challenges to the development of their sexuality, in part due to a lack of appropriate, tailored sexual education in schools, role ambiguity regarding provision of sexual health services, and widespread discomfort with the topic. However, CWD have unique sexual health needs, an increased vulnerability to…

The current environment for school social work presents great challenges and great opportunities. Amid promising shifts in programs and policies, many school social workers feel marginalized. Despite sustained efforts at definition, the role of the school social worker remains unclear to many outside the field. More important, this role is often…

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…

Although it is well understood that relationships are linked to healthy development and academic success, research on socialization during recess is limited. From the conceptual framework of belonging, an array of established measures was used to create an online anonymous survey specific to recess. This survey includes modified scales for…

Bullying is a serious problem with long-term and short-term negative effects on both victims and perpetrators. Many bullying-prevention programs have been developed on the basis of peer support and social learning theories. The purpose of this study was to develop an antibullying program consisting of a short video and to survey the effectiveness…

The benefits of school-based mental health services have been supported in prior research and literature. Studies have shown that approximately one in five youths in schools today have diagnosable mental health disorders. However, research has identified that close to 70 percent of those youths do not receive the services they need. This gap in…