School Social Workers Develop Successful Students

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School Social Workers Develop Successful Students
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ALL CHILDREN

• Want to succeed!
• Have families that want them to succeed in school
  and in life!

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YET MANY FAIL

• In 2002 only 32 percent of fourth-graders could
  read skillfully at grade level as measured by the
  National Assessment of Educational Programs
  (United States Department of Education, 2004).

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BECAUSE OF BARRIERS TO LEARNING
40 of American children are at risk for school
failure due to poverty, race, immigration, poor
English language skills, living in a
single-parent family, parents with little
education or health problems (National Commission
on Children, 1991)

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EMOTIONAL BARRIERS
About 19 of all children seen by Primary Care
Physicians have behavioral and emotional
problems. 1 in 5 have a diagnosable mental,
emotional, or behavioral disorder.
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BUT FEW RECEIVE HELP

• Fewer than 1 in 5 of the 17.5 million needing
  mental health services actually receive them.
• (Report of the Surgeon Generals Conference on
  Childrens Mental Health, 11/8/01)
  

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ECONOMIC BARRIERS

• One in five children under five years old, living
  in the US in 2003 lived in poverty
• One in 10 American families in the US in 2003
  lived in poverty
• (US Census, 2003)

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ONE TEACHER SAID,
I cannot teach the head when the heart is
broken or the mind is troubled

Parkway School District Kentucky Teacher of the
Year
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TEACHERS CANT DO IT ALONE!
No teacher having a problem with a student should
feel responsible for solving it alone.
Smith Mills Elementary School Henderson
County, Kentucky
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SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS
Help teachers students families overcome
barriers to learning.
Midwest School Social Workers
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A RESOURCE FOR STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS
School social workers are mental health
professionals licensed to provide services that
promote social, emotional and behavioral
adjustment in school and in society.
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SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS HELP STUDENTS DEVELOP
INTERNAL ASSETS

• Individual and group counseling to develop
• social skills
• anger management
• Appropriate assertiveness
• self advocacy
• time management study skills
• stress management
• Facilitating activities that increase
• the motivation to learn
• attachment to school
• community involvement

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DEVELOPING EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE

• Jason is a 15-year-old boy in a special
  education class. His skills have improved and
  he could return to the regular class. But Jason
  is overweight and embarrassed. He has anxiety
  attacks when he is around other students because
  he thinks they are making fun of him.
• The school social worker teaches Jason how to
  relax when he gets nervous. She also planned a
  service learning project for Jason and invited
  several students from the regular class to join
  him. With her help Jason started making friends.
  When they completed the project he returned to
  his regular class.

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HELPING TEACHERS

• Providing information about the mental health
  needs of students
• Showing how poverty, race, language or
  disabilities interfere with learning
• Helping build partnerships between teachers and
  parents
• Listening
• Supporting

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SUPPORTING TEACHERS

• Sue Sweet, a second grade teacher, privately
  tells the school social worker in her building
  that she is afraid to talk to the Principal about
  problems with students because she thinks that he
  doesnt like her.
• The social worker helps Sue to look at how the
  principal interacts with other people. Sue
  realizes that the principal has a way of being
  sarcastic with people, even people that he likes.
  After her talk with the school social worker Sue
  feels more comfortable sharing her concerns with
  the Principal.

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HELPING FAMILIES BUILD ASSETS

• Listening to families
• Connecting students and families with community
  services
• Providing parent education programs
• Showing families ways to support their childs
  learning
• Bridging the gap between schools and culturally
  diverse families
• Empowering families to be advocates for
  themselves and their child.
• Bringing families together to support one another

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BUILDING UNDERSTANDING

• Mr. and Mrs. Culpepper didnt listen when
  Veronicas kindergarten teacher recommended a
  special program, just as they hadnt listened
  when school staff told them that Veronica wasnt
  ready to start kindergarten.
• The principal sent the school social worker to
  tell Veronicas parents that she needed extra
  help. The school social worker didnt start by
  telling Mr. and Mrs. Culpepper anything. She
  started by listening to Mr. and Mrs. Culpepper
  instead!
• Over the next year the social worker continued
  to talk to Veronicas parents and her teacher.
  With her help, they began to understand and
  respect each other. Her parents decided to
  accept some of the schools recommendations.
  Her teacher began to ask her parents for
  suggestions about ways to help her learn.

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BUILDING SCHOOL CAPACITY TO

• use research based approaches that prevent
  problem behavior and create a safe and supportive
  school climate
• implement culturally competent policies and
  practices
• engage families as partners in the childrens
  education
• Connect with community service providers

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HELPING SCHOOLS SUCCEED
The number of students with problem behaviors
has gone down since Washington Elementary began
implementing school-wide positive behavior
supports three years ago. The principal
recognized Washingtons school social worker, Tom
Benson, for his leadership on the PBS Team. The
principal said that Toms enthusiasm and
commitment helped the staff overcome problems to
make the school-wide effort work!
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MANY PATHS TO SUCCESS!
School Social Workers
Assisting Parents Teachers
Reducing Absences Dropouts
Bullying Prevention
Improving Student Behavior
Conflict Resolution Anger Management
Crisis Intervention
Helping Students Learn Social Skills
Counseling Mental Health Interventions
Accessing Community Resources
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FUNDING SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK

• School social work positions are funded with
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  (IDEA)
• Safe and Drug Free Schools Grants
• Federal at-risk funds
• Medicaid Reimbursement
• Other state and federal programs/grants
• Individual school and/or school district budgets

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THANK YOU

• For supporting school social workers in your
  public schools!
• Together we can do great things!

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CONTRIBUTORS

• State school social work associations and
  district social work programs in the Midwest
• Midwest Council members Charlene Thiede, Dot
  Kontak, Judie Shine, Deb Schreiner, and Donna
  Secor
• The School Social Work Association of America
• The Networking Committee of the Midwest School
  Social Work Council

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THE VITAL LINK

• School social workers link home, school
  community to enhance student success