School Social Workers Develop Successful Students

1. School Social Workers Develop Successful Students

2. Want to succeed! Have families that want them to succeed in school and in life! ALL CHILDREN

3. YET MANY FAIL • In 2002 only 32 percent of fourth-graders could read at grade level as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Programs. • (U.S. Department of Education, 2004)

4. In UTICA: In 2002, 69% of Utica’s Fourth grade students passed reading MEAPS.

5. BECAUSE OF BARRIERS TO LEARNING 40% of American children are at risk for 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)

6. EMOTIONAL BARRIERS • About 19% of all children seen by Primary Care Physicians have behavioral and emotional problems. • One in five have a diagnosable mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder.

7. 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 General’s Conference on Children’s Mental Health, 11/8/01)

8. In UTICA:

9. In UTICA: Buildings have a yearly average of 2 suicidal ideations 1 hospitalization for suicidal thoughts 2 protective service referrals

10. 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)

11. In UTICA: Title I Schools: 14 elementary 3400 students on free and reduce lunch (12% of our student population) About 700 students are Medicaid eligible

12. ONE TEACHER SAID, “ I cannot teach the head when the heart is broken or the mind is troubled” Teacher of the Year Parkway Schools St. Louis, Missouri

13. TEACHERS CAN’T 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

14. SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS • Help teachers, students & families overcome barriers to learning.

15. 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.

16. SOCIAL WORK BACKGROUND Master's of Social Work State Licensed School Certified Wide variety of professional experience

17. ALL STUDENTS BENEFIT • Service Provided to: • Special education • all certifications • required by law • # of children (over 1300 in Oct 04) • average caseload • 65 in Jan 04 • 71.5 in Oct. 04 • General Education • as time allows • student: social worker ratio (1550:1) • Service time range: • 1-1/2 to 4 days per building

18. OTHER DISTRICTS’ STAFFING

19. SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS HELP STUDENTS DEVELOP INTERNAL ASSETS • Individual and group counseling to develop: • social skills • anger management/anti bullying • appropriate assertiveness • time management & study skills • stress management • management of grief and loss • acceptance and tolerance of differences • Facilitating activities that increase: • the motivation to learn • attachment to school • community involvement

20. DEVELOPING EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE • An EI Student in the high school found himself in trouble with administration due to a drug possession incident. While meeting with the assistant principal, the student requested the presence of a social worker. The social worker met with the student both individually and with the assistant principal. The involvement of the social worker gave the student the opportunity to appropriately address feelings and concerns about the possible outcome of the offense while avoiding any escalation of negative behaviors that can occur when a student feels threatened. She also provided support to the administrator's recommendation of a return to drug treatment.

21. ASSISTING TEACHERS • Provide information and programming to address the mental health needs of students • Show how poverty, race, language or disabilities interfere with learning • Help build partnerships between teachers and parents • Listen and support

22. SUPPORTING TEACHERS Teacher support can include responding to teacher requests to deal with social or behavioral issues that occur in the classroom. Ms. T. an upper elementary teacher requested assistance when she discovered that a student certified EI had confessed to writing an inappropriate comment about another student on a textbook. Knowing the student’s background and history, she requested a SSW consultation regarding the situation. We agreed to have a conference with the student jointly and SSW would then conduct a peer mediation with the two students involved. This occurred and through the mediation the general education student was able to support the EI student, accept her apology and brainstorm solutions to the issues brought out during the mediation. As a result of this conference, Ms. T. requested a classroom-based session on rumors, getting along with classmates.

23. HELPING FAMILIES BUILD ASSETS • Listening to families • Connecting students and families with community services • Providing parent education programs • Showing families ways to support their child’s 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

24. BUILDING UNDERSTANDING • Explain the special education process • Help teacher and parent communicate more effectively • Provide information about specific disorders (e.g. organizations, agencies, websites, books, etc.) • Transition students from one program to another

25. 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 children’s education • Connect with community service providers

26. CURRENT SCHOOL INTERVENTIONS Positive Behavioral Support programs Peer mediation Red Ribbon Yellow Ribbon Bullying Prevention Website Friendship skills Classroom team building Grief and support groups NCA Parent programs Lego Robotics Challenge

27. HELPING SCHOOLS SUCCEED Positive Behavior Support • School consults to deter systematic behavior problems. • Provides information, resources, and trainings to school personnel. • Develops trainings that focus on all systems with in the school setting (school-wide, classroom, non-classroom, and individual). • Collecting and reviewing school-wide discipline data. • Assisted with grant writing to provide funding for PBS. • Forming a district team with representatives from each school • Developed and gave presentations for Parent Night, Individual Behavior Plans and Awareness of PBS. • Establishing a PBS resource library. • Coordinating school PBS teams and activities (fundraising, school celebrations, student acknowledgements, student/staff trainings, assemblies/presenters, functional behavior assessments and behavior plans).

28. SUPPORTING PRINCIPALS • Crisis situations (e.g. death of a student, parent, or staff) • Assist with behavioral interventions • Help manage difficult students • Resource for student needs • Defuse / build bridges with parents • Support teachers • Provide unique perspective • Mentor counselors

29. MANY PATHS TO SUCCESS! School Social Workers Assisting Parents & Teachers Reducing Absences & Dropouts BullyingPrevention Improving Student Behavior Conflict Resolution & Anger Management Crisis Intervention Helping Students LearnSocial Skills Counseling & Mental Health Interventions Accessing Community Resources

30. 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

31. THANK YOU • For supporting school social workers in Utica schools! • Together we can do great things!

32. 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 Utica Community Schools’ Social Workers: Mary Ellen Bross Maryann Weingarden Steve Whitmore CONTRIBUTORS

33. THE VITAL LINK • School social workers link home, school & community to enhance student success

34. Social Workers Website:WWW.teacherweb.com/MI/UCS/CourageousKids/