The education system is a key contributor in preparing children to be future leaders in society, yet current educational standards have failed to adequately address mental health and social justice issues that students face. School leadership positions have historically been reserved for seasoned teachers; however, with the proper training and certifications, social workers may be equipped to lead schools beyond providing social services. U.S. public K–12 education leaders across the nation are recognizing that students’ needs are best understood by looking to their social environment, which has been a major principal in the field of social work for decades. Therefore, hiring social workers as school administrators is a considerable option to cultivate improved academic and social–emotional outcomes through school- and districtwide leadership.
{"title":"Social Workers as School Administrators: A New Approach to the U.S. Public Education System","authors":"K. Lige","doi":"10.1093/CS/CDAA029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/CS/CDAA029","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The education system is a key contributor in preparing children to be future leaders in society, yet current educational standards have failed to adequately address mental health and social justice issues that students face. School leadership positions have historically been reserved for seasoned teachers; however, with the proper training and certifications, social workers may be equipped to lead schools beyond providing social services. U.S. public K–12 education leaders across the nation are recognizing that students’ needs are best understood by looking to their social environment, which has been a major principal in the field of social work for decades. Therefore, hiring social workers as school administrators is a considerable option to cultivate improved academic and social–emotional outcomes through school- and districtwide leadership.","PeriodicalId":35453,"journal":{"name":"Children & Schools","volume":"43 1","pages":"11-16"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1093/CS/CDAA029","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48125998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Esohe R. Osai, James P. Huguley, Michael Giazzoni, J. Wallace
{"title":"Developing Justice Scholars: A Social Justice Intervention to Support Educational Equity for Urban-Residing Students","authors":"Esohe R. Osai, James P. Huguley, Michael Giazzoni, J. Wallace","doi":"10.1093/CS/CDAA030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/CS/CDAA030","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35453,"journal":{"name":"Children & Schools","volume":"43 1","pages":"55-59"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1093/CS/CDAA030","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49184893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
D. Pepler, F. Mishna, Jeremy Doucet, Melanie Lameiro
This study explored youths’ perceptions of the nature and dilemmas of being a bystander in cyberbullying. Although there are many benefits of peer interactions through social media, there are risks, including cyberbullying. Bystanders are integral in the dynamics and harm in both face-to-face and cyberbullying. Using a qualitative approach, authors share youth voices on the experience of witnessing cyberbullying and the dilemmas they face in deciding whether and how to respond to support a peer. Authors conducted thematic analysis of qualitative interviews with 16 adolescents. Youths described a range of feelings experienced by witnesses, from discomfort and anger to moral disengagement and justification for cyberbullying. Youths reported three forms of bystander roles: outsider, assistant, and defender, consistent with traditional bullying. The dilemmas they faced in witnessing and intervening that emerged were consistent with the five stages of bystander decision making. Youths indicated that the solutions for cyberbullying rest on the shoulders of adults.
{"title":"Witnesses in Cyberbullying: Roles and Dilemmas","authors":"D. Pepler, F. Mishna, Jeremy Doucet, Melanie Lameiro","doi":"10.1093/CS/CDAA027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/CS/CDAA027","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 This study explored youths’ perceptions of the nature and dilemmas of being a bystander in cyberbullying. Although there are many benefits of peer interactions through social media, there are risks, including cyberbullying. Bystanders are integral in the dynamics and harm in both face-to-face and cyberbullying. Using a qualitative approach, authors share youth voices on the experience of witnessing cyberbullying and the dilemmas they face in deciding whether and how to respond to support a peer. Authors conducted thematic analysis of qualitative interviews with 16 adolescents. Youths described a range of feelings experienced by witnesses, from discomfort and anger to moral disengagement and justification for cyberbullying. Youths reported three forms of bystander roles: outsider, assistant, and defender, consistent with traditional bullying. The dilemmas they faced in witnessing and intervening that emerged were consistent with the five stages of bystander decision making. Youths indicated that the solutions for cyberbullying rest on the shoulders of adults.","PeriodicalId":35453,"journal":{"name":"Children & Schools","volume":"43 1","pages":"45-53"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1093/CS/CDAA027","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47532644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kevin Y. L. Tan, K. Wegmann, Roxanne Patino, Beth Hand, Janice Mitchell, Kate Moser
S ocial and emotional learning (SEL) group activities are one of the most common intervention approaches to teach students the developmental skills they need to succeed in life. The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease of 2019) pandemic forced facilitators to rapidly adapt SEL activities in response to changing conditions, including restrictions on conducting activities in person. Then the national mobilization for racial justice following the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others called for facilitators to tailor supports in relevant ways. This Practice Highlights column discusses the issues, challenges, and experience of staff and volunteers in one midwestern community-based youth agency in engaging K–12 Black students in SEL activities over three periods: before the pandemic, during the stay-at-home order, and when the agency reopened for in-person operations. Focus group discussions and interviews with staff and volunteers involved in facilitating the groups, as well as their logs documenting the proceedings of the group activities, were analyzed. Our research institutional review board approved the research activities. Overall experience indicates that the ability of the agency and facilitators to adapt and respond to students, families, and the community in creative ways ensured the successful delivery of SEL group activities during an uncertain time.
{"title":"Social and Emotional Learning Group Work during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Reopening, and the Mobilization for Racial Justice","authors":"Kevin Y. L. Tan, K. Wegmann, Roxanne Patino, Beth Hand, Janice Mitchell, Kate Moser","doi":"10.1093/cs/cdab002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdab002","url":null,"abstract":"S ocial and emotional learning (SEL) group activities are one of the most common intervention approaches to teach students the developmental skills they need to succeed in life. The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease of 2019) pandemic forced facilitators to rapidly adapt SEL activities in response to changing conditions, including restrictions on conducting activities in person. Then the national mobilization for racial justice following the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others called for facilitators to tailor supports in relevant ways. This Practice Highlights column discusses the issues, challenges, and experience of staff and volunteers in one midwestern community-based youth agency in engaging K–12 Black students in SEL activities over three periods: before the pandemic, during the stay-at-home order, and when the agency reopened for in-person operations. Focus group discussions and interviews with staff and volunteers involved in facilitating the groups, as well as their logs documenting the proceedings of the group activities, were analyzed. Our research institutional review board approved the research activities. Overall experience indicates that the ability of the agency and facilitators to adapt and respond to students, families, and the community in creative ways ensured the successful delivery of SEL group activities during an uncertain time.","PeriodicalId":35453,"journal":{"name":"Children & Schools","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1093/cs/cdab002","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43507402","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Subsequent teenage births may present various challenges for teenage parents and their children. Evaluation of efforts to prevent subsequent teenage pregnancy and increase use of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) have lacked investigation of the mechanisms—particularly, goal orientation and social supports—through which these efforts may be effective. Data were from a multisite evaluation of the Title XX Adolescent Family Life program, which involved 12 demonstration projects comparing enhanced and core services to pregnant and parenting teenagers. Data from 857 female teenagers at baseline and follow-up were used in analyses. Multivariate regression models examined associations between independent variables (study condition and effective project characteristics) and mediators (orientation toward goals and social supports) and between mediators and outcomes (subsequent pregnancy and use of LARC). Structural equation models tested mediation pathways. The program and selected project characteristics significantly predicted decreased coresidence with parents, and support from the child’s father was associated with higher LARC use. However, neither orientation toward goals nor social supports mediated program effects on LARC use or subsequent pregnancy. Programs to prevent subsequent teenage pregnancy may encourage teenagers’ independence from families of origin and should consider promoting supportive relationships with the child’s father.
{"title":"Preventing Subsequent Teenage Pregnancy: A Multisite Analysis of Goal Orientation and Social Supports","authors":"Marni L. Kan, Derek D Ramirez","doi":"10.1093/cs/cdaa023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdaa023","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Subsequent teenage births may present various challenges for teenage parents and their children. Evaluation of efforts to prevent subsequent teenage pregnancy and increase use of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) have lacked investigation of the mechanisms—particularly, goal orientation and social supports—through which these efforts may be effective. Data were from a multisite evaluation of the Title XX Adolescent Family Life program, which involved 12 demonstration projects comparing enhanced and core services to pregnant and parenting teenagers. Data from 857 female teenagers at baseline and follow-up were used in analyses. Multivariate regression models examined associations between independent variables (study condition and effective project characteristics) and mediators (orientation toward goals and social supports) and between mediators and outcomes (subsequent pregnancy and use of LARC). Structural equation models tested mediation pathways. The program and selected project characteristics significantly predicted decreased coresidence with parents, and support from the child’s father was associated with higher LARC use. However, neither orientation toward goals nor social supports mediated program effects on LARC use or subsequent pregnancy. Programs to prevent subsequent teenage pregnancy may encourage teenagers’ independence from families of origin and should consider promoting supportive relationships with the child’s father.","PeriodicalId":35453,"journal":{"name":"Children & Schools","volume":"42 1","pages":"225-235"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1093/cs/cdaa023","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47117979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advocating for School Social Work to Advance Student Social, Emotional, and Mental Health: Strategies from Two Case Studies","authors":"Kevin Tan, J. White, Michelle E. Alvarez","doi":"10.1093/cs/cdaa020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdaa020","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35453,"journal":{"name":"Children & Schools","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1093/cs/cdaa020","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43696009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S. Elbedour, F. N. Alsubie, Shareefah Al-Uqdah, J. Bawalsah
The fundamental need for safety in schools requires research-based and trauma-informed strategies for implementing crisis management plans (CMPs). Beyond the immediate harm, longer-term potential outcomes of crises are psychological trauma and damage to the reputation for safety of the school, leading to staff attrition. An effective CMP involves (a) planning, (b) communication, (c) protocols for immediate action, and (d) protocols specific to different types of school crises. School crises can occur on the organizational level, such as natural disasters or shootings; community level, such as bullying or community violence; or individual level, such as suicide, pregnancy, or family changes. This article incorporates research from the business sector as well as education, social work, and psychology to describe the vital components of a school CMP and the role of the school mental health staff. School mental health staff must be central to development and implementation of a trauma-informed school CMP that incorporates prevention, communication, and different protocols for the various types of crises.
{"title":"School Crisis Management Planning","authors":"S. Elbedour, F. N. Alsubie, Shareefah Al-Uqdah, J. Bawalsah","doi":"10.1093/cs/cdaa021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdaa021","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The fundamental need for safety in schools requires research-based and trauma-informed strategies for implementing crisis management plans (CMPs). Beyond the immediate harm, longer-term potential outcomes of crises are psychological trauma and damage to the reputation for safety of the school, leading to staff attrition. An effective CMP involves (a) planning, (b) communication, (c) protocols for immediate action, and (d) protocols specific to different types of school crises. School crises can occur on the organizational level, such as natural disasters or shootings; community level, such as bullying or community violence; or individual level, such as suicide, pregnancy, or family changes. This article incorporates research from the business sector as well as education, social work, and psychology to describe the vital components of a school CMP and the role of the school mental health staff. School mental health staff must be central to development and implementation of a trauma-informed school CMP that incorporates prevention, communication, and different protocols for the various types of crises.","PeriodicalId":35453,"journal":{"name":"Children & Schools","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1093/cs/cdaa021","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43301462","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}