Unit Introduction and What You Will Learn

This week, we focus outward on exploring school social work in a global context. It is an asynchronous week. Through your reading of Chapter 14 and participation in small group discussion forums, you will examine how school social work is conceptualized and practiced in other countries. These reflections will help you consider cultural differences, policy approaches, and programmatic innovations that may differ significantly from those used in the United States. This unit allows us to explore shared educational challenges across international contexts and reflect on what we can learn from global perspectives. This week, you’ll also submit your School-Related Problem Fact Sheet assignment, which connects awareness of school-related problems, interventions, and resources.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze international models and practices of school social work through a culturally reflective lens.
• Identify unique programs or policies from other countries that could inform U.S.-based school social work practice.
• Evaluate how shared global challenges affect children and youth in school systems across diverse cultural and national settings.
• Synthesize group discussion around global school social work issues into a cohesive summary post.
• Submit a professional, evidence-based school-related problem factsheet that demonstrates knowledge of the problem and interventions and resources for its mitigation

Unit Assignments

Content

• Read Jarolmen and Batista-Thomas (2023) Chapter 14: Global Issues in School Social Work

W-11 A-01: Asynchronous Participation and Engagement

I am keeping the content a bit lighter to give space for your factsheet assignment. Your replies are expected to be substantive and to offer meaningful perspectives, contributing to the forum’s conversation and scholarship. They can be related to the prompts or building on conversations shared by peers. There are four forums for this week, and you are expected to make at least 3 replies across any of the forums and read all of your peers’ replies. These forums include the following:

• The Last Minute Questions about School-Related Problem Fact Sheet Posting Forum is open to follow up about any questions you might have before the assignment is due.
• Exploring International School Social Work invites students to seek out and share resources about how school social work is practiced in other countries.
• Questions from the textbook and considering the topics covered in this weeks reading can be discussed in Reflecting on Reading and Textbook Questions.
• Students are invited to weigh in on a potential course offering for international social work in the forum International Social Work Classes.

Assignment 03: School-Related Problem Fact Sheet

Meta: Points 75 pts (14% of final grade); Deadline Monday 04/06/26 at 8:00 AM; Completion via a forum post on MyHeritage Locations MyHeritage Assignment Detail, Syllabus Handout with Description and Rubric, and W-12 A-03: School-Related Problem Fact Sheet Posting Forum.

Purpose: The School-Related Problem Fact Sheet requires students to demonstrate their research and communication skills regarding key issues and interventions impacting students in schools. Students will convert their research into a usable format that could be circulated in a school setting and demonstrate an awareness of community, human, and technological resources.

Task: Students will work individually to develop a three-to-four-page fact sheet (this can also be an infographic or brochure) that integrates and summarizes an issue affecting students. Chapters 8 and 12 of Jarolmen and Bautista-Thomas (2023) discuss several potential topics in detail. Consider issues such as youth experiencing homelessness, bullying, parental incarceration, juvenile justice involvement, behavioral challenges, migrant families (including undocumented, immigrant, or refugee), involvement with CPS, and others. The selected problem should take school culture into account. The final product must be suitable for distribution to parents and teachers. The fact sheet must include a bibliography of at least ten articles published in the last ten years that address your chosen topic using research-informed practices. Causes and manifestations, educational challenges, and impacts on the family system or other systems should all be included in the document. Furthermore, possible interventions from school social workers at multiple levels are to be discussed. These interventions should encompass human, community, and technological resources.

Success: Students are assessed for this assignment using the School-Related Problem Fact Sheet Rubric. Following the assignment guidelines, a final professional and accessible document will be submitted. It will define a school-related problem, connect it to school needs, and provide potential interventions across multiple system levels grounded in scholarship.

Appendix B. School-Related Problem Fact Sheet Rubric

The School-Related Problem Fact Sheet Rubric is used for the assignment of the same name and evaluates students by requiring a fact sheet that clearly defines the problem and its connection to school culture. It must include evidence-based strategies at multiple system levels to address the program and incorporate a range of resources. The final product should be visually appealing and easy to use, provide a scholarly basis for problems and recommendations, and include a reference list with at least 10 recent sources.

Description	Initial	Emerging	Developed	Highly Developed
A school-related problem is defined and connected to the school context	The fact sheet presents an unclear or vague issue, lacking identification of causes, manifestations, or impacts. The problem is not directly relevant to a school setting, or there is no connection to social work practice.	The fact sheet identifies a problem but fails to make a strong connection to school culture or social work practice. The issue may be partially described, with key elements such as causes, manifestations, or systemic impacts missing.	The fact sheet defines the problem and its connection to school culture, but the connections are not fully developed or lack depth. Some discussion of causes, manifestations, and educational impacts is included, but key aspects may be underdeveloped.	The fact sheet clearly defines a relevant school-related issue and provides a comprehensive overview of its causes, manifestations, and educational/systemic impacts. The problem is framed with attention to school culture and student populations, demonstrating a deep understanding of its significance in school social work practice.
Strategies for addressing the problem are articulated	The fact sheet lacks intervention strategies or presents general solutions.	The fact sheet includes some intervention strategies, but it only includes one or two system levels (micro, mezzo, or macro). Strategies may not include diverse resources.	The fact sheet presents strategies at micro, mezzo, and macro levels, but may be underdeveloped. Strategies incorporate human, community, and technological resources.	The fact sheet presents well-developed, research-informed intervention strategies at micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Strategies are realistic, actionable, and incorporate human, community, and technological resources.
A professional and accessible product is developed	The fact sheet has many significant problems with organization and structure.	The fact sheet has a significant problem with organization and structure.	The fact sheet has a minor problem with organization and structure.	The final product is visually appealing, well-organized, and formatted for easy comprehension by parents and teachers. Language is clear, concise, and professional, with appropriate use of headings, bullet points, and graphics (if applicable).
The basis of the problem and intervention are grounded in scholarship	There is no referral to scholarship throughout the fact sheet.	There is minimal referral to scholarship throughout the fact sheet.	The fact sheet contains many references to scholarship, but some sections that require citations do not include any.	The discussion of the problem and proposed interventions are linked to best practices as evidenced by in-text citations.
The reference list follows APA standards	The references used are inappropriate, insufficient, or significantly outdated, with numerous errors in APA formatting	The reference list includes some appropriate sources but contains frequent APA formatting errors.	The reference list includes appropriate scholarly sources and generally follows APA standards, but minor formatting issues or inconsistencies exist.	The reference list includes at least ten recent, high-quality sources and accurately follows APA standards.
Following Assignment	The fact sheet does not follow the assignment description and requirements.	The fact sheet somewhat follows the assignment description, but it contains significant errors.	The fact sheet follows the assignment description and requirements but has minor errors.	The fact sheet closely follows the assignment description and requirements.

Unit Resources

There is no lecture video this week. Forums have some links to sources.

To-Do Lists

• Read chapter 14
• Submit at least three replies
• Submit your factsheet