Spring 2025 SOWK 587 Class 11 Weekly Email
Email sent on to SOWK 587
No class this week, but hope you all have a great week and enjoy the content.
Unit Introduction and What You Will LearnPermalink
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 allow you to consider cultural differences, policy approaches, and programmatic innovations that may be significatnly different—but potentially beneficial—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 AssignmentsPermalink
Content
- Read Jarolmen and Batista-Thomas (2023) Chapter 14: Global Issues in School Social Work
W-11 Small Group Discussion Forums
This week’s topic is understanding school social work in a global context. You can find what group you are in the A-02 Group Assignments and Description handout. Students must submit at least three replies this week in their group’s forum. I am keeping the content a bit lighter to give space for your factsheet assignment. This week’s content asks students to explore international school social work and reflect on the content in Jarolmen and Bautista-Thomas (2023) through global perspectives on school social work, encouraging reflection on cultural differences and international practices. Students are invited to consider unique programs from other countries, compare policy ideas, and reflect on shared challenges and values in education across nations. There is also a prompt co-opting for students to find information about international social classes at other universities and share my experiences taking one and going to Peru.
- Small Group Discussion Forums - Group 01
- Small Group Discussion Forums - Group 02
- Small Group Discussion Forums - Group 03
- Small Group Discussion Forums - Group 04
This week, the Sixth person on each group list is the leader (unless your group determines to have somebody else do it). It is the responsibility of the group as a whole that one of the members engages in this leadership role. This team leader will develop a reply in W-11 Discussion Forum Synthesis that will provide an overview of your group’s discussion. Even though only the team leader needs to post in this forum, I’d like for everybody to read it so you can hear what other groups discussed.
Assignment 04: School-Related Problem Fact Sheet
Meta: Points 70 pts (14% of final grade); Deadline Monday 04/07/25 at 8:00 AM; Completion via an upload on MyHeritage Assignments; Locations Assignment, W-11 Forum for A-04 School-Related Problem Fact Sheet, and Assignment Description and Rubric;
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 at multiple system levels that are grounded in scholarship.
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, missing key elements like causes, manifestations, or systemic impacts. | The fact sheet defines the problem and its connection to school culture, but the connections lack depth or are not fully developed. 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, providing 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 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 requiring citations do not include one. | 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 case study does not follow the assignment description and requirements. | The fact sheet somewhat follows the assignment description, but significant errors exist. | The fact sheet follows the assignment description and requirements but has minor errors. | The fact sheet closely follows the assignment description and requirements. |
Unit ResourcesPermalink
There is no lecture video this week. Forums have some links to sources.
Reference
Jarolmen, J., & Bautista-Thomas, C. (2023). School social work: A direct practice guide (2nd ed.). Waveland Press.
To-Do ListsPermalink
- Read chapter 14
- Submit at least three replies
- Submit your factsheet
