[This article originally appeared in the May 2006 newsletter of the National Association of Social Workers, Oklahoma Chapter (NASW-OK).]
School Social Work in the Sooner State
work this spring, it remains an under-developed practice area in Oklahoma.By Kevin Acers
Compared to other states, the 'Sooner' state is off to a late start in
integrating social work and public education. Even as the School Social
Work Association of America (SSWAA) commemorates 100 years of school
social
Most states offer school social worker certification through their
Departments of Education - - but not Oklahoma. Without certification, even
identifying who our state's school social workers are is problematic.
According to OU Associate Professor of Social Work Dr. Herman Curiel, "There
are some social workers in Oklahoma schools, but not necessarily under the
designation of 'school social worker.' Most school districts in Oklahoma don't
have a 'school social worker' job title, so it's difficult to know who
and where the social workers are."
This issue has long been on NASW-OK's agenda. As early as 1980 the board
appointed a task force to assess the need for social workers in Oklahoma
schools. In its 1982 report, the task force recommended that "NASW encourage
the School of Social Work and the College of Education at the University of
Oklahoma to develop a certification program for school social workers" and
set "state-wide use of school social workers" as a goal.
NASW-OK created a School Social Work Committee to pursue these
recommendations. Ellen Wisdom, one of the original task force members, was
involved in that committee until it became inactive about 2 years ago.
Proposing a state model of school social work has been an on-again,
off-again effort over the years, Ellen says. Most recently, focus was on
seeking support for school social worker certification from the OU School of
Social Work, the OU College of Education, and the State Department of
Education. While OU's Dean of Education expressed enthusiasm for developing
certification coursework, neither the School of Social Work nor the State
Department of Education got on board.
for support,NASW (national) has a specialty practice section for school social
work, and Dr. Tonia Caselman of the OU School of Social Work - Tulsa campus is
now spearheading efforts to organize an Oklahoma chapter of the SSWAA. She
sees this as another way for school social workers to "organize...
Oklahoma's school social workers. (For more information, contact
Dr. Caselman at tcaselman@ou.edu.)
With no formal network of Oklahoma school social workers yet in place, it
takes a bit of investigative work to learn who is doing what. With some
digging, various configurations emerge. Among them are:
- District-supported programs in which master's-level social workers are on
staff in one or more schools (in contrast to many other states, such
programs appear to be rare in Oklahoma);
- School-initiated positions in which a principal utilizes Title I funds to
hire a social worker on a year-by-year basis (Title I funds go to schools
whose students live in poverty; the social worker is hired not by the school
district but by the principal at a specific school);
- Social workers hired as school counselors (social workers "in cognito,"
who get school counseling credentials through Oklahoma's alternative
certification program);
- Social workers employed by a community agency providing mental health
services in the schools (perhaps the state's most common school-related
social work opportunity);
- Social workers employed by a government agency to provide school-based
services related to the agency's mission (see the profile of Mary Kevin
McNamara, below, for example).
In addition, recent years have seen the introduction of DHS caseworkers into
many Oklahoma schools. They help students' families apply for state benefits
and make referrals to community resources. A Social Work degree is not
required for DHS workers placed in the schools. This sometimes complicates
discussions about the need for master's-level social workers in the schools,
particularly when the DHS employees are referred to as "school social
workers" regardless of their education backgrounds.
As the following profiles make clear, highly qualified social workers do
serve some Oklahoma schools.
§ Alma Burrell, MSW, Oklahoma City Public Schools
Alma Burrell is one of two master's-level social workers in the Oklahoma
City Public Schools' recently developed School Social Work program.
Currently in its third year, the program primarily targets the district's
eight middle schools.
Alma rotates among three of these schools, spending one day per week at one
and two days at each of the others. In addition, she is "on call" for crises
at the district's other schools. For example, last Fall she spent a week
counseling high school students in the aftermath of a teacher's suicide.
The small number of social workers serving the district prevents Alma from
conducting support groups, on-going counseling, school-wide assessments, or
other interventions which would require a more consistent presence in a
single school. As it is, she works alongside the school counselors,
school-based DHS workers, and other school staff in trying to prevent
students from "falling through the cracks" to the extent that competing
demands from the various schools allow.
Preferably, Alma says, a team approach is best. "The true work of a school
social worker in the ideal world," she explains, "is to be an integral part
of a multidisciplinary team comprised of school counselors, school
psychologists, speech pathologists, and social workers." Referring to
Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Alma says the goal of this team would be "to
ensure students' primary needs are dealt with in an effective and thorough
manner so they can accomplish why they are in school in the first place - -
to learn."
As it is, with only two school social workers, the district's program cannot
currently support this kind of model. Subsequently, Alma continues to "put
out fires" in multiple schools. "There are simply too few of us," she
laments.
§ Beth Edwards, MSW, Kendall-Whittier Elementary School, Tulsa
Beth Edwards recently left her position as a social worker at
Kendall-Whittier Elementary School in the Tulsa Public Schools. She
returned to a private mental health agency in late December, where she
previously provided home-based counseling services to adolescents. She
describes Kendall-Whittier as a "community-based school" with a team of
interdisciplinary professionals providing services from multiple agencies.
The team meets weekly to staff cases and develop strategies together.
Beth's position was funded by Title I money at the initiative of her
principal. With no district-wide school social work program in Tulsa, Beth
indicates that there is a problematic lack of awareness of what social
workers can do. There was not a clear understanding of the difference
between her role as a social worker and that of the school's guidance
counselors, for example. She felt the need to negotiate her role rather
carefully.
During her two years at Kendall-Whittier, she was the school's "clearing
house" for social services. In light of the community orientation of the
school with multiple partnering agencies, Beth assumed the role of case
manager and broker. She made referrals and tracked the various services each
student received in order to avoid duplication of services and maximize
utilization of resources. She was also involved in the school's truancy
program.
As the school's sole social worker, Beth was theoretically responsible for
providing services to the entire student population - - some 1,000 children.
In practice, she says, this translates to addressing "the squeaky wheel."
Working on a 12-month contract, she did follow-up work with families when
school was not in session.
Beth senses "some movement in the district to begin putting social workers
in schools," although administrative barriers to developing an effective,
comprehensive social work program remain.
§ Daryl England, LCSW, North Care ABS Alternative School, Oklahoma City
Daryl England is North Care's Program Manager for Adolescent Behavioral
Services (ABS). He is based in an alternative school for Special Education
students enrolled in the Oklahoma City Public Schools. Under Daryl's
leadership, North Care staff provide mental health services to the students,
while the school district provides teaching staff. Daryl and his staff
provide individual counseling as well as daily group sessions that focus on
character building, social skills, problem solving, and communication. While
the students typically attend the alternative school for just 45 days,
"Once they get here," Daryl says, "many of the kids don't want to leave."
Daryl also oversees an after school program utilizing volunteers from local
churches. He is trying to develop a similar program for children residing at
City Rescue Mission, the area's largest shelter for homeless families. As a
social work administrator, he is energized by the challenges and
opportunities of fostering effective collaboration among churches, schools,
and his agency for the benefit of troubled kids.
Daryl previously worked for North Care in one of Oklahoma City's middleschools in a grant-funded project. He was able to broker peace between two
rival gangs at the school. Working side by side in a graffiti-removal
project under Daryl's supervision, the participating youth were able to
relate positively together as individuals with common interests. "There's a
lot to learn from these kids with violent backgrounds," Daryl says, "if we
give them the chance to teach us, and if we'll listen."
Daryl believes that the most practical approach to school social work is for
schools to open their doors to community agencies. Programs can then be
developed to provide grant-funded and Medicaid-reimbursable social work
services at no cost to the school.
§ Mary Kevin McNamara, LCSW, Tulsa County Juvenile Authority
Since 2004, Mary Kevin McNamara has been employed by the Tulsa County
Juvenile Bureau, which has a partnership with the Tulsa Public Schools. This
partnership supports truancy prevention and working with adjudicated
students.
Mary Kevin is the Director of Programs and Therapeutic Services at an
alternative middle school. Most of the schools' approximately 50 students
are in the process of being adjudicated. She does an assessment of each
student upon his or her enrollment to identify what he or she needs in order
to be successful, what services are already being received, and what
additional services may be needed. She frequently links students to mental
health services provided by Youth Services of Tulsa, a local non-profit
agency.
Prior to her position with the Juvenile Bureau, Mary Kevin worked at an
agency contracted to provide mental health services at a Tulsa elementary
school. She points to an urgent need for education on what school social
work means among Oklahoma educators, from the top administrative levels
down. She is concerned by the growing trend for schools to "outsource"
services to local mental health agencies which provide Medicaid-reimbursed
counseling.
While acknowledging the importance of these services, she emphasizes that
they are not the same kinds of services a comprehensive school social worker
can provide. Mary Kevin feels that many within the school system do not
understand that. She says there is a similar lack of understanding about the
difference between a master's level professional social worker and a DHS
caseworker (some of whom are placed in the Tulsa schools). In her view this
failure to grasp the role of a school social worker is a serious threat to
the development of school social work as a profession.
§ Nicki Ryker, MSW, Patrick Henry Elementary School, Lawton Public Schools
After 20-plus years as a child welfare worker, Nicki Ryker first entered the
Lawton schools when a principal hired her using Title I funds. That position
lasted two years.
Nicki now works at Pat Henry, an elementary school with about 700 students.
Although she holds the job title of School Social Worker - - a newly created
position within the school district - - she often refers to herself as a
school counselor. Many parents perceive a social worker as a threat - -
someone who may "take their kids," Nicki explains. Gradually, Nicki has
earned the trust of many parents, sometimes advocating for them with DHS.
Lawton Public Schools has asked Nicki to develop a district-wide school
social work program. She sees this as a positive sign, even though she is
the only school social worker the district currently employs.
Nicki's work at Pat Henry includes crisis intervention - - helping find
adequate winter clothes for children who "come to school in flip-flops," for
example; coordinating the school's Food for Kids program - - distributing
weekend snacks to students identified as chronically hungry; and making home
visits to follow up on student absences. Nicki is also active in the school'
s PTA, working closely with parent leaders who, in turn, communicate to
other parents about Nicki's role. In addition, she does consultations with
teachers. She hopes to expand into group work and classroom presentations.
Nicki emphatically believes that, in order for school social work to thrive
in Oklahoma, "We have to get DHS to stop calling their school-based
employees 'social workers.'" As long as "social worker" is associated with
DHS, she explains, too many parents will see a social worker's presence in
their child's school as hostile.
§ Michelle Schaecher, LCSW, Will Rogers Elementary School, Stillwater
Michelle Schaecher works at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater. "I'm
employed as a school counselor," she says, "but believe me, what I'm doing
is social work!"
Will Rogers staff encouraged Michelle to become certified when a counselor's
position became available. She had been counseling the school's Emotionally
Disturbed students as part of her then private practice. She has been a
counselor at Will Rogers for 4 years now.
Michelle spends about half of her time each week in 40-minute sessions with
each of the school's 23 classes, making contact with all 400 students. She
leads these Classroom Guidance sessions in her own classroom, doing primary
prevention focused on social skills, self-esteem, drug use prevention,
decision-making, and assertiveness. She also direct's the school's bullying
prevention program, using a solution-focused, problem-solving model. In
addition, she coordinates a conflict resolution program, training fourth and
fifth grade students as peer mediators.
She also does individual counseling and therapy groups and has frequent
contact with parents. She links families to community resources as needed.
She also does a lot of consultation with the teachers, helping them develop
strategies for interacting with particular children, and helping them
prepare Special Education referrals.
According to Michelle, her task is to "create effective systems within the
school for meeting the needs of the kids." She feels that the structure of
her job as an elementary counselor allows her to do this. "I know every
single child in this school," she states. As an integral part of the school
community, she is able to practice effective social work.
"I love my job," she enthusiastically declares. "It's a shame that I'm not
able to do this work while maintaining my professional identity as a social
worker."
As these profiles illustrate, school social work exists in our state, but
much remains to be done. 'Sooner' or later, with continued persistence,
Oklahoma may catch up with other states. Meanwhile, the pioneering efforts
of social workers who are already helping to carve out a professional
presence in our schools should be recognized, supported and enhanced.
Kevin Acers holds master's degrees in teaching and in Social Work. He is a member of NASW and SSWAA.