Macro Change
Advocating for more Social Workers in the Oklahoma City School District
Advocating for more Social Workers in the Oklahoma City School District
School social work has been dated as far back as the 1900s when its services was implemented into schools in the northeastern parts of the US, such as New York. During this time the need for school social workers was evident due to the Great Depression and the increase in federal legislation concerning school laws (Dupper, 2003, pg.12). As time progressed the use of school social workers became more useful in schools, although currently there is a shortage in the number of school based social workers. According to Dupper, the educational system realized that the social and mental health needs of students should be considered first and then their academic needs can be better assessed (pg. 12). Viewing students holistically is a skill that school social workers must have because it helps other helping professionals understand the student as a whole. For this reason, school social workers have come from a history of proving their importance in the educational system (Johnson, 2012). Even though school social work has continued to grow throughout the United States, it has only recently been implemented in Oklahoma City Public Schools. As recognition of the need was raised, a few school social work positions were created to work with children living with disabilities. While this area of the school system has a great need for social workers, there are needs throughout other areas of schools for social workers as well. In a recent interview, State Representative Jason Nelson explained that the state government sets aside a certain amount of money for education each year but schools are beginning to deal with more human service issues than it has the means to. He also stated that this has led to a sincere group of people recognizing the need for the expansion of school social work (J. Nelson,
Advocating for more Social Workers in the Oklahoma City School District
School social work has been dated as far back as the 1900s when its services was implemented into schools in the northeastern parts of the US, such as New York. During this time the need for school social workers was evident due to the Great Depression and the increase in federal legislation concerning school laws (Dupper, 2003, pg.12). As time progressed the use of school social workers became more useful in schools, although currently there is a shortage in the number of school based social workers. According to Dupper, the educational system realized that the social and mental health needs of students should be considered first and then their academic needs can be better assessed (pg. 12). Viewing students holistically is a skill that school social workers must have because it helps other helping professionals understand the student as a whole. For this reason, school social workers have come from a history of proving their importance in the educational system (Johnson, 2012). Even though school social work has continued to grow throughout the United States, it has only recently been implemented in Oklahoma City Public Schools. As recognition of the need was raised, a few school social work positions were created to work with children living with disabilities. While this area of the school system has a great need for social workers, there are needs throughout other areas of schools for social workers as well. In a recent interview, State Representative Jason Nelson explained that the state government sets aside a certain amount of money for education each year but schools are beginning to deal with more human service issues than it has the means to. He also stated that this has led to a sincere group of people recognizing the need for the expansion of school social work (J. Nelson,
References: Dupper, D.R. (2003). School Social Work: Skills & interventions for effective practice. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. (2012). Oklahoma City public schools. Retrieved November 11th, 2012 from http://www.abetterlifeokc.com/public-schools National Education Association NCES. (2010). Cited in Education.com. (2012). Oklahoma City School District. Retrieved November 11th, 2012 from http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/oklahoma/district/oklahoma-city-school-district/. Johnson, S. (2012). Analysis of the shortage of school social workers: Oklahoma City public schools. Swain County, D. N. (2005). School Social Work. Retrieved November 8, 2012, from Swain County Department of Social Services: http://www.swaincountydss.org/children/school.html Wokers, N Zaman, I. (2011). Psychological problems prevalent in middle school. Retrieved November 12th, 2012 from http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action;jsessionid=27BB2824185CA4AE5CBE89467BF18486?newsId=259744.