Michelle Alvarez – författare

School Social Work: National Perspectives on Practice in Schools aims to provide a contemporary understanding of school social work practice given the changing educational context. While unique in that the content aligns with the newly developed national practice model developed by SSWAA, the text includes several other useful features. For one, practice and policy are approached from an intersectionality perspective, which provides a framework for thinkingabout various systems of oppression and allows the practitioner to account for the unique experience of students based on migration experience, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and gender. Theory and practice (alongside case studies) also illustrate school social work across the United States in a variety ofsettings. And finally, the authors — including school social work practitioners and school social work researchers/academics — are representative of various regions in the country, thereby providing a national overview of the profession. School Social Work is an undeniably invaluable resource for school social workers, school social work students, and school-based clinicians.

How do we define rural social work? How is rural social work practice different from practice in urban settings? Why is rural social work practice sometimes seen as complex and difficult to understand?Within the conversation surrounding rural social work, there is a consistent focus on theoretical arguments, definitions, and political concerns, and a limited discussion of direct practice. This book speaks directly to practice concerns as they apply to rural environments at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. The authors use a generalist model of practice and apply systems and person-in-environment theories to help readers develop a more sophisticated understanding of general problems and concerns found in rural communities. To truly respond to the well-being of rural residents, rural social workers need to learn to identify and implement opportunities for growth, development, health, and welfare. This book encourages critical thinking, careful reflection, and self-directed learning so as to foster real, positive, sustainable social change in rural environments.

Response to Intervention (RtI) is at the heart of evidence-based practice in schools. Though written into federal special education legislation, it is a general education process consisting of a three-tiered framework for organizing a comprehensive and differentiated system designed to ensure educational success for all students. The focus in this book is on meeting the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students. School social workers are key stakeholders who need to be skilled in designing, monitoring, and evaluating the effectiveness of school-wide universal supports, targeted group interventions, and intensive individual interventions in objective and measurable terms.Designed as both a training manual and a practical reference, with contributions by seasoned academics and practitioners with extensive experience developing and practicing in RtI systems, this one-of-a-kind guide operationalizes this crucial service delivery framework. It highlights the importance of data-based decision making and offers concrete guidelines for collecting, analyzing, and displaying data. Detailed case examples that illustrate real-world program implementation, practical guidance in selecting empirically supported practices, sample assessment worksheets, and strategies for supporting the adoption and sustainability of RtI systems make this a handy tool for school social workers seeking a more active role in using decision-making processes to improve their school's system of support for all students.