Linking Students and Professional Associations: A Curricular Strategy

Students in professional social work programs in the United States traditionally receive little direct information about or contact with professional associations. What exposure they do get is haphazard and primarily through extracurricular means. This article describes and evaluates a curricular module to enhance student awareness of and connection to professional associations. The group work classes at a Midwestern U.S. university were adapted to include a course module addressing the role of professional associations. Components of the module include readings, discussions, presentations and attendance at a professional association meeting. A pre- and post-test was administered to assess the initial impact of this module. The module appears to have had an impact upon students\u27 knowledge of and appreciation for professional associations. The authors advocate for increased curricular attention to facilitating this connectio

Sibling Violence: The Missing Piece in Family Violence Policy

Social work has played an integral role in the conceptualization and implementation of policy aimed at prevention and intervention of various forms of family violence. Seminal federal policies to address child abuse and neglect (Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act), elder abuse (Elder Justice and Older Americans Acts), and intimate partner violence (Violence Against Women and Family Violence Prevention and Services Acts) all focus on specific types of violence in the family. To date, however, there are no federal policies specifically addressing physical and/or emotional sibling violence (Perkins, Coles, & O’Connor, 2017; Perkins & O’Connor, 2016). This article examines the exclusion of policy addressing physical and emotional sibling violence considering other family violence policies. Along with prevalence, consequences, and associative factors connected to sibling violence, definitional issues that impede the creation of policy to address this form of family violence are highlighted. Children as a marginalized population, deserving the attention of social workers through policy advocacy will be discussed as well as psychoeducation and interprofessional collaboration that may facilitate the creation of policies aimed at addressing this form of family violence

The effects of COVID-19 on domestic violence and immigrant families.

The COVID-19 pandemic has threatening implications for all individuals; and has been particularly unsettling for immigrants. Given their unique positionality in the U.S., the intersectional discussion about the impact of this pandemic on immigrants and issues of family violence is salient. The position of some groups of immigrant women is even more precarious due to the increased dependency on their spouse/partner for emotional, economic and immigration-related reasons. While immigrants have been on the frontlines as responders for COVID-19, there are limited policies that provide them with healthcare, employment guarantee, or benefits. Further, the immigration restrictions created by the U.S. Government have worsened the position of immigrants. All these stressors create unprecedented challenges for immigrants. Therefore, it is vital to delve into the family dynamics, unique challenges, and potential solutions that can provide support to immigrant families. This commentary highlights the atypical challenges of immigrants in relation to the pandemic and how these challenges may impact the incidence of family violence. Through our discussion, we hope to encourage social work scholars, practitioners, and policy advocates to support and advocate for immigrants; especially, during the new normal under the COVID-19 pandemic

Consequences and Peer Influence as Proximal and Contextual Factors in Alcohol Consumption

The present study examines the role of positive and negative consequences and peer influence as proximal and contextual variables that influence drinking in college students. Data from a sample of 1482 students who completed the CORE survey in 2006 and 2007 were utilized to test three models predicting the likelihood of alcohol use in the 30 days prior to survey completion. The final model reflected the best fit of the data and indicated that both positive and negative consequences were positively associated with a greater likelihood of drinking while freshman standing and being a racial and ethnic minority were negatively associated. Two variables assessing the influence of peer pressure were also significant in the final model, suggesting that peer pressure continues to play a role in drinking behavior, even when controlling for the role of consequences. The implications of the findings for interventions are discussed

The Impact of COVID-19 on Family Violence in Immigrant Communities in the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic has threatening implications for all individuals; and has been particularly unsettling for immigrants. Given their unique positionality in the U.S., the intersectional discussion about the impact of this pandemic on immigrants and issues of family violence is salient. The position of some groups of immigrant women is even more precarious due to the increased dependency on their spouse/partner for emotional, economic and immigration-related reasons. While immigrants have been on the frontlines as responders for COVID-19, there are limited policies that provide them with healthcare, employment guarantee, or benefits. Further, the immigration restrictions created by the U.S. Government have worsened the position of immigrants. All these stressors create unprecedented challenges for immigrants. Therefore, it is vital to delve into the family dynamics, unique challenges, and potential solutions that can provide support to immigrant families. This commentary highlights the atypical challenges of immigrants in relation to the pandemic and how these challenges may impact the incidence of family violence. Through our discussion, we hope to encourage social work scholars, practitioners, and policy advocates to support and advocate for immigrants; especially, during the new normal under the COVID-19 pandemic

Newly qualified physical education teachers’ experiences of developing subject knowledge prior to, during and after a Postgraduate Certificate in Education course

Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) inspections of secondary Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) physical education courses in England between 1996 and 1998 (OFSTED, 1999) were critical of student teachers' subject knowledge. The purpose of this study was to investigate the development of subject knowledge and influences on the development of that subject knowledge in a sample of three newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who had completed a PGCE physical education course in England. The research comprised semi-structured interviews and analysis of documentation. Among these three NQTs there were some similarities, but more differences in terms of the development of subject knowledge as well as different influences on the development of subject knowledge. These results suggest that teacher educators may need to be flexible in how they approach and support the development of student teachers' subject knowledge. Results also suggest that teacher educators should work more closely with colleagues teaching sports-related undergraduate degree courses to support the development of subject knowledge for those students who wish to progress to a PGCE physical education course

Curriculum Materials for Elementary Reading: Shackles and Scaffolds for Four Beginning Teachers

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to learn how beginning elementary teachers understood and used curriculum materials for teaching reading, and how, in turn, these materials shaped teachers\u27 instruction. We followed 4 teachers who worked in markedly different school situations and were provided a variety of curriculum materials, ranging from scripted reading programs to supplemental materials without teaching guides. Data were gathered through classroom observations, interviews, and curriculum artifacts over the teachers\u27 first 3 years on the job. Our analysis suggested that curriculum materials interacted with teachers\u27 knowledge of reading and reading instruction, and with the contexts in which they worked. As a result, curriculum materials both fostered and inhibited teachers\u27 on-the-job learning. We found that the 2 teachers with weak knowledge or more restrictive materials and environments learned the least and were least able to adapt instruction to meet the needs of their students. The 2 teachers with stronger knowledge, access to multiple materials, and support for decision making regarding materials and instructional strategies learned the most and were most able to adapt instruction. Furthermore, early experiences with specific curriculum materials had effects 2 years later on these teachers\u27 instructional practices. Implications for curriculum mandates, material selection, and professional development are discussed

First Wave Survey Results: A Preliminary Evaluation of Chicagos Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness

2ExecutiveSummaryThis report contains preliminary information about services to homeless clients in Chicago. The information is part of a comprehensive attempt to evaluate Chicago's Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, a plan endorsed by Chicago's Mayor in 2003 and first outlined in Getting Housed, Staying Housed: Chicago's Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness (Chicago Continuum of Care, 2000). In brief, the Plan calls for the implementation of a Housing First approach, under which clients are provided housing as soon as possible. Services are provided under the approach, but access to housing does not depend on the use of services.While the homeless service system is complex, offering services ranging from outreach and engagement to transportation to housing, this report focuses on and summarizes findings from the first of a three wave survey of clients residing in the three housing options that are provided under the Plan: emergency shelters, interim housing programs, and supportive permanent housing programs. Shelters generally house clients for a night at a time and are deemed to offer temporary placements. Interim housing programs offer accommodations to clients for a period that can last up to between 90 to 120 days. These programs generally are charged with providing linkage to services needed to address client problems, assessing clients for appropriate housing options and helping clients obtain the financial resources needed to afford housing. Supportive permanent housing programs allow people to stay as long as they wish and are charged with locating wraparound services for their clients. While they may not be unprecedented, the interim and permanent supportive housing programs are innovations suggested by the Plan.During 2009 and using a stratified, two-stage design, the first wave survey sampled a random sample of adult clients in the three types of programs. When surveying families, the head of the family was the respondent. The final sample includes 554 individuals and family heads. Of this total, 185 are from overnight shelter programs, 192 from interim housing programs and 177 from what for the purposes of this report are called permanent housing programs. The report summarizes basic findings about the surveyed clients. It analyzes the frequency with which clients evince certain traits or circumstances by the type of program. It also compares the frequencies across program types. In general, results of the analyses suggest that there has been considerable progress toward the goals of the Ten-Year Plan. The Plan's innovative programs, that is, interim and permanent housing programs, focus on clients who have long histories of homelessness. Those programs also reportedly engage in many required activities. Respondents also rate those programs higher than they rate shelters and report that agency and city workers tend to refer the clients to the new programs rather than to the old ones. On the other hand, service provision appears to be uneven in all types of programs. At the same time, largely due to policies and funding opportunities, the programs vary in the clients they serve