This is a specialized course designed to provide students with an in-depth and critical understanding of the values and ethics of the social work profession and use of NASW’s professional school social work standards and Code of Ethics as a guide to ethical decision making. The course addresses and support activities and practices to work collaboratively with other service providers to overcome institutional barriers, to promote school safety, to identify and remediate gaps in services, and to work collaboratively to mobilize resources of the local education agencies and the community to meet the needs of children and families. Demonstrating trust, open communication, mutual respect, ongoing collaboration, and effective coordination that facilitate the achievement of the objectives of the interdisciplinary team will be explored. Theories and philosophies around social work will be explored.​

This course will address characteristics of student populations within school settings to prepare participants for social work in education. Participants will examine environmental supportive factors while serving students of varying backgrounds, including students with disabilities and students who are English Learners. Research-based strategies to support positive social, behavioral, and academic interventions will be explored, including assessment types and the progress monitoring cycle. 

​This course provides the basic knowledge and skills as a foundation for the practice of social work in education. Using a problem-solving model from an ecological perspective, the course prepares students to apply a generalist practice perspective to the educational system. Essential values, concepts, and ethical considerations within a human rights perspective as they pertain to generalist social work practice in schools will be explored. 

This course will address the concepts of collaboration and communication as part of a school-wide instructional delivery system and effective instructional strategies for students with diverse needs. Participants will examine lesson planning, selection of resources, and the process of adapting content to address the unique needs of individual students. 

This course will cover public education and federal and state laws related to education. Education law is the body of state and federal law that covers teachers, schools, school districts, school boards, and the students they teach. Although the public school system is administered by the federal Department of Education, states are responsible for maintaining and operating public schools in compliance with state and federal laws. The course will cover education laws that govern liability, curriculum standards, testing procedures, school finance, student financial aid, constitutional rights like school prayer and the bounds of student expression on school grounds, and school safety.