School Social Work Policy & News

There are underlying problems that are hard to fix with funding alone. One such difficulty is the persistent achievement gap in academic performance between key subgroup populations.

Sleep is as essential to human well-being as food and air. Poor sleep habits and sleep deprivation can have negative effects on our physical and mental health. Further, racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to get insufficient sleep than their white counterparts.

Watch a conversation with Deborah M. Figart, PhD, and Ellen Mutari, PhD, the co-authors of "Economic Well-Being: An Introduction" from NASW Press. In this groundbreaking book, Figart and Mutari make the study of economic life accessible, applicable, and exciting.

Middle and high school students say overwhelmingly that depression, stress, and anxiety are the biggest barriers to their learning, according to a new report released by YouthTruth. Only about a fifth of secondary students said they had access to a school counselor, psychologist, or therapist when they felt upset or had a problem.

Student mental health has been the focus of a sustained wave of attention caused by the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic, building on years of concern from educators, who have long worried about escalating rates of depression, anxiety, and isolation among students.

Watch and share these videos from NASW's "Back to School with Social Workers" playlist on YouTube. These videos talk about the many ways that school social workers support students, improve the school environoment and increase family engagement.