Despite their institutional preparation and lived experiences, new school social workers encounter numerous practices, political considerations, community engagement strategies, and seemingly fundamental elements involved in the learning curve needed to move from entry-level to proficiency.
The Art of Being Indispensable What School Social Workers Need to Know in Their First Three Years of Practice contains content specific to what they will need in their first three years of practice, bridging the learning gap from their academic preparation to early employment in P-12 settings.
Organized into four sections - The Host Environment, The Macro School Social Worker, Integration and Intervention, and School Social Worker Sustainability - the content of the book is framed by a mixed-methods study on the needs of new practitioners. It is an indispensable guide that new school
social workers can consult to effectively execute their roles and responsibilities.

Tory Cox EdD, LCSW, is Assistant CalSWEC Project Coordinator at the California State University, Long Beach School of Social Work

Terence Fitzgerald PhD, MED, MSW, is Assistant Professor at University of Southern California, Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Michelle Alvarez, MSW, EdD, is Former President of the School Social Work Association of America; Director of Academic Strategy, Southern New Hampshire University

Dedication
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
Contributor List
Abbreviations and Acronyms

Section I: The Host Environment

Ch. 1: Working in a School Setting: What You Need to Know from Day One
Patrick Mulkern, MSW, PPSC, Cindy Reide Combs, LMSW, Jacqueline Cordova-Rodriguez, LCSW, PPSC, and Susan Stone, PhD

Ch. 2: Understanding the Political Landscape in Schools
Lainey Collins, PhD, LCSW, Wendy DuCassé, MSW, LCSW, and Rachel Forsyth, MSW

Ch. 3: How to Become Indispensable to School Administrators
Dee Stalnecker, DSW, LSW, BCBA, Michelle Alvarez, MSW, EdD, Courtney Porter, MSW, LCSW, MEd, and Ashley Rayne Leeds, MSW

Ch. 4: School Social Workers' Collaborations with Specialized Instructional Support
Personnel
Julianne Shannon, LSW and Crystal Haslett, LCSW

Ch. 5: The Essential Relationships between School Social Workers and Teachers, Paraprofessionals and Other School Personnel
Deirdre N. Scott, EdD, MSW, Summer G. Woodside, PhD, LCSW, Melissa Bunch, LMSW, and Abby Cobb, LISW-CP

Section II: The Macro School Social Worker
Ch. 6: A Brief History of Public Education and its Impact on Marginalized Populations
Timmesha Butler, PhD, LCSW, Shelbie Dixon-Brown, EdD, Rena` Glass-Dixon, PhD, LCSW, and Jennifer McLaurin, LCSW-C, LICSW

Ch. 7: Advancing Anti-Racist Policy and Practice in Schools
Carolyn Curtis, LCSW, EdD, Tynisha Jointer, LCSW, MEd, Andrew Brake, PhD, MSW, and Ashley Bonton, MSW

Ch. 8: Harnessing Community Resources to Enhance Student Learning and Development
Jason Busack, CSSW, Cara Payton, LMSW, and Cherie Hudson, LCSW, PPSC

Ch. 9: Understanding Federal Law and State Regulations Relevant to School Social Work
Annette Johnson, MSW, LCSW, ACSW, Giesela Grumbach PhD, LCSW, PEL, and Maureen Van de Water, MSW

Section III: Integration and Interventions
Ch. 10: Developing Credibility and Establishing Trust
Ricki L. Moran, LCSW, Cristina Marquez, LCSW, CPT, and James Garner, LMSW

Ch. 11: Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Response to Intervention (RtI), and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
Samantha Bates, PhD, LMSW, LaShonda Linnen, LMSW, Stephanie Columbia, EdD, LCSW-R, BCBA, LBA, and Dawn Anderson-Butcher, PhD, LISW-S

Ch. 12: Evidence Based Practice, Data Collection, and Progress Monitoring
Whitney Freund, MSW, Brenda Coble Lindsey, LCSW, EdD, and Kevin Tan, MSW, PhD

Ch. 13: Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) in a Tiered System
Sheri Olson, MSW, LCSW, Brenda Coble Lindsey, LCSW, EdD, and Kevin Tan, MSW, PhD

Ch. 14: Crisis Intervention: Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Plans and School Community Disaster Responses
Jessica Chock-Goldman, LCSW and Heather Meader, LCSW/LICSW, PPSC/ESA

Ch. 15: Special Education Evaluation Process: Creating Measurable Goals and Collaborative Plans
Kari Smith, MSW, MA, PhD and Sharron Williams, PhD, LMSW

Section IV: School Social Worker Sustainability
Ch. 16: Challenges to Ethics and Values: How to Handle Difficult Situations
Mimi Mumm, LICSW, PhD, Amanda Monaghan, LCSW, and Jennifer Oesterling, LCSW

Ch. 17: Self-care and Self-advocacy: Keeping Cool while Increasing Engagement
Jenny Braunginn, MSSW, CISW, Katie Larsen-Klodd, MSSW, Lauri Pagano, LMSW, and Nancy Vargas, LCSW

Ch. 18: Professional Development, Supervision and Mentoring
Robin DeLuca-Acconi, PhD, LCSW, NYS Certified SSW and Denise Campbell, MS

Ch. 19: How to Become Indispensable and Stay Relevant
Emily Shayman, PhD, Jacquelyn Anthony, EdD, MSW, and Brittannee Jones, LMSW

Ch. 20: Emerging Trends in School Social Work
Christine Sabatino, PhD, LICSW, Andrea Plasko, LCSW, and Stephanie Ochocki, DSW, LICSW

Appendix A - Online Links by Chapter

Appendix B - SSWs: How to Be Indispensable