School social work practice decisions have been the focus of local and national surveys for several decades, most recently in 2014. The need to better understand these findings, particularly school social workers' practice decisions that appear counter to what the field's evidence base indicates is sound practice, led to the current qualitative study. Our inquiry focused on developing a deeper understanding of the impact of professional models (particularly the multitiered systems of support), training, and school context on practice. Data from 16 focus groups (N = 60) revealed that practitioners struggled with contextual constraints upon their work and encountered limited learning opportunities and support, to the extent that they could not consistently implement contemporary practice models. Implications for school social work policy, training, and practice are considered.

The American education system has been significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led schools to shut down and convert to remote learning environments in spring 2020. However, long before these school closures, school social workers (SSWs) have faced significant practice dilemmas, as they have encountered obstacles to their engagement in best practices. While initial pandemic school closures presented SSWs with a range of uncertain situations, they also provided the possibility to respond to practice demands in different and dynamic ways. This article explores the pandemic's impact upon SSWs’ practice, and how SSWs responded in turn as they quickly adapted their practice during this widespread, ongoing crisis. Informed by crisis theory, previous analyses of SSW practice trends and dilemmas, and a review of traditional social work values and ethics, we conducted three focus groups in July 2020 with SSWs during the pandemic’s early months. From these interviews, we learned that participants’ work was disrupted by dramatic shifts in school and community settings, as well as changes in support needs within their respective school communities. Those disruptions gave way to substantial shifts in practice, which reflect a more prominent role for systemic practice and for traditional social work values in SSW decision-making. These findings offer implications for post-pandemic practice, and practice in other host settings.

School social workers are indispensable due to the menu of services they offer to students, the school, and the community and their unique knowledge base, which encompasses cultural responsiveness, theory (crisis intervention, ecological framework, systems theory, and strengths-based approaches), practice skills, and ability to connect and collaborate within an interdisciplinary team of professionals. Social workers can bring distinct and desirable perspectives to groups of educators. This chapter provides suggestions on how school social workers can find respect by, for example, honing their leadership skills, offering solution-focused perspectives, and advocating for the profession. This chapter offers guidance for those new to the field regarding how to showcase their social work perspective to help meet school-based and community needs.