Abstract
A faculty-led experiential learning project was implemented with Master of Social Work students at their field placement sites to teach macro practice skills and research methods. As part of a grant-funded school-university partnership, MSW students were placed in school social work field placements, where their practice focused on individual and small group interventions with youth. Ten MSW students participated in asset-based collective family engagement in diverse, low-income communities, using community organizing skills and community-based participatory research methods. To examine student learning, a pilot study gathered narrative data from seven of the students and three supervisors. MSW students’ learning from the project is discussed in the context of CSWE’s 2015 EPAS competencies. Participation in the experiential/service-learning project supported the ability of the MSW students to build a sense of themselves as professionals bringing value to the community, enhanced their understanding of cultural diversity and family engagement, and provided context for vulnerable students’ struggles in school and the families’ difficulties with school engagement. This project illustrates the potential of school-university partnerships involving MSW field students to help bridge the gaps in school-family partnerships, particularly in diverse and low-income communities, and highlights areas where different teaching methods can be used to reinforce competencies learned.
Highlights
A faculty-led experiential learning project was implemented with Master of Social Work students at their field placement sites to teach macro practice skills and research methods
This paper describes one such project, conducted with Master of Social Work (MSW) students at their social work field placements in public middle schools
The faculty member who acted as principal investigator (PI) on the family engagement research trained three project supervisors and 10 MSW students in the research protocol and guided them in the research process, including integrating social work theory and practice
Summary
In the larger context of the family engagement project, the MSW students had experience with competency 5, “engage in policy practice”, as they were part of discussions about changes needed in existing social service and school policies to effectively meet families’ needs and helped develop recommendations to the school districts. The faculty member who acted as principal investigator (PI) on the family engagement research trained three project supervisors and 10 MSW students (the project teams) in the research protocol and guided them in the research process, including integrating social work theory and practice. In meetings with all three teams together, MSW students had the opportunity to learn about the different trajectories of the project and discussed possible contributing factors These discussions deepened the students’ understanding of research-informed practice, community organizing, and the impact of school policies on family engagement. Some parents invited school personnel to join their conversations, and school personnel understood the Parent Café as a method of accessing and communicating with parents (see Yull, Blitz, Thompson, & Murray, 2014)
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