The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has been working since 2010 to develop an educator effectiveness model that will incorporate those attributes that are most critical to the way teachers, non-teaching professionals, and principals are evaluated as well as providing training tools for professional growth that provide support as part of a fair effective evaluation process.

House Bill 1559 (Act 71), sponsored by Rep. Frank Farina (D-115), amends the Public School Code to provide for youth suicide awareness and prevention education. Act 71 requires each entity to adopt youth suicide awareness and prevention policies and include four hours of training every five years for professional educators in school buildings serving students grades six through twelve. It also

House Bill 1424 (Act 70), sponsored by Rep. Paul Clymer (R-145), amends the Public School Code to provide for instruction on the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights violations. Act 70 allows each school entity to offer instruction in the Holocaust, genocide and human rights violations, and requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to conduct a study regarding the manner in which such

The School-Based Health Alliance is partnering with the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust to create the next generation of school-based health centers (SBHCs). The New Directions for School-Based Health Grants – funded by CVS and administered by the School-Based Health Alliance – will build the capacity of the school-based health care field to become integrated and active

NASW-PA is seeking feedback about the issues that are most important to practicing social workers in order to prioritize their legislative agenda. Certification for school social workers is on the list – bring it to the forefront by sharing your feedback on their short, anonymous survey! http://www.nasw-pa.org/news/166576/Share-your-legislative-interests-with-NASW-PA.htm

Take advantage of this funding opportunity through the Department of Education to add school social workers and home & school visitors to your district’s student support services! Competitive Preference Priority 1: Improving school engagement, school environment, and school safety, and improving family and community engagement. Competitive Preference Priority 2: Support for military families Click here for more

A good place for keeping up with trends, discussing topics, and networking with colleagues!  Check us out

If you are a current PASSWP member, you reside in one of the counties in the South region, and you are interested in becoming more active in PASSWP, NOW IS THE TIME!  Click here for more information.

Dear School Social Work Colleagues,   The second National School Social Work Survey will be launched on February 3, 2014, and we are asking for your participation. In 2008, our team conducted our first National School School Social Work Survey and we were able to get 1,639 responses from school social workers practicing in 48

The National PTA is offering the Smart from the Start Grant Program. With support from the National PTA, schools and communities across the nation have the opportunity to apply for a number of grants and other prizes to help them implement a health initiative at their school. The winning preschool will be awarded $20,000 and ten runners-up