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The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted individuals across the world and disrupted societal systems, including educational institutions. The aim of the current cross-sectional survey of U.S. social work students was to describe: (1) students' experiences of COVID-19-related stress, academic stress, and access to supports; (2) changes in academic stress following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic; and (3) factors that contributed to a change in academic stress following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. An independent samples t-test identified an increase in students' academic stress following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and multivariate regression determined factors contributing to levels of student stress, including program support and access to academic resources. Implications for social work programs' responses to disasters are discussed.

Curricular revision consistent with program mission and goals and that also fulfils accreditation requirements is essential for social work programs. In this article transformational education, shared academic freedom, and competency-based evaluation are described as central to effective preparation of students in social work education. The authors provide an overview of the transformational education literature and one school of social work's curricular revision process that demonstrates facultywide ownership of the revision process. The paper concludes with a discussion of how the faculty ownership and student evaluation process helped the school avoid the reductionist pitfalls in competency-based education in their pursuit of transformational education for programmatic impact.

Public school trauma responses to school shootings in the USA would benefit from a greater focus on trauma intervention in the aftermath of a shooting. The current research explored school staff attitudes toward public school trauma response after school shootings. This phenomenological study was conducted with 12 public school staff members with school shooting experience through convenience sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with questions about public school responses to trauma following a school shooting. Findings indicated school staff concerns related to public school trauma response to school shootings were categorized by four major themes: trauma intervention, perception of support, unintended negative consequences, and barriers to trauma intervention. Reflections of school staff offer insight into where the public schools can begin to more adequately address the needs of students and faculty members who have also survived school shootings.

Student perceptions of 63 concentration year MSW students, grades, and faculty perceptions were examined to evaluate differences in educational outcomes and in learning experiences among a traditional classroom model, a mixed or hybrid model, and a webinar online model for delivery of integrative field seminars. No significant differences were found in the grades among the three models. Findings showed strong support for the traditional model for students in local field internships and the webinar model for students in distant site placements. Reciprocity among students and faculty was a major factor in seminar integration and effectiveness, regardless of the mode of delivery.

Evidence-based practice and evidence-informed practice are not just buzzwords in education. It is essential that administrators encourage both the development and the application of new knowledge in the field. This study of 1755 elementary age children in Central Texas indicates a positive association between the experience of childhood loss and grief and a diagnosis of AD/HD. Implications of this information for administrators in education are explored, including the training of counselors and classroom teachers in grief interventions and accommodations for grief related attention problems in children.

Background Side-effect concerns are a major barrier to vaccination against COVID-19 and other diseases. Identifying cost- and time-efficient interventions to improve vaccine experience and reduce vaccine hesitancy—without withholding information about side effects—is critical. Purpose Determine whether a brief symptom as positive signals mindset intervention can improve vaccine experience and reduce vaccine hesitancy after the COVID-19 vaccination. Methods English-speaking adults (18+) were recruited during the 15-min wait period after receiving their second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination and were randomly allocated to the symptom as positive signals mindset condition or the treatment as usual control. Participants in the mindset intervention viewed a 3:43-min video explaining how the body responds to vaccinations and how common side effects such as fatigue, sore arm, and fever are signs that the vaccination is helping the body boost immunity. The control group received standard vaccination center information. Results Mindset participants (N = 260) versus controls (N = 268) reported significantly less worry about symptoms at day 3 [ t (506)=2.60, p =.01, d =0.23], fewer symptoms immediately following the vaccine [ t (484)=2.75, p =.006, d =0.24], and increased intentions to vaccinate against viruses like COVID-19 in the future [ t (514)=−2.57, p =.01, d =0.22]. No significant differences for side-effect frequency at day 3, coping, or impact. Conclusions This study supports the use of a brief video aimed at reframing symptoms as positive signals to reduce worry and increase future vaccine intentions. Clinical Trial information Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12621000722897p. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legislative change, ethical dilemmas, and client management issues were all faced by social work students in a recent effort to impact guardianship in the State of Texas. Since the mid-1990s, Texas had been without a statewide system to provide guardianship services. In 2004 a group of social work students, law students, faculty, guardianship professionals, and judges from across Texas came together to create new laws and solve the significant gaps in services. Guardianship is at once a legal and social issue. It is mandated by the courts but generally managed by social workers. In this paper, the authors offer a model for student involvement that both changed the laws in this state and offers significant hands-on education in both research and community organization.