School Social Workers and a Renewed Call to Advocacy.

This article calls for school social workers to work in schools to reform school systems that have historically failed and are currently failing African American children. While the hope of education is to assist students to realize their potential, school systems across the nation are not reaching this goal. School social work has a duty, a privilege, and a responsibility to advocate on behalf of all children to create school systems that establish equality in education and that support the achievement of all children in reaching their highest potential. This paper focuses on the practices of tracking (ability grouping) and student placement in special education. It illuminates how these practices perpetuate discrimination in schools across the country. There is mounting evidence that shows the detrimental impact that these practices have on atrisk and disadvantaged students. Conventional thinking and policies must be confronted and questioned by school social workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]