Examining Preparedness and Onboarding for Social Work Practice in Schools

Abstract This article highlights a research study investigating how school social workers (SSWers) are prepared during their MSW programs to work in various school settings. A survey was completed by 175 SSWers at the School Social Work Association of America 2019 National Conference. The results suggest that survey participants deemed insufficient the level of school social work (SSW) preparedness received at degree-granting institutions. For example, 38 percent of respondents did not take an SSW course, 49 percent did not intern in a school setting, and 85 percent would have benefited from additional SSW courses. Further, the respondents discussed numerous areas of improvement to be addressed by SSW preparation programs and employment settings, including preparation for the political environment of schools and more intensive onboarding and mentoring in their first years of service. The evidence also points to the fortitude of SSWers to persevere in their educational settings. In response to the survey results, the study researchers organized an edited book titled The Art of Becoming Indispensable: What School Social Workers Need to Know in Their First Three Years of Practice. Limitations and implications for SSW practice are discussed as well.