On Thursday, June 24^th, the House Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, chaired by Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), held a hearing on cyber bullying.  The witness panel included popular television psychologist, Dr. Phil Mcgraw, and 14-year-old Girl Scout, Dominique Napolitano. Ms. Napolitano offered personal insight by describing a cyber bullying incident involving a school friend, and indicated that “cyber bullying poses serious consequences to the health and safety of all children.” As the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) approaches, the panel urged Congress to add language to this act regarding the prevention of cyber bullying.

In 2009, 3.2 million American children perpetrated or were victimized by cyber bullying.   However, many parents remain unaware of the magnitude of problem.

Preventative measures include sites such as www.wiredsafety.com, which offer tools for cyber bullying prevention, as well as various media outreach campaigns. Ms. Napolitano and Dr. McGraw reinforced the importance of maintaining a dialogue with children regarding safe internet usage. Many schools have also implemented effective prevention programs that encourage children to anonymously report instances of cyber bullying. Congresswoman McCarthy stated that the committee would consider adding language to the ESEA regarding cyber bullying prevention programs.

For more information on the hearing: http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/2010/06/ensuring-student-cyber-safety.shtml

For more information on cyber bullying: http://www.helpstartshere.org/kids-and-families/schools-andcommunities/cyberbullying.html

For more information on ESEA: http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/education/esea/

Today, the lead Cabinet secretaries from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) – from the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Veterans Affairs (VA) – joined Executive Director of the USICH Barbara Poppe to unveil and submit to the President and Congress the a comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness. The full report is titled Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The plan is working to end veterans and chronic homelessness by 2015; and to ending homelessness among children, family, and youth by 2020.

A webinar on the plan will be available on www.hud.gov/webcasts, on Wednesday, June 23rd from 2:00 –2:45 p.m. EST.  During the webcast, questions can be asked via email at Homelessness@hud.gov.

The House Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, chaired by Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), recently held a hearing on “Corporal Punishment in Schools and its Effect on Academic Success.”  McCarthy explained that over 220,000 students were paddled in schools in the United States in the 2006-2007school year, according to the most recent data available from the U.S Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR).

Teachers and school administrators from across the country testified including Wynell Gilbert, a teacher at Erwin High School in Center Point, Alabama. He described a program developed by the American Federation of Teachers that trains teachers to “run effective, orderly, safe, and respectful classrooms” without the use of corporal punishment. It was also noted that research does not indicate that corporal punishment leads to better behaved students or enhanced classroom control. For the full hearing transcript click here http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/healthy-families/

According to Representative McCarthy, corporal punishment is permitted in 20 states and OCR statistics indicate that a disproportionate number of those paddled are African-American or disabled students and are likely to be in kindergarten through the 8th grade. McCarthy stated that she plans to introduce legislation to end paddling in schools, observing that federal statutes already prohibit physical punishment in prisons, jails, and medical facilities. NASW has long been opposed to the physical punishment of children in schools. To read about NASW’S policy statement on this and other school social work issues, go to www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/school/default.asp

NASW has co-signed a letter with the National Child Abuse Coalition, recognizing Representative McCarthy’s efforts to address corporal punishment in schools. To read the full sign on letter, click here.

For more information on NASW’s work in child abuse prevention, go to the Child Welfare or Children Adolescents and Young Adults section, Credentials, and Practice Standards.

On March 30, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act (H.R. 4872). NASW strongly supported this bill and has tirelessly advocated for the creation of public policies that make health care and higher education more affordable and accessible for all Americans. The higher education provisions are expected to generate significant savings by redirecting lender subsidies to boost Pell Grant scholarships, expand the Income Based Repayment Program, increase the number of students who enter and complete college, including community colleges, and invest over $2 billion in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and minority serving institutions (MSI) to provide students with the support they need to stay in school. The bill passed the House and Senate on March 25 with a Democratic vote of 220-207 and 56 to 43, respectively.

While some colleges and universities have already switched to direct lending, others are racing to switch from private lenders to the U.S. Department of Education by July 1, 2010. The lending overhaul, which would eliminate a program that subsidizes banks and other providers of federally backed loans, is projected to save the federal government $61 billion over 10 years with more than half of the savings channeled to Pell grants for low income students. More than 8 million low income students rely on these grants to fund their education.

For more information about our advocacy efforts to make higher education more affordable go to www.socialworkers.org/loanforgivness

To join the Advocacy listserv, go to http://capwiz.com/socialworkers/mlm/verify/

On March 17, 2010, Education Secretary Arne Duncan testified before the House Education and Labor Committee on the Obama Administration’s newly released blueprint for revamping the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as the No Child Left Behind Act. He focused on the themes of college and career readiness, accountability for all students, and incentives for states to improve their approach to educating our nation’s students. The Committee expressed a strong commitment to working with the Administration in rewriting the law. In his opening statement, Chairman George Miller said “the President’s blueprint lays important markers for us as we begin this rewrite.” To view the full statement click here http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/full-committee/

NASW, independently and in collaboration with the National Alliance of Pupil Serving Organizations (NAPSO), recently submitted comments for the Chairman to consider as Congress gears up to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act https://www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/issues/education/default.asp

• For information on joining NASW’s Advocacy listserv, go to http://capwiz.com/socialworkers/mlm/verify/.
• For more information on the School Social Work Specialist credential, go to http://www.socialworkers.org/credentials/default.asp.
• For more information on the school social work specialty practice section, go to http://www.socialworkers.org/credentials/default.asp
• For more information on school social work practice, including practice standards, go to http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/default.asp.
• For information on books and research regarding school social work practice, go to www.naswpress.org

The House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education held a hearing on March 18, 2010 titled “Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization: Addressing the Needs of Diverse Students” to examine how schools can appropriately educate low-income, minority, English Language Learners, disabled, Native American, and homeless students within the context of reauthorizing  the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as the No Child Left Behind Act.

This goal was expressed by Subcommittee Chairman Representative Dale Kildee (D-MI) in his opening statement: “While the No Child Left Behind Act shed light on the inequalities in our education system, it unfortunately did not do enough to close the achievement gap for diverse students…This must be a top priority for future steps in education reform.”

To this end, the Subcommittee considered recommendations from a panel of educators, advocates, and a researcher working to close the achievement gap for diverse students. They included Dr. Daniel Curry, Superintendent for the Lake Forest School District in Felton, Delaware, Dr. Jack Dale, Superintendent for Fairfax County Public Schools in Falls Church, Virginia, Arelis Diaz, Assistant Superintendent for Godwin Heights Public Schools in Wyoming, Michigan, Dr. David Gipp, President of United Tribes Technical College (UTTC), Jacqui Farmer Kearns, Principal Investigator for the National Alternate Assessment Center, and Michael Wotorson, Executive Director of Campaign for High School Equity.

To read the transcript go tohttp://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/ecese/

Go here for more information on NASW’s advocacy efforts. 
Join the Advocacy Listserv to receive regular updates
NASW Standards for Social Work in Schools 
NASW Specialty Practice Section for School Social Work 
NASW School Social Specialist Credential

At a time when demand for child welfare services is growing and more investments are needed, the faltering economy is driving record state budget deficits and reductions in child welfare funding.

NPR aired a 2-part story on this issue.  In part 1, Michael Petit, a social worker, NASW member, and President and Founder of Every Child Matters, was quoted regarding the state budget cuts.   Part 2 addressed the long term consequences of these cuts.

Recently, many of you wrote to Congress in support of the “We Can Do Better” campaign, part of a multi-organizational strategy to garner federal government support for child welfare.  In addition, NASW has launched a “Child Welfare Initiative,” to strengthen the system. A key component of this initiative is to advocate for public policies that improve social workers’ ability to protect our nation’s vulnerable children and families.

NASW’s legislative agenda for the remainder of the Session of Congress includes increasing sponsorship of the Child Welfare Workforce Improvement Act (S. 2837), the Teri Zenner Social Worker Safety Act (H.R. 1490), and the reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).

Please urge your members of Congress to take action on these bills to make child well-being a national priority.

Consistent with First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to confront the issue of childhood obesity, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions heard testimony on March 4, 2010, about the prevalence of obesity among America’s youth. Panelists included Dr. Regina Benjamin, U.S. Surgeon General; Dr. Joseph Thompson, Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity; Dr. Sandra Hassink, Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Obesity Leadership Workgroup; and Pittsburgh Steelers Running Back Rashard Mendenhall.

NASW recognizes childhood obesity as an major public health concern, with significant implications for future U.S. health care costs. Obese children are being diagnosed with health problems previously considered to be “adult” illnesses, such as Type II diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and fatty liver disease. Overweight and obese children are at risk for a host of serious future illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer. Obesity and related complications disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minority children and children living in poverty.

NASW applauds Congress’ acknowledgment of this multi-dimensional issue and its efforts to address it. To view the hearing’s video and for more information, go to http://help.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=059b63ce-5056-9502-5d89-33fed050a9f3.

NASW was pleased with the announcement yesterday that the Census Bureau has created a supplemental poverty measure. The measure will use the best new data and methodologies to obtain an improved understanding of the economic well-being of American families and of how federal policies affect those living in poverty.

The current poverty level is determined by a family’s cash income and the cost of food. Since food has become a smaller share of a family’s income, it has become outdated. The supplemental poverty measure takes into account more variables such as location, housing, medication, utilities and child care.

The supplemental poverty measure does not replace the existing poverty measure, which will still be used to determine program eligibility for programs like SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

The National Academies of Science have long advocated an alternative poverty measure. A report released in 1995 called for an alternative poverty measure.

Today the President’s Middle Class Task Force released its annual report with significant recommendations that would provide support for families.   Chaired by Vice-President Joe Biden with social worker Dr. Jared Bernstein serving as Executive Director, recommendations were categorized in the following four areas:

• Protecting Workers and Creating Middle Class Jobs
• Retirement Security
• Balancing Work and Family Responsibilities
• Pathways to the Middle Class
  

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) enthusiastically supports the recommendations of the Task Force and wrote a letter, along with a number of other groups, specifically regarding “Helping Families Balance Work and Caregiving Obligations.” The proposed policies in this area supported our own suggestions and experience in working with families who care for their older relatives.

In 2006 and 2008, NASW, in partnership with the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), conducted research focusing particularly on sandwich generation women (SGW) who were between the ages of 35 and 54 and caring for their own children and aging relatives. Key findings from our surveys support the need for the expanding the Dependent Care Tax Credit, which has only been raised once in 28 years, as well as expanding the $102.5 million Caregiver Initiative, which provides resources for respite care, transportation, and assistance with activities of daily living.

To see all of the letters on this issue, click here.  For more information on the Middle Class Task Force, go to www.astrongmiddleclass.gov.