ABSTRACT

This evaluation study provides insights into the relative effectiveness of social work practice in one midwestern school district. Purposive samples of teacher, students, and parents, as well as the project director, social workers, and members of an advisory council, were surveyed to obtain their perspectives on the social work component of a school-community drug/alcohol outreach project. The qualitative and quantitative results of the study have particular implications for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers concerned about providing human services in schools. These implications include policy that sanctions and legitimizes human services in educational settings, practice that focuses on interdisciplinary teaming and collaboration between educational and human service providers, and research investigations that further illuminate the effectiveness of human service delivery relative to the dynamics of educational environments.