Week 09 - Saving Informational Resources and Fact Sheet Assignment

Fall 2026 SOWK 587 Week 09 - Saving Informational Resources and Fact Sheet Assignment

There is a wide range of school-related problems that social workers can assist in addressing through evidence-based practices and community, human, and technological resources. Week nine, an asynchronous week, is designed to help students gain a more well-defined understanding of the problems and awareness of resources that can help address them. Students will read chapter eight of Jarolmen and Bautista-Thomas (2023), which reviews issues critical for school social workers. Students engage in forums to share their experiences with problems and explore a broad range of resources. The lecture video for students this week includes practical content on saving resources to share with clients and colleagues, as well as information about the fact sheet assignment.

The agenda for the lecture video is as follows:

Content for week nine
Saving informational resources
School-related problem fact sheet

The learning objectives for week nine include:

Identify and define school-related problems social workers commonly encounter.
Demonstrate an understanding of various resources (human, community, and technological) that can be leveraged to address school-related challenges.
Evaluate strategies for effectively integrating community resources into school settings to provide wraparound services, particularly in rural and small district contexts.
Demonstrate practical skills in collecting, organizing, and sharing informational resources valuable for professional social work practice in schools.

Demonstration: My Informational Resources

[Demonstration] Obsidian informational resources

The two hub notes: Informational Resources for Practitioners and Informational Resources for Clients & Families
Notes tied to this week’s chapter:
- McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act information (homelessness)
- Food banks in the Tri-Cities, holiday referral information, and Washington Lifeline phones (poverty)
- Support for housing concerns and legal assistance in the Tri-Cities
- After-school programs and tutoring options
How each note is built: a title, its connections, tags (e.g., #Community-Resources), and a Last Updated date

Years ago, when I first started doing this, I just had a folder of Word documents. The tool matters less than having a system you will actually keep up.

[Demonstration] Physical notebooks and cards

You have been working on the fact sheet since early in the term. This is a reminder of what you are building and when it is due.

A-03 School-Related Problem Fact Sheet is due Monday (11/2) at 8 AM, posted in the W-10 A-03: School-Related Problem Fact Sheet Posting Forum

General Parts

Three-to-four-page fact sheet (it can also be an infographic or brochure)
Problem description, with its causes, manifestations, educational challenges, and impacts on the family and other systems
Interventions at multiple levels, using human, community, and technological resources
A bibliography of at least ten articles published in the last ten years
Suitable for distribution to parents and teachers

Assignment 03: School-Related Problem Fact Sheet

Meta: Points 75 pts (15% of final grade); Deadline Monday 11/02/26 at 8:00 AM; Completion via a forum post on MyHeritage; Locations Assignment Handout with Rubric, post your fact sheet at W-10 A-03: School-Related Problem Fact Sheet Posting Forum.

Purpose: The School-Related Problem Fact Sheet requires students to demonstrate their research and communication skills regarding key issues and interventions impacting students in schools. Students will convert their research into a usable format that could be circulated in a school setting and demonstrate an awareness of community, human, and technological resources.

Task: Students will work individually to develop a three- to four-page fact sheet (which can also be an infographic or brochure) that integrates and summarizes an issue affecting students. Chapters 8 and 12 of Jarolmen and Bautista-Thomas (2023) discuss several potential topics in detail. Consider issues such as youth experiencing homelessness, bullying, parental incarceration, juvenile justice involvement, behavioral challenges, migrant families (including undocumented, immigrant, or refugee), involvement with CPS, and others. The selected problem should take school culture into account. The final product must be suitable for distribution to parents and teachers. The fact sheet must include a bibliography of at least ten articles published in the last ten years that address your chosen topic using research-informed practices. Causes and manifestations, educational challenges, and impacts on the family system or other systems should all be included in the document. Furthermore, possible interventions from school social workers at multiple levels are to be discussed. These interventions should encompass human, community, and technological resources.

Success: Students are assessed for this assignment using the School-Related Problem Fact Sheet Rubric. Following the assignment guidelines, a final professional and accessible document will be submitted. It will define a school-related problem, connect it to school needs, and provide potential interventions across multiple system levels grounded in scholarship.

Highly Developed

A school related problem is defined and connects to the school context The fact sheet clearly defines a relevant school-related issue, providing a comprehensive overview of its causes, manifestations, and educational/systemic impacts. The problem is framed with attention to school culture and student populations, demonstrating a deep understanding of its significance in school social work practice.
Strategies for addressing the problem are articulated The fact sheet presents well-developed, research-informed intervention strategies at micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Strategies are realistic, actionable, and incorporate human, community, and technological resources.
A professional and accessible product is developed The final product is visually appealing, well-organized, and formatted for easy comprehension by parents and teachers. Language is clear, concise, and professional, with appropriate use of headings, bullet points, and graphics (if applicable).
The basis of the problem and intervention are grounded in scholarship The discussion of the problem and proposed interventions are linked to best practices as evidenced by in-text citations.
The reference list follows APA standards The reference list includes at least ten recent, high-quality sources, and accurately follows APA standards.
Following Assignment The fact sheet closely follows the assignment description and requirements.

Appendix B. School-Related Problem Fact Sheet Rubric

The School-Related Problem Fact Sheet Rubric is used for the assignment of the same name and evaluates students by requiring a fact sheet that clearly defines the problem and its connection to school culture. It must include evidence-based strategies at multiple system levels to address the problem and incorporate a range of resources. The final product should be visually appealing and easy to use, provide a scholarly basis for problems and recommendations, and include a reference list with at least 10 recent sources.

Description	Initial	Emerging	Developed	Highly Developed
A school-related problem is defined and connected to the school context	The fact sheet presents an unclear or vague issue, lacking identification of causes, manifestations, or impacts. The problem is not directly relevant to a school setting, or there is no connection to social work practice.	The fact sheet identifies a problem but fails to make a strong connection to school culture or social work practice. The issue may be partially described, with key elements such as causes, manifestations, or systemic impacts missing.	The fact sheet defines the problem and its connection to school culture, but the connections are not fully developed or lack depth. Some discussion of causes, manifestations, and educational impacts is included, but key aspects may be underdeveloped.	The fact sheet clearly defines a relevant school-related issue and provides a comprehensive overview of its causes, manifestations, and educational/systemic impacts. The problem is framed with attention to school culture and student populations, demonstrating a deep understanding of its significance in school social work practice.
Strategies for addressing the problem are articulated	The fact sheet lacks intervention strategies or presents general solutions.	The fact sheet includes some intervention strategies, but it only includes one or two system levels (micro, mezzo, or macro). Strategies may not include diverse resources.	The fact sheet presents strategies at micro, mezzo, and macro levels, but may be underdeveloped. Strategies incorporate human, community, and technological resources.	The fact sheet presents well-developed, research-informed intervention strategies at micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Strategies are realistic, actionable, and incorporate human, community, and technological resources.
A professional and accessible product is developed	The fact sheet has many significant problems with organization and structure.	The fact sheet has a significant problem with organization and structure.	The fact sheet has a minor problem with organization and structure.	The final product is visually appealing, well-organized, and formatted for easy comprehension by parents and teachers. Language is clear, concise, and professional, with appropriate use of headings, bullet points, and graphics (if applicable).
The basis of the problem and intervention are grounded in scholarship	There is no referral to scholarship throughout the fact sheet.	There is minimal referral to scholarship throughout the fact sheet.	The fact sheet contains many references to scholarship, but some sections that require citations do not include any.	The discussion of the problem and proposed interventions are linked to best practices as evidenced by in-text citations.
The reference list follows APA standards	The references used are inappropriate, insufficient, or significantly outdated, with numerous errors in APA formatting	The reference list includes some appropriate sources but contains frequent APA formatting errors.	The reference list includes appropriate scholarly sources and generally follows APA standards, but minor formatting issues or inconsistencies exist.	The reference list includes at least ten recent, high-quality sources and accurately follows APA standards.
Following assignment requirements	The fact sheet does not follow the assignment description and requirements.	The fact sheet somewhat follows the assignment description, but it contains significant errors.	The fact sheet follows the assignment description and requirements but has minor errors.	The fact sheet closely follows the assignment description and requirements.