Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries (January 11 - 14, 2007)

Purpose: This paper explores the challenges encountered by the field of school social work in its' attempts to achieve stability within the field of K-12 education. It applies institutional theory concepts concerning interstitial fields, or fields that dwell between other broader fields (in this case, education and social work). to provide a novel perspective on problematic practice issues articulated by both school social work practitioners and scholars for years.

Methods: I employ content analysis of academic journal articles, and also review quantitative data on certification standards and the annual school social worker-to-student ratio in the United States. Specifically, I examine 25 years of school social work field history and development (1979 – 2004) by analyzing academic journal articles that attempt to define, or frame, the field. This approach is based on the assumption that such sweeping evaluations or attempts at field definition would provide evidence of efforts at field mobilization and field structuration (or framing), stages of interstitial field emergence described by Calvin Morill. Trends observed in content analytic results were triangulated with key quantitative data sources.

Results: The evidence gathered in this study suggests that school social work dwells in a state of emergence as an interstitial field. While the field appears to have expanded, as indicated by quantitative and content analysis data, school social work has yet to encounter stability within K-12 education. One-third of the articles used for document and data analysis cited the national realities of SSW funding and position vulnerability. I identified a distinct mobilization phase that peaked, dropped and plateaued. This stands in marked contrast to indicators of attempts to frame or structurate the field, which remained high throughout the time period under consideration. School social work appears to be a consistently interstitial field, which I believe accounts for its failure to be more fully absorbed by the field of K-12 education.

Implications for Policy and Practice: Further definition of the field's goals and identity appears to be in order. If school social work wishes to achieve greater stability within K-12 education, it may need to adapt itself to this field in the areas certification, training and practice. This would require a distancing from social work, which would likely prove problematic. A third alternative is for school social work to more fully embrace its interstitial identity and develop itself as a field distinct from both education and social work. Day-to-day practice can be informed by these findings, as well as district and state policy-level decisions regarding position development, funding, and certification. State and national school social work organizations should also benefit from having a novel perspective on the field they are striving to develop, organize and advance.