This text gives social workers tools for effective and ethical practice in school settings. Readers learn practical skills for observation, assessment, intervention, and research that will enable them to respond to the needs of diverse students from preschool through the secondary grades. The book presents strategies for dealing with particular problems, such as violence, trauma, parental absence, substance abuse, bereavement, and mental health concerns. Also reviewed are developmental issues that can interfere with school success. Specific guidelines for implementing interventions, including group work, are provided. Student-friendly features include: many concrete examples; study and discussion questions; and reproducible letters, forms, and checklists. Sixteen chapters are included: (1) The Role and Function of the School Social Worker; (2) An Ecological-Developmental Framework for Practice in the Schools; (3) Uncovering Problems and Working within the System; (4) School Social Work with Children in Preschool to Grade 3; (5) School Social Work with Children in Grades 4 to 6; (6) School Social Work with Children in Grades 7 and 8; (7) School Social Work with Children in Grades 9 and 10; (8) School Social Work with Children in Grades 11 and 12; (9) Group Work in the School Setting; (10) Violence and Trauma; (11) Parental Absence; (12) Alcohol and Drug Abuse; (13) Death and Loss; (14) Working with Noncitizen Populations (with Joyce Kelen); (15) Mental Health Services in the Schools; and (16) Linking Community, Home, and School (with Rosemarie Hunter and Rocio Paredes-Mora).