The Dropout Prevention Specialist Workbook: A How-To Guide for Building the Skills and Competencies for Addressing the School Dropout Crisis (SSWAA Workshop Series)

Despite policy efforts at the state and federal levels, the school dropout rate for students in the United States is estimated at a staggering 500,000-to-1,000,000 children and youth per year. And while school social workers and other professionals working with truancy and school dropout issues are well positioned to offer assistance as Dropout Prevention Specialists (DPSs), an overwhelming number of those who fill such roles go vastly undertrained and underprepared for the demands they face. Authored by a nationally leading specialist in dropout prevention, this workbook serves as a how-to guide for those in the helping professions who serve in an intervention or dropout-prevention capacity. Specifically, it guides readers through useful resources that address the varied and intersecting causes of student dropout while providing real-life anecdotal experience from the author's five-plus decades in the field. As school districts across the country continue to adopt DPSs in their schools, The Dropout Prevention Specialist Workbook aims to meet the demand of training and preparing them for the future while clearly defining needs of the work ahead.

Howard M. Blonsky, MSW, LCSW, started his career in mental health environments and has used his experience to make a difference in schools. He served thirty-five years with the San Francisco United Schools District and formerly directed the Schools Partnership Training Institute, a foundation-funded program aimed at uniting communities' greater resources with those of schools. After completing a clinical fellowship in psychiatry, Mr. Blonsky worked to bridge mental health and education in his work with students and families. He has supervised school dropout-prevention programs on the federal and California state levels. He has a passion for improving student attendance and reducing student dropouts.