Exploring the Relationships Among Student Outcomes and Case Management Services Delivered by School Social Workers

PURPOSE: School social workers (SSWs) deliver case management (CM) services to connect students to an array of supports that meet their academic and non-academic needs. However, gaps exist in understanding the profiles of students receiving CM services delivered by SSWs, and the relationships between dosage and receipt of CM services and student outcomes. METHOD: Researchers utilized secondary data from three large middle schools to explore the demographics of students (N = 3,012) receiving CM services and students not receiving CM services. Among students receiving CM services (n = 238), binary and multinomial regression analyses explored relationships among students’ demographic characteristics, dosage of CM services, and non-academic and academic outcomes. Student outcomes were also compared among a demographically matched subsample of 181 students receiving CM services and 181 students not receiving CM services. RESULTS: Students receiving CM services were more likely to be at-risk, Hispanic/Latino, and limited English proficiency status than students not receiving CM services. Regression analyses indicated a higher dosage of CM services was associated with higher odds of receiving two or more behavioral referrals and failing 60% or more courses. Moreover, among a demographically matched subsample, students receiving CM services were significantly more likely to have two or more behavioral referrals and fail 60% or more courses than students not receiving CM services. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest SSWs provide CM services to students with significant academic and behavioral risks. We discuss the implications of our results concerning SSW practice, education, research, and policy.