Research & Discovery

September 2, 2025 | Kelley Citroni

CCERC Grant Supports SSW Study on Standards for School Social Workers

Co-Principal Investigators and School of Social Work faculty Gio Iacono and Caitlin Elsaesser will examine school social worker roles, stress, equity and what supports are needed to manage social worker mental health and prevent professional burnout

Practice Standards for School Social Workers.

School of Social Work faculty Gio Iacono and Caitlin Elsaesser will use surveys and interviews in six diverse Connecticut school districts to deepen the understanding of how school social workers apply the Practice Standards for School Social Workers.

In the Spring of 2025, the UConn School of Social Work received a $200K Center for Connecticut Education Research Collaboration (CCERC) Social Work Practice in School Study award, designed to solicit researchers with diverse backgrounds and skillsets in order to create teams who investigate key questions relating to the education of Connecticut students. The study will examine the application of the Practice Standards for School Social Workers, established by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and aims to deepen the understanding of how school social workers apply professional standards, navigate challenges, and have an impact on their communities.

Originally established by the Connecticut State Department of Education (SDE) and the Connecticut State Board of Education (CSBE) in response to the research and evaluative needs stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCERC is a collaborative of researchers from universities across Connecticut who support the SDE by conducting evaluation studies on areas of import.

Gio Iacono, assistant professor in the School of Social Work
Gio Iacono
Caitlin Elsaesser
Caitlin Elsaesser

Through their winning proposal “Standards in Practice: Examining the Impact of Social Work Guidelines on School Social Worker Roles, Stress, and Equity,” UConn SSW Co-Principal Investigators Gio Iacono, assistant professor, and Caitlin Elsaesser, associate professor, are challenged with examining the application of the first six Standards for School Social Workers: foundations of social work practice; education and learning systems and organizations; collaboration; assessment; intervention; and professional development.

In consideration of school social workers’ high student needs, limited resources, and organizational challenges, Iacono’s and Elsaesser’s study explores how social workers interpret and implement the Standards, examines stress and burnout, and identifies factors influencing equity and inclusion. Using surveys and interviews in six diverse Connecticut school districts, the study engages an advisory board to maximize research impact.

Questions considered during their study touch upon social workers and their perceived impact on students, and how they see their role as social workers in fostering systematic change in areas of equity and inclusion. Those surveyed will be asked about their own impact on school policies that address student mental health and how to implement measures of progressive improvement.

Inversely, the wellbeing of the school social worker will be explored, as well, including mental health practice and acts of mindfulness and the perceptions of those acts on fostering wellness. Finally, the study will determine the strategies school social workers use, and what additional resources or supports are needed to better manage social worker mental health and professional burnout.

Social workers are vital in supporting students’ academic, social, and emotional well-being. Findings from this study will inform policy and practice, identify key stressors, coping strategies, and organizational supports needed to enhance school social worker well-being, advance equity in education, and practice with students, families, and community.