School Social Work Week – March 7, 2027

Expected School Social Work Week Deals

For School Social Work Week, appreciation often takes the form of professional development opportunities and resource access rather than commercial deals. Organizations like the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA) often highlight webinars, conferences, and discounted memberships during this time. Educational publishers such as Scholastic and resource platforms like Teachers Pay Teachers may offer special pricing on materials beneficial for social workers. Additionally, mental wellness apps such as Calm and BetterHelp sometimes provide discounts or free trials to educators and support staff. We will update this page with confirmed live programs as March approaches.

History of School Social Work Week

School social work is a specialized subdivision of the social work field, and its history is not complete without exploring how social work became a profession in the U.S. Social work is itself rooted in charity, which sprung up from the actions of various religious organizations. The earliest factual and organized works of charity can be traced to the fourth century when the Roman Emperor, Constantine I, endorsed Christianity. 

With the backing of the Roman Empire, the church established burial societies, poorhouses, homes for the aged, orphanages, hospitals, and shelters across the ancient Rome cities. These continued until the 17th century, with the Christian church stepping in to provide relief and large-scale charitable activities, as the European governments of that time had no capacity for such endeavors.

The Industrial Revolution moved charitable activities from the responsibility of the church and family to that of the state, leading to the creation of social welfare services and professional social workers. However, since poverty was the focused social problem, early social work was still linked to charity work. The early 20th century expanded the social work framework, taking a more professional and scientific approach. 

Around this period, from 1907 to 1908, school social work began in the United States. It began with visiting teachers and getting involved in improving student attendance and building close-knitted relationships between home and school. The ‘visiting teacher movement’ grew in the 1920s when supporters saw the need to address increasing juvenile delinquency and social maladjustment. 

The growing number of visiting teachers led to the establishment of the National Association of Visiting Teachers, later changed to the American Association of School Social Workers in 1945, and then the National Association of Social Workers in 1955. In 1994, the government included school social workers in the American Education Act. In July of that year, the School Social Work Association of America was founded by 64 school social workers across the U.S.