2024 national conference
Call for proposal information
Thank You!!!
Thank you for considering being a presenter for the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA)! We are driven to provide high-quality professional development for School Social Workers. If you are chosen as a presenter for our national conference, you are eligible to receive a reduced fee to attend the conference. In addition, presenting at a national conference or presenting through one of our webinars is an excellent opportunity to strengthen your leadership capacity, enhance your presentation skills, and build your professional resume.
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Please read the details below before submission of your conference workshop proposal.
01
Commitment from ALL Presenters
School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA) is committed to Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility; we hold all presenters to the same standards.
Content, images, and examples should be racially- and culturally- sensitive.
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Attend FulL Conference
If you are selected to present at our national conference, you (and up to 2 co-presenters) will be required to register to attend the full conference (Conference fee -$100 presenter discount) by November 15, 2023. Please make attending the conference a priority.
Check the Conference Dates: March 12-15, 2024
**If you are unable to be at the full conference or unwilling to attend, please do not submit a proposal. We welcome you to consider other avenues for sharing your knowledge and expertise, such as a webinar with SSWAA! Please reach out to PDlearning@sswaa.org to explore other options.***
02
Expectations of Presenters
SSWAA’s expectation for all presenters is to AVOID political references, stereotypes, and overgeneralizations.
All presentations must contain current research (at least 50% of references must be within the past 5 years as of the date for presentation).
04
Cancellation
If you cancel unexpectedly without reasonable cause or we are unable to get in contact with you, you will not be considered for future conferences.
Cancellation of your presentation will result in a refund minus 25% admin fee.
Session classifications and categories are used by the conference committee to plan a well-balanced program. Additionally, attendees will use session classifications and categories to determine which sessions to attend. During the submission process, presenters will be asked to select the classification and category that aligns most closely with the workshop content. All sessions will be 90-minute or 2-hour sessions.
The Proposal Submission Portal will open on May 15, 2023!!
**Proposals must be submitted by July 15, 2023 (No Extensions)
Please Review our Presenter Toolkit for Proposal FAQ and Tips. Please Reach out to Dr. JR Bullard-Batiste with any questions at PDlearning@sswaa.org
I. Session Classifications:
Education Session – Education Sessions allow presenters to share their practice knowledge, work experiences, and practice implications in a traditional lecture or panel format. While this presentation classification is a more traditional format, speakers are encouraged to be intentional regarding participant engagement, interactions, and audience discussions
Session Features:
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90 minutes total - typically broken into: 5 minutes for introductions > 60 minutes of theoretical background and practice implications > 15 minutes for application and interactive learning > 10 minutes for Q&A
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1-3 presenters
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Accompanied by a slide presentation and handouts
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CEs are awarded for Education Sessions
Expanded Session – Expanded Sessions are in-depth sessions that provide for a deep understanding of session materials and enable participants to walk away with tools and techniques that can be applied to his/her practice.
Session Features:
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120 minutes total - typically broken into: 5 minutes for introductions > 60 minutes of theoretical background and practice implications > 45 minutes for application and interactive learning > 10 minutes for Q&A
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1-3 presenters
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The session is a balance of education on a topic and interactive learning
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Accompanied by a slide presentation and handouts
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CEs are awarded for Expanded Sessions
Exploration Session – Exploration Sessions expand the learning experience to a highly engaging format. Presenters share practice knowledge followed by hands-on learning and skill-based practice. Attendees are given opportunities to learn the skill and apply the knowledge via activity-based practice opportunities, group interaction, and engaging case scenarios.
Session Features:
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90 minutes total - typically broken into: 5 minutes for introductions > no more than 30 minutes of theoretical background and practice implications > 45 minutes for application and interactive learning >10 minutes for Q&A
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1-3 presenters
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Session activity is highly engaging, interactive, and focused on activity-based learning
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May be accompanied by a slide presentation and any handouts or worksheets necessary for an effective session
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CEUs are awarded for Exploration Sessions
Poster Session – Poster Sessions allow presenters to share a visual presentation of the presenter’s research and data. The author will illustrate his/her findings with pictures, graphics, and charts accompanied by limited text. A good poster session offers useful information and provides for rich and meaningful discussion. ***Poster sessions are presented during a specified block of time (typically 1-1.5 hours).
Session Features:
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Informal presentation with meaningful questions and discussion with attendees circulating throughout the exhibit hall
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1-3 presenters
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CEs are NOT available for Poster Sessions
***Date of Poster Presentations: TBA
II. Session Categories:
Research to Practice
These sessions highlight School Social Work Research including innovative approaches to ways researchers and practitioners work together to evaluate practice and programs providing tangible practice implications for School Social Workers.
Macro Practice – These sessions highlight macro level practice such as advocacy, campus or district system work, PBIS and MTSS, campus policies, rural SSW practice issues, urban SSW practice issues, etc.
Specific Populations
These sessions highlight work with specific populations, i.e. homeless, early childhood, LGTBQ, gender identity and expression, Special Education, ADHD, Autism, children in foster care, etc.
General Practice Topics
These sessions highlight evidence-based practice work with individuals, groups, families, parental involvement, violence prevention, substance abuse prevention, crisis response, mental health issues, bullying prevention, etc.
Poster Presentation
Visual presentations of research or data along with interactive discussion.
Equity Dilemma / Cultural Competence
These sessions highlight the ways in which we can center our school social work practice within social justice, racial justice, and decolonial frameworks. Sessions focus on strategies for disrupting racialized achievement gaps and creating welcoming and equitable school environments. This is a call out for the school social work profession to take a critical lens toward systems that perpetuate systemic oppression within schools. Cultural Competence sessions highlight understanding of one’s own thoughts, beliefs, values, and behaviors, understanding a client’s cultural identity or experience, and how the practice is impacted by these factors.
Clinical Topics
These sessions focus on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness, emotional, and other behavioral disturbances. Topics can include individual, group, and family therapy as common treatment modalities.
Leadership Focus
These sessions highlight topics of interest pertaining to supervisory roles or leadership roles within a district or state. Additionally, these sessions may provide guidance and insights for those attendees who are interested in moving into district or state leadership positions.
III. Conference Proposals FAQ
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SELECTION CRITERIA:
The following criteria will be used when session proposals are peer-reviewed:
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Do the title and description clearly articulate the session content?
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Is the topic timely and/or pertinent to the field?
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Are the session goals and objectives clear and appropriate?
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Will this session positively contribute to the conference program and the profession?
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Is the session intended to be interactive and engaging?
02
ACCEPTANCE:
If your proposal is accepted, you will be asked to:
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Register for the full conference and pay the published fee minus a $100 presenter discount (available for up to 3 presenters--main presenter and two co-presenters, per session).
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Prepare, edit, and accurately reference all materials for your session. Bibliography Citations must be current, including at least half of the references in the past five years.
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Upload all session materials (PowerPoint, handouts, etc.) to the conference App by the deadline of January 31, 2024.
03
GENERAL TIMELINE**:
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Proposal Submission Portal opens May 15, 2023.
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Proposals must be submitted by July 15, 2023.
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No Extensions will be provided for submissions.
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Notification of acceptance August 15, 2023.
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Deadline for presenters to accept an invitation to present September 1, 2023.
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Registration opens October 1, 2023.
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Deadline for presenters to register is November 15, 2023.
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Final presentation upload deadline is January 31, 2024.
Presenters may wish to print off this timeline for future reference and to ensure meeting conference timelines.
**General Timeline is in place to provide planning ability for speakers. Please note SSWAA will make every attempt to honor this timeline; however, if any unforeseen changes to timeline are needed, we will continue to update this schedule.
04
AV & MEDIA:
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The following standard audiovisual equipment will be provided in each room: an LCD projector equipped with an HDMI cable, wireless internet connection, and a screen. Microphones will be provided in larger meeting rooms as need is determined by SSWAA.
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Presenters are expected to provide their own laptops and any special adaptors that are needed. All other AV equipment must be provided by the presenter or through arrangements with the hotel at your expense, including speakers needed to broadcast sound from videos/presentations.
ACE Approval Statement:
School Social Work Association of America SSWAA, #1789, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. School Social Work Association of America SSWAA maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 07/27/2022 – 07/27/2023.
