ABSTRACT
Physically, United Alternative Academy is set separate from the city's general secondary school building, but students attending United are integrated in all other aspects of the high school's programs. In order to effectively understand an individual's particular dilemma and consequently facilitate change, the social worker must be able to grasp how all of the complex components interact with and impact the individual. As an organizing framework for social work practice, systems theory draws from various disciplines, including the physical sciences, but it is most noted for its application in the social sciences. The orientation, practiced by social workers in virtually all settings, is rooted in the more complex sociological theory called "systems theory". The principal admitted that the lack of any coherent social work structure within the school was impairing the overall ability to deliver effective educational services.
