Abstract
This study explores the trends in the research themes in Children & Schools from 2003 to 2012 in USA. The journal has published 202 papers over a 10-year period. The method of analysis involves extracting key words related to the research themes, approaches, and subjects. The findings indicate that the most common research themes were academic performance, the role of school social workers, school violence, the education system, school discipline, and school atmosphere. The findings also indicate that the most common research approach was the collaboration approach. Many papers focused their research on aggressive and violent students. These research trends indicate that school social workers were required not only to provide individual counseling for students with emotional and behavioral problems, but also to use the collaboration approach to change the school's disciplineary policies and violent atmosphere. Additionally, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 affects the role of school social workers. The findings of the present study have implications for research in developing social work in Japanese schools.
