By Andrew L. Ross, PhD, LCSW-C

Transformation Education, an organizational philosophy and operating system, is designed to increase service quality and effectiveness of group care through aligning its organizational structure with its purpose. This alignment is achieved through creating a culture designed to dispense transformation rather than treatment. The author presents how the roles of the CEO, executive management, program administration, supervisory, professional and direct care staff can align to achieve this end. He also presents how Transformation Education creates a flexible organization capable of adopting best practices and increasing program staff’s abilities to think, and respond in context, to the challenges presented by behavior disordered youth.

By Frank J. Kros, MSW, JD
Mental Health SectionConnection: A Newsletter of the NASW Specialty Practice Sections

Exciting discoveries from neuroscience hold great potential for improving social work services. Many fields have already embraced brain research and integrated into professional practice. Social work, however, appears reluctant to use and influence neuroscience research. Perhaps social work could borrow other fields' strategies and encourage the development of “translators” to interpret brain research and guide researchers to more in-depth study.

Baltimore—In an effort to broaden its service potential and reach more child-serving adults, The Institute for Transformation Education — the organization promoting the organizational philosophy Transformation Education (TranZed)— has been renamed The Upside Down Organization (UDO). UDO provides cutting-edge, TranZed-based learning experiences and “upside down” strategies to all adults who educate, parent, guide and care for young people.

By Andrew L. Ross, Ph.D., LCSW-C

Abstract: Transformation Education, an organizational philosophy and operating system, is designed to increase service quality and effectiveness of group care through aligning its organizational structure with its purpose. This is achieved through creating a culture designed to dispense transformation rather than treatment.  The author presents how the roles of the CEO, executive management, program administration, supervisory, professional and direct care staff can be aligned to achieve this end. He also presents how Transformation Education creates a flexible organization capable of adopting best practices and increasing program staff’s abilities to think, and respond in context, to the challenges presented by behavior disordered youth.

Getting rid of the swarm of media outlets is only the first step toward getting Virginia Tech students back to class this week. The stress of surviving the April 16 shooting rampage will give students enough distractions, mental health experts say. “The students will have difficulty with learning when they get back into the classrooms,” Frank Kros, president of Transformation Education, an organization that focuses on the teenage brain. “Students may feel like it’s really hard to get back into the swing of school, and that’s to be expected.” “Stress is a physiological reaction to trauma.”

Zoe Zier doesn't want to grow up. She's fine just the way she is -- as a teenager. "I think your heart dies when you're an adult," said the 15-year-old freshman at Indian Creek Upper School in Crownsville. "Adults look bored all the time. My theory about old people is that they're rotting from the inside out."...Zoe and her classmates are pretty convinced of something else, too: It's often difficult for teens and adults to understand one another...Called "Secrets of the Teenage Brain," the lecture by Frank Kros, executive vice president of The Children's Guild, is intended for parents, teachers and teens...The Tuesday evening presentation by Mr. Kros will cover the biological basis for teen behavior and strategies for coping with the many ups and downs of adolescence. Issues like hormones, emotions and peer relations also will be discussed in the free 90-minute talk.

The Marchmans are just two of the local parents who very recently learned new ways of dealing with their AD or ADHD children by attending workshops offered by Frank Kros, a social and child care worker and executive vice president of The Children's Guild of Baltimore. The nonprofit Children's Guild offers special education services to children, parents, educators and social workers. A couple of years ago, Kros decided to offer workshops based on the latest neurological findings about the disorder for parents, teachers and others who deal with ADHD kids. "In the last 10 years, we've really revolutionized neuroscience," Kros said, noting increased use of such relatively new brain-testing procedures as PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans and functional MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging). "They've revolutionized our understanding of how the brain really works and why certain disorders occur." 

Baltimore – With the election quickly approaching, discussions about the controversial topics our country faces are common, but how is the content of current events shaping our children’s views of the world and the country they call home? ....The Children’s Guild, a Baltimore-based organization assisting behaviorally disordered youth created a book in commemoration of its 50th Anniversary to promote literacy and encourage skills that will positively impact our children’s future. The book “If I Were President” was written by children of all ages from across the United States and conveys children’s thoughts on their future. It features illustrations and quotes about their feelings on issues that effect the U.S. and what they would change if they were president. The book represents views from the wide spectrum of children living in the U.S., from the most disadvantaged, poor and in some cases homeless, to the most privileged. “If I Were President” was published by The Children’s Guild to celebrate the joy and hope they have brought to so many children over the 50 years they have been in service.