Social Work Curriculum
There are more than 660 accredited social work programs in the United States and its territories. These programs use the CSWE Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards to design social work curriculum at the baccalaureate and master's levels. Beyond these standards, however, there is great diversity among programs in the content, concentrations, and resources used in coursework. More information about social work curriculum can be found through CSWE research and initiatives described below.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression
In 2009, CSWE and Lambda Legal jointly released the results of a study on sexual orientation and gender expression in social work programs aimed to determine the level of preparation for students to serve lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals and LGBT youth in out-of-home care. This nationwide survey revealed that program directors and faculty need more resources to increase their knowledge on sexual orientation and gender expression and to further infuse content on LGBT individuals and youth throughout curricula areas.
Leadership in Social Work Curriculum
- Leadership Content in Self-Study Documents - In 2007, Kristin Day examined leadership content in self-study documents of participating social work programs. Her study built on the work done in the area of leadership by former Senior Scholars Bradford Sheafor (PDF) and Marceline Lazzari (see below).
- Leadership Content in Social Work Syllabi - Marceline Lazzari focused her Senior Scholar study on the style of leadership being taught to students in social work programs. In 2007, she analyzed the leadership content in the syllabi of 35 social work programs. Specifically, she examined course type, purpose, program level, theoretical models, assignments, and inclusion of diversity. (PDF)
Accreditation-Related Outcome Assessment
Gary Holden studied accreditation-related outcome assessment during his term as a CSWE Senior Scholar (2006–2007). Dr. Holden specifically tested a new outcome assessment instrument, the Evaluation Self-Efficacy Scale, and also examined the outcome assessment approaches currently being used by schools of social work for accreditation purposes.
Field Instruction in Accreditation Standards
In 2004, Miriam S. Raskin researched the CSWE archives to examine accreditation standards on field instruction, how the standards developed, and whether the development and evolution of the standards was evidence-based.