Blue Smoke and Mirrors: The Continuum in Social Work Education

Is Foundation Content an Archaic Educational Construct? No!

“…This focus framed the revisions of future Curriculum Policy Statements and the way we rely on and continue to expand the foundation content as an educational construct. Through the years, our colleagues who drafted CPS's were influenced by previous revisions, curriculum theorists (Aptekar, 1968;Dea, 1971;Tyler, 1949) and recommendations about foundation content in the curriculum for BSW and MSW education (Anderson, 1985;Dinerman, 1982;Kolevzon, 1984;Raymond & Atherton, 1991). The rationale for these recommendations may be found in historical accounts presented by Sheafor and Shank (1986) and Lowe (1987).…”

Advanced Standing Revisited: Current Status, Structure, and Issues

“…In essence, Kolevzon (1977) noted that "half of what [graduate schools] teach is undergraduate-level material" (p. 85). Raymond and Atherton (1991) have noted that this undergraduategraduate arrangement in social work is unique:…”

Perceived Preparedness and Knowledge of Substance Abuse Among Recent MSW Graduates: Advanced Standing Revisited

“…The continuum has been challenged because BSW students are learning different skills, those of case management, from MSW students, who are gaining specialized knowledge and skills for advanced practice (Raymond & Atherton, 1991). As a result, BSW education has had a difficult dual mandate: to teach a specific set of case management skills for students who will not go on to graduate school, and to provide a strong theoretical background for those who will go on to earn their MSW (Aguilar, Brown, Cowan, & Cingolani, 1997).…”

“…The model asserts that the foundation knowledge gained in the first year of an MSW program is equivalent to the foundation knowledge gained at the BSW level and, by implication, that the two sets of students have equivalent education, knowledge, skills, and preparation for practice. However, this concept of the BSW-MSW continuum has been frequently called into question (Knight, 1993;Raymond & Atherton, 1991).…”