Marceline M. Lazzari

Feminists in Social Work Where Have All the Leaders Gone

The purpose of this article is to reignite a discourse about feminist principles and their application to leadership in the social work profession that will extend beyond the theoretical to actions that are guided by these principles, leading overtime to concrete change. Mainstream theories of leadership are reviewed, as are developments in feminist approaches to leadership. Specifying principles and suggesting practices in relation to leadership result in an integrated feminist perspective of leadership. The intent is to encourage a dialogue about the challenges of social change in both processes and outcomes across multiple contexts by diverse women and men.

Rural Women and Isolation: Pathways to Reconnection

Interviews with 21 women in a rural Colorado county yielded personal descriptions of isolation and the feelings and strategies that exist in response to isolating events and circumstances. Isolation emerged as three distinct categories of relational disconnection: from specific individuals; from nonspecific others, such as groups or the larger community; or as a combination of both. Factors affecting relational disconnection were choice, control, and duration. Women who had the support of significant others and those who connected with themselves through self-talk or the achievement of goals were often able to move beyond the isolating situation and successfully reconnect.

“We Are More Than Jailbirds”: An Arts Program for Incarcerated Young Women

This article presents the findings of a qualitative study of the effects of an innovative arts project on incarcerated female juvenile offenders. In this project, a professional artist engages and guides the detainees in the creation of individual and collaborative artistic works. The works of art are produced for museum display to enhance the development of the young women’s self-identity and to draw public attention to the incarceration of young women in the juvenile justice system. The findings of this study are corroborated and supported by relational-cultural and self-efficacy theoretical perspectives.

WHAT ABOUT WOMEN? HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE CSWE COUNCIL ON THE ROLE AND STATUS OF WOMEN IN SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION (WOMEN'S COUNCIL)

The Council on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work Education (WC), a volunteer committee of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), has a 37-year history. This article presents an overview of the WC from the late 1960s to September 2006 and acknowledges the needs, status, and contributions of women in social work education. Drawing on primary and secondary data sources, the authors articulate two central themes: (1) organizational development of the WC, and (2) contributions of the WC to social work education and practice. The mission and work of the WC remain relevant today, because there is still a need to monitor and advocate for equity for women in social work education.

Students and Faculty as Co-Teachers: Processes of Self-Efficacy and Educational Empowerment

When students and faculty share teaching roles and responsibilities, an innovative and challenging learning environment emerges. This paper presents findings from a qualitative research study that sought to explicate the meaning of co-teaching from the perspectives of student co-teachers. Thirty-six undergraduate social work students were interviewed. Student co-teachers reported that their social work education, knowledge, values, and skills were positively affected and their relationships with faculty and students enhanced. The data hold relevance for all social work educators who are interested in creating learning opportunities that more closely replicate the world of practice. In so doing, it appears that processes of self-efficacy and educational empowerment become reciprocally engaged and result in personal/professional experiences that expand the boundaries of traditional educational approaches.

Feminist Mentoring and Relational Cultural Theory: A Case Example and Implications

Social work educators who identify as feminists often find themselves feeling isolated in the academy and longing for connection. Connection is emphasized in Relational Cultural Theory (RCT), a theory of human development that emphasizes the perspective that individuals grow in relationship with one another. The authors apply RCT to membership on the Council on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work Education (Women’s Council), within the Council on Social Work Education. This perspective has explanatory value and can be used to help plan for and facilitate beneficial mentoring experiences. Implications for research and for use in other contexts are considered.

Listening to Student Voices: An Essential Element in Social Work Education Assessment

This article reports findings from a qualitative research project that analyzed responses to open-ended questions on 363 exit surveys from four BSW programs. The questions related to student perceptions of department strengths, weaknesses, and field experience. The four participating schools used the same program monitoring model or package. Analysis of the data in its original form points to the importance of listening to student voices as part of educational assessment. Whereas input can be gained from Likert-scale questionnaire items, the nature of information stemming from narrative responses to open-ended questions reveals that students are informed partners in their knowledge of social work education. Their insights also point to areas that social work educators may not routinely consider as affecting the learning experiences of BSW students.

The Relational Model of Identity Development: An Essential Curricular Component for Social Work Education and Practice

This concept article presents a rationale for including the relational model, also referred to as “self-in-relation” theory, as a component in social work education and practice. The work of the Stone Center theorists at Wellesley College is discussed and related to the significance of relationships in social work and, thus, to its “goodness of fit” with numerous aspects of the profession. The relational model is applied as well to a variety of required curricular components mandated by the Council on Social Work Education. A literature review was conducted, and the results indicate that self-in-relation theory is being used by social work authors. Its diverse applications may speak loudly to its relevance for social work.

Challenges, Changes, and Impact of the Council on Social Work Education Women’s Council: An Update

This article highlights the contributions of the Council on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work Education (Women’s Council) as well as the role and status of women in social work education. For this historical analysis update, the authors drew on several primary and secondary data sources. The first major theme was organizational development (e.g., organizational commitment, strategic planning, and sustainability). The second major theme was contributions to social work education (e.g., furthering the knowledge base, influencing accreditation standards, and monitoring equity). These major themes and subthemes remained constant from the previous publication on the history of the WC (Alvarez et al., 2008), underscoring the resilience, commitment and persistence of the WC to keep a sharp focus on infusing feminist perspectives into social work education.