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ABSTRACT
This article describes an innovative project that combined service learning and community-based partnerships to teach macro practice skills to social work students and citizenship skills to primary school students. The partners, a small social work program, several primary schools, and an internationally recognized civic engagement program, coordinated the project from 2003 to 2007. A formative evaluation of the project indicated that both primary school and social work students benefited from the experience. In particular, the project helped social work students develop a wide range of macro practice skills which, according to research, many graduates fail to acquire. In fact, students used knowledge and skills from all ten competency areas listed in the Council on Social Work Education's (2008) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. The authors conclude that social work programs need to provide students with macro-focused, community-based, supplemental experiences, similar to this project, if programs hope to meet CSWE accreditation standards.
Keywords: Service-learning; macro practice skills; citizenship skills; empowerment; formative evaluation
INTRODUCTION
The Council on Social Work Education's 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards require generalist social work programs to design competency-based curricula that ensure student mastery of core competencies across all practice levels (individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities) (CSWE, 2008). However, research suggests that social work programs may encounter problems demonstrating student mastery of macro practice skills. Available research indicates that social work students resist learning macro practice skills (Koerin, Reeves, & Rosenblum, 2000) and most field practicum sites offer students few macro practice opportunities (Butler and Coleman, 2000; Koerin et al, 2000; Miller, Tice, & Harnek Hall, 2008; Weiss, Gal, & Cnaan, 2004). As a result, many social work graduates feel ill-prepared to work with larger systems (Miller et al., 2008). However, when students are given "hands-on" experiences that require them to develop and use macro skills and knowledge, students not only demonstrate macro practice skills, they develop an appreciation for macro practice and develop a sense of personal empowerment.1 Moreover, limited research suggests these types of experiential approaches may bolster students' use of macro practice skills after graduation (Anderson & Harris, 2005; Butler & Coleman, 1997; Rocha, 2000).
This article describes an innovative project that combined service-learning and community-based partnerships to teach community-organizing skills to social work students...