The Dynamic Landscape of Licensing and Credentialing in Social Work
Toward Justice-Oriented Licensure
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18060/29374Keywords:
editorial, licensing, Justice-Oriented Licensure, credentialingAbstract
This special issue brings together critical scholarship and innovative solutions that refuse to accept the false choice between rigor and equity. The assembled articles interrogate current practices from multiple angles, examining clinical supervision as a social justice issue, the psychometric flaws embedded in standardized testing, and the financial and structural barriers that disproportionately impact marginalized candidates. Contributors explore alternative assessment approaches—including performance-based evaluations, portfolio assessment, and provisional licensure models—as well as abolitionist frameworks that call for fundamentally reimagining professional regulation. Empirical studies rigorously examine the relationship (or lack thereof) between exam content and practice readiness, while policy analyses dissect how states are navigating the complex politics of reform.
References
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Copyright (c) 2025 Goutham M. Menon, Maria E. Torres, Joan M. Blakey, Jayashree Nimmagadda

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