Achieving substantive change for our profession – for any system or institution – will require collaborative discussions and decision-making that is driven by data, not by conjecture, opinion, or personal agendas. This holds true regardless of the topic at hand.

ASWB has published a series of workforce study reports authored by Joy Kim, MSW, Ph.D., of the School of Social Work at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. These reports draw on a survey dataset collected by ASWB as part of the Social Work Census.

The goal of the exam report series, based on additional analyses of data on ASWB exam pass rates and those of other professions, is to inform ASWB’s and the social work profession’s approach to addressing the complex individual, institutional, and community factors influencing the testing experience and exam results.

A team of researchers led by Cole Hooley, Ph.D., LCSW, is going to find out. Hooley; Katherine Marcal, Ph.D., MSW; and Gabby Cunningham, Ph.D., MBA, are embarking on a research project funded by ASWB to apply system dynamics to a model of the social work workforce pipeline. They hope their model will help analyze and […]

ASWB is currently accepting proposals for research related to occupational and professional regulation, with an emphasis on social work regulatory best practices.

The Regulatory Research Task Force was appointed in 2022 and charged with developing ongoing charges to create a Regulatory Research Committee. Following the response from the broader social work community to ASWB’s publication of exam demographic data, the task force pivoted to support the organization by beginning development of a research agenda and framework to […]

ASWB is committed to investing in research as a means of contributing to the future of the social work profession. ASWB invites  the social work community to participate in research initiatives and be part of advancing public protection and professional accountability.

The goal of the regulatory research request for proposals that ASWB issued in 2020 was clear: Conduct a literature review of extant social work regulatory research. The reality of whether the goal could be accomplished was not as clear.

ASWB’s regulatory support services staff is ready to help.

Regulatory research highlights