Fall 2025 Editorial

Advancing Social Work Education and Practice in a Complex World

Abstract

We take this opportunity to thank the 160 reviewers from 105 universities and institutions, 7 countries, 42 states and territories, who completed 227 reviews of 106 submissions in 2025 and along with the authors, editors, and board, make Advances in Social Work possible.
This issue contains 18 articles by 48 authors, representing both national and international perspectives. While many contributions are empirical, employing qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods, there are also pieces with scoping or systematic literature review designs, and conceptual and theoretical papers that critically examine social work education, pedagogy, and the profession’s guiding frameworks. Collectively, the articles address how social work prepares students and practitioners for contemporary challenges through innovative teaching strategies, anti-racist and decolonial approaches, and strengthened research literacy. Taken together, these contributions reflect a field actively grappling with how to align education, practice, and scholarship with social work’s ethical commitments to equity, justice, and accountability.