JSWE Call for Abstracts: Special Issue on the Impact of Anti-DEI Movements on Social Work Education

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The Journal of Social Work Education (JSWE) invites abstract submissions for a special issue titled “Social Work Education at a Crossroads: The Impact of Anti-DEI Movements on Social Work Education.” The special issue is scheduled for publication in Summer 2026. Please direct questions about this special issue to jswe@cswe.org.
 

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE: FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2025


Guest Editor Information

Dr. Stephanie Lechuga-Peña (Arizona State University)

Dr. Ashley Daftary (University of Nevada-Reno)

Dr. Michele Hanna (University of Denver)
 

Background

Social work education is at a critical juncture. In a time when the profession’s core values, including service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, and the importance of human relationships are under attack through legislation targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), educators are navigating new and deeply politicized challenges. Across the United States, legislative efforts to limit or ban teaching about race, systemic oppression, gender identity, and other DEI-related topics are creating environments of fear, censorship, and contradiction for faculty and students alike.

Social work education cannot retreat from its ethical and professional commitment to ADEI (anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion). Unlike many other disciplines, social work education is explicitly guided by a professional code of ethics and the Council on Social Work Education's 2022 accreditation standards that mandate the preparation of students to work with diverse populations, challenge structural oppression, and engage in anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice. These mandates are now in direct tension with Executive Orders and state-level policies that seek to suppress ADEI-related content. This special issue will explore how social work educators, programs, and students respond to these tensions, resist erasure, sustain ethical obligations, and reimagine pedagogy in an increasingly hostile landscape.

This special issue seeks to document and analyze the real-time impact of anti-DEI legislation and rhetoric on social work education. It will explore how social work programs grapple with these restrictions, how faculty and students are experiencing and resisting them, and how the field can adapt while staying grounded in its core values.

This special issue is intended for social work educators, deans, program directors, students, field instructors, community partners, and accreditation bodies. It also invites reflection from allied disciplines intersecting with social work to advance social justice education while exploring the following key topics:
 

  • The Impact of Anti-DEI Legislation on Social Work Curriculum
  • Academic Freedom and the Teaching of Social Justice in Social Work
  • Student Experiences in Social Work Programs Amidst Anti-DEI Movements
  • Accreditation Standards and the Future of ADEI in Social Work Education
  • Preparing Social Work Students for Practice in a Politicized Landscape
  • Faculty Advocacy and Resistance in Social Work Education
  • Sustaining Culturally Responsive and Anti-Racist Pedagogy
  • The Emotional and Psychological Toll of Anti-ADEI Efforts on Social Work Educators and Students
  • Social Work Education and the Broader Political Landscape
  • Community Partnerships and Social Work Education in the Anti-DEI Era

 

Special Instructions for Abstract Submissions

  • Abstracts should be no longer than 300 words and submitted by Friday, August 1, 2025. (Note: The abstract of the full article submitted should be no more than 250 words, must be included as part of the manuscript text, and is considered in the page count.)
  • Abstracts should include problem focus, brief conceptualization or description of innovations, and implications for social work education. Abstracts of empirical articles should mention the research aims, methods, results, and conclusions.
  •  Avoid abbreviations, diagrams, citations, and references to the text in the abstract.


The Guest Editors will provide abstract dispositions by Monday, September 1, 2025. 

Authors of selected abstracts will be invited to submit a full manuscript for peer review. Final manuscripts must be submitted by Monday, November 3, 2025, via the ScholarOne portal.
 

Final Manuscript Formats 

Standard JSWE manuscript formats are welcome for the special issue, including empirical and conceptual articles (maximum 25 pages) and Notes (brief reports 10–15 pages) focused on field learning, research, teaching, or practice. Authors must comply with the manuscript preparation guidelines noted by JSWE’s submission guidelines.

 

Key Dates

  • Abstract submissions due by Friday, August 1, 2025
  • Abstract decisions completed by Monday, September 1, 2025
  • Manuscript submissions due by Monday, November 3, 2025
  • Manuscript decisions completed by January 16, 2026 
  • Revisions completed by February 16, 2026
  • Final decisions completed by March 16, 2026
  • Publication date: Summer 2026    


 

NOTE: Abstracts that are not submitted using Submittable and articles submitted in ScholarOne that were not pre-selected by the Guest Editors will not be considered for the special issue. Manuscript submissions for regular issues can be submitted at any time through ScholarOne at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jswe.

 

Please direct questions about this special issue to jswe@cswe.org.
 

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