Edith Abbott and her Contribution to Social Work Essay

Demographics: Edith Abbott was born in Grand Island Nebraska in 1876 (â€Å"Edith†, n.d.). Her parents were both active in civil rights and the government. Her father, Othman Ali Abbott, served in the Civil War and her mother, Elizabeth Abbott, was a respected high school principle prior to marrying Othman (Coston, 1986). Her father was also the first Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska, and her mother was an abolitionist and a women’s suffrage leader (â€Å"Edith†, n.d.). Edith’s younger sister, Grace, was also involved in public welfare and current social problems of the time (â€Å"Edith†, n.d.). Both Abbott sisters gained their pacifist beliefs, interest in progressive reform, and dedication to equal rights from their mother Elizabeth Abbott (Coston,†¦show more content†¦She was concerned that social work students were being placed in the field without proper supervision and that those agencies weren’t teaching students as well a pro fessor could (Wisner, 1958). She also wanted social work students to have access to other subjects and be able to incorporate research into their studies with the proper facility and training (Coston, 1986). Edith was strongly influenced by Charles Booth, Sidney Webb, and Beatrice Webb (Wisner, 1958). The American Economic Associate and the American Statistical Association also influenced Edith Abbott tremendously (Wisner, 1958). According to Elizabeth Wisner, Abbott was in many ways the architect of our present graduate curriculum. After Edith passed away, many people continued to make her dreams a reality. Flexner and Frankfurter furthered her interest in seeking university affiliation for social work education (Costin, 1983). Edith Abbott’s ideas were better respected after she passed. She influenced many people, not just social workers but educators from many different disciplines. The way that social workers learn today is partially thanks to her. Type of Social Worker: Edith Abbot was a social worker with a generalist perspective. She didn’t focus on one specific discipline of social work; she wanted to change the way social work was taught inShow MoreRelatedDr. Abbott And Social Welfare History1128 Words   |  5 Pagesadvancing the field of social work and one of the early influencers was Edith Abbott. According to the Social Welfare History Project, Abbott was an early social reformer born in 1876 and lived until 1957. Dr. Abbott was known as a â€Å"Social Reformer, Author, Administrator and Educator†. (Sorenson, Abbott, Edith - Social Welfare History Project) This paper will explore the background which brought Dr. Abbott to the forefront of the early social work world by speaking about her ethnicity, family backgroundRead MoreThe Dubious Legacy of Public Housing3184 Words   |  13 Pagesfailures in the history of American public policy. High-rise public housing projects like the Robert Taylor Homes and Cabrini-Green have become synonymous with poverty, violence, out-of-wedlock childbirth, welfare dependency, and a myriad of other social ills in the minds of most Americans. Although most have now been demolished, these towering high-rises became looming monuments to this epic policy failure—gargantuan symbols of the demoralizing and debilitating conditions that were forced upon society’sRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesobtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. M any of the designations by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish