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Edith Abbott and her Contribution to Social Work Essay

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Demographics: Edith Abbott was born in Grand Island Nebraska in 1876 (“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 (“Edith”, n.d.). Edith’s younger sister, Grace, was also involved in public welfare and current social problems of the time (“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 professor 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 in

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