Community Organization in Social Work in the 1980s: Fact or Fiction?

Abstract The community organization component of social work education has had a varying history—sometimes viewed as a vigorous and integral part of social work training, and sometimes treated as only marginal. Recently the trend has been toward a relatively minimal presence. In the face of this, the School of Social Administration at Temple University has revitalized and expanded its community organization sequence. This paper describes that process and develops the analysis and perspective on which it is based. The specific programmatic development is located within a broader assessment of the nature and role of community organization in social work in the 1980s.