FIRST ON FOX: A prominent education watchdog is sounding the alarm with a report it says shows that the accreditation process for bachelor's and master's social work programs at top U.S. universities is rife with DEI, critical race theory and other far-left agenda items.
The report, published by Defending Education on Monday, focuses on the Council on Social Work (CSWE), the national body tasked with accrediting degree programs, and concludes that it "requires" DEI as a key tenet of the curriculum used to shape the minds of aspiring social workers in hundreds of programs nationwide.
The study found that eight of the nine competencies in CSWE's 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards include the phrases "anti-racism" and "anti-oppression" while discussing the ideas of "privilege" and "social justice."
DEI within program competencies can be found at over 500 of the 897 accredited social work programs.
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Competency 3, "Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice," calls on social workers to "understand how racism and oppression shape human experiences" and "understand the pervasive impact of White supremacy and privilege and use their knowledge, awareness, and skills to engage in anti-racist practice."
The report cites several examples of potential bias, including the Masters of Social Work program at the University of Alaska-Anchorage that asks applicants to submit a writing sample showing their "understanding of concepts fundamental to the social work profession, such as anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion and to advancing human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice."
Several other examples of prospective students essentially being required to prove their adherence to a race-based ideology.
Masters program applicants at West Virginia University are required to write two paragraphs explaining how they will defend the principles of DEI in their work, while applicants at the University of Maine must describe their "commitments to anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion and plans to advance them."
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At the same time, CSWE has been raking in a sizable amount of money, according to the report, to the tune of just over $40 million in membership and accreditation fees from universities between 2016-2023.
Additionally, the study found that the Biden administration's Department of Education approved over $90 million in grants to over 20 university social work programs that were centered on anti-racism and diversity measures.
"This report underscores how far our schools of social work have drifted from their core mission," Reagan Dugan, project manager for Higher Education at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital.
"At a time when K-12 students are facing a growing mental health crisis, these programs should be equipping future social workers with the tools to support students and educators," Dugan said. "Instead, too many are prioritizing divisive ideological coursework. Some programs, such as Boston University's offer classes on 'racial capitalism, white supremacy, and structural and institutional racism,' coursework that does nothing to prepare students for the real needs in our schools. We urge these programs to refocus on training excellent social workers dedicated to helping students rather than turning them into ideological activists."
Fox News Digital reached out to CSWE for comment.
