LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Rather than responding with negativism to the current challenges facing field education, it would be more productive to focus on the positive opportunities for field education in partnership with agency practitioners as we respond together to the rapidly changing face of social work practice. In addition, a recent survey (Zastrow & Bremner, 2004) finds that 72% of the respondents agreed there is an insufficient number of candidates with both a doctoral degree and a professional degree available to fill teaching vacancies in social work education programs. The Glassman and Robbins view that all is fine and that any identification of problems would only serve to provide ammunition to those who would do away with field education contributes to the stifling of voices that could reflect the creative thinking necessary to make all aspects of social work education relevant and their objectives achievable. Moreover, it supports an unproductive and divisive stance between social work practice, education, and research and poorly serves the profession and the populations and social problems we aim to address.