Social workers in Maine say the state's required licensing exam is biased and contributing to a shortage of workers in the field.

Data show disparities in pass rates for people of color, nonnative English speakers and older adults.

Jeanette Andonian, associate dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Southern Maine, said failure to pass the exam can delay graduate students' entry into the workforce for years.

"I have known social-work students from our program, outstanding students, like top of their class students, who fail the test multiple times," Andonian observed.

Meanwhile, Andonian pointed out there are not enough social workers to help Maine's growing unhoused population, those struggling with drug addiction or older Mainers in need of social services. She noted graduate students must already demonstrate professional competence before earning their degree.

Maine lawmakers recently amended legislation, which would have placed a moratorium on the licensing exam, choosing instead to create a commission to study the licensing requirements. Andonian expressed disappointment with the lawmakers' decision. She explained other states, which have eliminated the exam have seen significant increases in the number of social workers entering the field.

"Taking a multiple-choice exam with biased questions does nothing to demonstrate practice competency," Andonian asserted. "It only tells us that a person was able to pass a multiple-choice test. A ridiculous hurdle."

Some of those in favor of retaining the exam requirement said schools are failing to help students better prepare for and pass exams. But Andonian said she sometimes has struggled to answer test questions herself. She said Maine needs a diverse profession of social workers in order to serve a diverse population, and people, she said, need help now.


get more stories like this via email

North Texas leaders are celebrating today's opening of the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington.

The museum is dedicated to highlighting the stories of the nearly 3,500 service members who have been awarded the nation's highest honor. The opening coincides with National Medal of Honor Day.

Chris Cassidy, CEO of the museum, said the facility is unlike any other military or war museum.

"We've paid a lot of attention to telling a broad swath of stories - from the Civil War to present day - of all branches of service, of all hometowns and states and ethnicity," Cassidy outlined. "Just kind of covering a broad section of America, because the Medal of Honor recipients really do represent America."

At the museum 75 Medal of Honor recipients from Texas are recognized. The $290 million structure has classrooms and spaces for meetings, memorials and ceremonies.

Tuesday is the 162nd anniversary of the day the first Medal of Honor was awarded. Only 61 recipients are still living. Cassidy pointed out the museum will be a place where the public can interact with the heroes.

"In the ensuring weeks and months, we have several programs that we'll put on in the museum, where folks can come and listen to their stories live and ask the Medal of Honor recipients questions in person." Cassidy explained.

Cassidy added the museum is already giving back to the community by working with kids in its Leadership Institute.

"We're actively right now delivering programs on character excellence to youth - particularly seventh and eighth graders," Cassidy emphasized. "It's not just a museum. (The) museum is going to be amazing but we want to be able to transmit those stories around the country, and that's where our Leadership Institute comes in."

The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In 2020, the Cameron Peak Fire burned more than 200,000 acres, destroyed 469 structures and forced the evacuation of more than 6,000 residents in Colorado.

Since then, researchers have documented how the scars of wildfires influence adaptation, build resilience and offer insight into how communities can better prepare for and recover from natural disasters.

Pilar Morales-Giner, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Granada in Spain, said as wildfires scorch forests or communities, they also affect our connection to the places.

"In addition to this tragedy of losing a home, when a fire burns an emblematic community building, for example, or a trail or a forest that we usually go to, this also affects what connects people to places," Morales-Giner explained.

Colorado State University researchers interviewed 34 Larimer County residents, local leaders and environmental organizations to learn how the largest wildfire in Colorado history affected them. The results, "Ash Everywhere: Place Attachment and Meanings in the Aftermath of Wildfires," were recently published in Sage Journal.

Anne Mook, senior team scientist for the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences at Colorado State University, said wildfires are incredibly disruptive for people's lives and stressful to people's mental health. But she added people are also drawn closer together after natural disasters to rebuild homes, schools and churches, which strengthens social bonds and resilience.

"There's also this message of hope that these kinds of events can be a catalyst for growth and unity and building new and stronger connections with our environment," Mook observed.

Researchers also found communities affected by wildfire are more open to different mitigation strategies, including prescribed burns, which improve soil health and help trees grow faster.

"These things that initially were very much met with resistance now are much more embraced and people are learning," Mook noted. "These are practices that have been used for a very long time, for example, in the U.S. South, but also by the Native Americans."

This story is based on original reporting by Stacy Nick for The Audit.

A new State of the Commonwealth report by Old Dominion University finds Virginia had a strong year in 2024. But researchers say challenges remain.

The report finds housing will be a major issue in the state, as local governments work to address housing shortages and zoning laws.

Virginia had its fourth straight year of economic growth in 2024, ranking as the number one state to do business.

Bob McNab, professor of economics at Old Dominion University, said the overall outlook for Virginia in 2025 is positive. But he said a number of factors may impact that forecast.

"We saw inflation decelerate, real wages - that's wages after inflation - rise, jobs continue to increase," said McNab. "As Virginia enters 2025, it is in a good position to continue growth."

McNab did warn that international trade, immigration, and the status of the federal workforce could impact Virginia's economy.

Despite data that points to a strong economy, consumers aren't quick to agree.

The report finds consumers still feel less optimistic about the state of the economy than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Higher prices on goods and services because of inflation have driven that sentiment. McNab said people interact with prices daily - and their paycheck may be once or twice a month.

That, he said, leads to the data not coinciding with consumer feelings on the economy.

"And since 2019, real hourly earnings have increased after accounting for inflation," said McNab. "People's wages have outgained inflation. But they don't feel like that has occurred because they see prices much more frequently."

The report also finds Virginia's unemployment rate is nearing record lows.




get more stories like this via email