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Healthcare and social services are undergoing changes in the way services are delivered and so, too, education is experiencing many changes. It appeared to be a good time to reflect, evaluate, and advance recreation therapy/therapeutic recreation (RT/TR) professional preparation systems and methods of supporting the formation of competent, caring, and capable therapists to lead the profession in the 21st century. Over the years, the Therapeutic Recreation Journal (TRJ) has addressed numerous issues on education and professional preparation topics such as student enrollment, faculty compensation, administrative support, funding, curriculum, accreditation, certification, licensure, internships, graduation rates, and employment opportunities.
It has been said it is the best of times and the worst of times in higher education (Bok, 2013). The heterogeneity of education in some ways is similar to RT/ TR-some organizations are public, others private; some large, others small; some narrowly focused, others broadly focused; and the list could go on. Using data, Bok (2013) identifies two areas of need of improvement in higher education: 1) increasing the percentage of students who graduate from college, and 2) improving the quality of undergraduate education. Bok (2013) concludes the faculty care about students and need to better understand how to create environments that support their learning. RT/ TR professional organizations, accrediting and credentialing organizations, and preparation programs are exploring what students need to know, reforming curriculum, and assessing these efforts to determine if students are learning...