Educational approaches to social work in the United States are compared with programs in South America. The first half of the document discusses a 1981 survey conducted by Argentine Professor Alayon. Questionnaires were sent to 236 schools in 21 Latin American countries. Data are based on 46 responses from 13 countries concerning status of the schools, history of the schools, enrollment statistics, faculty backgrounds, curriculum offerings, types of degrees offered, entrance requirements, graduation requirements, and field work placement. The second half of the document briefly compares undergraduate requirements of the Council on Social Work in the United States with the requirements of the Institute for Social Work in Buenos Aires. Major similarities can be found in American and South American programs, with exceptions lying in field work requirements and emphasis on research. The data indicate an improvement in the status of social work programs in Latin America and a trend toward more uniformity between the United States and Latin America in the training of social workers. (LH)