Introduction.

The article discusses the inaugural conference of the Emmet and Martha Doerr Center for Social Justice Education and Research held at the Saint Louis University in Missouri in April 1998. The symposium, titled Raising Children Out of Poverty, reflects the center's commitment to enlightening the discourse surrounding complex social issues. The papers presented at the conference reverberate the desire to promote socially responsible policy and practice methods, in conjunction with research and community empowerment models emphasizing the values of social work.