VOLUME XXV-WINTER 2009
We love to mark milestones, and twenty-five years is a big one, a silver anniversary, in fact. Such occasions are times for looking backward, often nostalgically. Reviewing history-of a relationship, an event, a career-allows one to have a deeper connection to and understanding of the past. In education, we often hear colleagues refer to the past in statements like "we have seen this before" and "this will go away." Sometimes these statements are seen as roadblocks to change, but what they really mean is that despite the dynamic nature of education, some aspects of schools remain the same and tend to bring us back to the essentials of teaching and learning.
For example, the theme of the Fall 1985 Journal of Maine Education represented what was then a widely-discussed topic: "Legislating the Master Teacher." Twenty-five years later, this theme is outdated, passé even. And yet, today we might write about "highly qualified teachers" or National Board Certification of teachers. The details are different but the core issue of teacher preparation and development remains the same.
A review of the themes of past editions of the Journal further reveals trends. Five of the themes had the word "change" in the title. "Reform" and "improvement" have also been used liberally. Quite often themes have taken action stances: "Challenging the Norm" (2004); "Altering the Look of Education" (2000); and "Pioneering in Difficult Times" (1993). Many themes addressed educators' concerns: aspirations (1990); assessment practices (1993); and politics in education (2005). The circumstances that caused us to focus on each theme were unique to the times they were identified, but the underlying themes are clear.
For the 2009 Journal, we would like anyone who has a unique perspective on education or schools to explore that perspective. A writer might reflect on where we are twenty-five years after A Nation at Risk and the Effective Schools movement it bore. A writer might describe and analyze the potentials, problems, and consequences of a particular reform. A writer might describe how teaching, schools, students, or communities have changed or analyze the changes in political and societal expectations for educators. The door is open.
We urge anyone with a unique perspective to write a piece for submission. We want to celebrate and explore the past as we move ahead in the complex swirl of schools and schooling. We can do that best by hearing from many corners of the education world, those who chose it as a profession, those who make policy for it, those who send their pride and joy to live it day after day, and those who are our best hope for the future.
Summary of Procedures for Submission
Submit an electronic file containing the article in a Word document for blind review with only the title at the top of the first page. In a separate file indicate author's name, title, institutional affiliation, address, phone number, e-mail address, and a 100-word abstract that clearly represents the focus of the article and ties it to the theme.
Manuscripts should be well written and between 1000 to 2500 words (4-10 pages, typed, double spaced, pages numbered) and formatted to follow the Fifth Edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. E-mail to Karen Kusiak at jme@colby.edu . Deadline for receipt of manuscripts is AUGUST 1, 2008. We will notify authors of the Editorial Board's decision by October 15, 2008. After the article is accepted, we will ask you to submit a final version in a Word program via e-mail. The issue will be published in late winter 2009.