November 2003 — Editorial
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Focusing on the Future
As publisher Wendy La Duke said in her editorial last month, the late Dr. Sylvia Charp, who passed away in August after almost 30 years as editor-in-chief of T.H.E. Journal, was an icon who touched the lives of thousands. We miss her now and we will continue to miss her. She cannot be replaced; no one can fill her sh'es. But, someone has to serve in the role of editor-in-chief for a magazine that serves hundreds of thousands of educators. It is a daunting task in this time of change in education, in our economy and in our company. I have been asked to do this, and, as one who enjoys a challenge (I did teach eighth-grade for a time), let's begin.
An Educator
It is only fair that you know who will be overseeing the content of T.H.E. Journal. Two aspects of my life will shape my efforts: I am an educator and I am a futurist. I taught English, futures studies and gifted education at the secondary level for 10 years. I taught at the university level and served as a technology coordinator for a K-12 school district. I also worked at the State Department of Education in Texas for more than 11 years. When I left the state, I was assistant commissioner with responsibility for curriculum, assessment, textbooks, technology and professional development. During my time with Texas, I helped to usher a long-range plan for technology through the State Board of Education and Legislature, administered more than a $100 million technology allotment, shepherded the first statewide adoption of electronic textbooks, and oversaw the largest statewide student and education information system in the country.
As a recovering bureaucrat, I think I understand not only state-level concerns, but also what g'es through legislators' heads when they make some of their decisions. My stint as technology coordinator has helped me know what keeps administrators of all kinds up at night, while my career as a classroom educator anchors my understanding of what it takes to work with children. Finally, my experience at the university level, both as a full-time professor and as a part-time faculty member, underscores the importance of the connection between higher education and K-12 education.
Since June of 1996, I have been executive director of T.H.E. Institute where we provide professional development and consulting to educators and companies serving education. This work has put me in the classroom as part of research projects, has kept me connected with teachers through professional development, and has given me additional insight into what companies that serve education are concerned about. It also has given me the opportunity to write articles for the magazine, mostly focused on policy, as well as have input on future directions of the magazine and T.H.E. Journal's Web site.
A Futurist
I am trained as a futurist, as my doctoral work was in futures studies and education. Futures is a way of looking at the world as well as an approach to data gathering and analysis of information. Futures is predicated on a few key tenets:
