A New Magazine
Scholastic Inc., the New York City-based educational publisher, has launched a technology-oriented quarterly magazine aimed at school administrators, technology directors, principals, and business managers.
Scholastic Inc., the New York City-based educational publisher, has launched a technology-oriented quarterly magazine aimed at school administrators, technology directors, principals, and business managers.
The first issue of Scholastic Administr@tor—for winter 2002—features stories on school technology planning, professional-development strategies, and wireless computing, among other topics.
Scholastic hatched the idea for the quarterly about a year ago, said Michele Robinson, the group publisher for the company’s professional magazines. After talking to a number of technology vendors and educators, she concluded that there was a niche that wasn’t being filled.
“We felt there really wasn’t a central clearinghouse for information on innovative uses of technology in education,” she said. “That’s what we want to be.”
Scholastic Administr@tor gives practical, hands-on information on a subject that’s becoming more important for school leaders, said Lars Kongshem, the senior editor of the publication. “Technology has become essential to both the instructional and administrative side [of education], so school administrators need ... a high- level view of technology.”
The new publication’s name and logo resemble those of the long-established School Administrator, the monthly magazine published by the Arlington, Va.-based American Association of School Administrators.
Ms. Robinson said some educators may scratch their heads at the similarity, but said the name and logo were the best the quarterly’s creators came up with.
“There is a little bit of confusion,” she said. “We had a hard time coming up with a name. It took four months.”
Jay P. Goldman, the editor of the AASA publication, said, “We’re kind of flattered that they like our publication so much that they emulated our title, and also the design.”
But readers won’t confuse the two, he said, as his magazine caters to a much broader audience. “We’re really the magazine for superintendents. People in the field look to us for advice and provocative ideas on a wide range of topics,” he said. “Scholastic Administr@tor is taking a small piece of the pie, and we’re serving the whole pie.”
The new publication could compete to some extent with the monthly District Administrator, owned by Professional Media Group in Norwalk, Conn.
Information about obtaining copies of the new magazine is available online at Scholastic Administr@tor Magazine.
—Rhea R. Borja rborja@epe.org
