Dear Reader,
A teacher’s job, especially these days, is not easy. We know that. When Editorial Projects in Education (the nonprofit company that also publishes Education Week) founded Teacher Magazine in 1989, the idea was to create a publication that considers educators savvy enough to appreciate an expertly reported source of news and information—one that recognizes them as professionals. Teacher has not wavered in this approach for 16 years, and we were recently nominated for a National Magazine Award in general excellence for just that reason.
In this issue’s pages, you’ll notice cosmetic changes—an updated Contents page and a flashier Current Events section [in print edition], for example—intended to make the magazine more reader-friendly. But our goal remains the same: to serve teachers. You already know that your work is vital. We want to remind you that even during an era of standardization, there are many ways to work (and work around) the system so that your goal, serving students, is realized. Teacher’s news and features stories, reviews, and commentary help you do that.
We offer another resource: www.teachermagazine.org. Access to the Web site is free with registration, and as the links in this issue attest, the site offers online-only features connecting you—through chats, blogs, and “talkbacks”—with fellow educators. We encourage you to use both the print and online versions of the magazine and to let others know where they can find us. We promise that the time spent with Teacher will enrich your career.
—The Editors