Twelve years ago a colleague at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon introduced me to the journal, Democracy & Education. At that time I was coordinating an elementary preservice program. The culminating course of this program was “Experience and Meaning,” a course built on the foundation of John Dewey’s work in active learning and making meaning through reflecting on practice. Jim Wallace, our in-house Dewey specialist, had designed the course and was the professor for this group of students. The final assignment was to write, as a group, a review of the book, “Schools That Work: America’s Most Innovative Public Education Programs” by George Wood. The review was accepted for publication in Democracy & Education in 1993.

How fitting that my students were involved in an active learning project where their voice was essential, and the work linked to their school experience as well as to their beginning careers in teaching. And, how appropriate that my introduction to the journal came via Jim Wallace and an assignment so aligned with principles of democracy and education.

Over the past twelve years, I have written articles for the journal and have had the opportunity to participate in one of the Institute for Democracy in Education annual conferences. These experiences enabled me to see first hand the impact of the journal, and of those who work with the journal and that of our subscribers. Last summer, when I heard that the journal might not continue, I immediately contacted Jaylynne Hutchinson and began discussions about moving the journal to Lewis & Clark College. We are pleased to announce that the transition will occur this summer.

The Graduate School of Education and Counseling at Lewis & Clark College is the ideal new home for Democracy & Education. Our academic programs include Teacher Education, Counseling Psychology, School Counseling, School Psychology, and Educational Leadership. We recently developed guiding principles for our work, with the first principle stating that our students will learn to “create democratic learning communities in which caring, equity, social justice, and inclusion are practiced and diverse perspectives supported.” In order for our students to have the knowledge and skills to implement this, the faculty must be cognizant of including readings and assignments throughout courses and programs to support this principle, as well as model behavior in alignment with creating democratic learning communities. As most of you know, this is much easier to state than to “live” or implement on a daily basis. Thus, our challenges and successes are fodder for discussions and debates relevant to the stated purposes of Democracy & Education.

I would like to extend heartfelt appreciation to Jaylynne Hutchinson and Jean Ann Hunt for their incredible dedication to and work with the journal. They have been the “keepers” of hope and knowledge for so many of us in our work with implementing principles of democracy and of optimism in our classrooms and schools. These past years have been difficult with a growing emphasis on standards and testing as measures of student learning. We must continue to adhere to the aspirations that they, along with the authors and guest editors, have brought to us. To our good fortune, Jaylynne and Jean Ann will continue work with the journal, serving as advisors and on the manuscript review panel. Bob Auckland has graciously agreed to continue his work as copy editor, which is a gift to the journal and to our readers. The designer, Carolyn King, has also agreed to continue in her role.

I am also pleased to announce that my colleague, Peter Cookson, Dean of the Graduate School, will serve as co-editor of Democracy & Education. Peter is deeply committed to democratic participation in schools, including the Graduate School, and has written extensively on education and democracy.

We are embarking on this journey with anticipation of continuing the focus established in this journal, and with a commitment to bringing the voices of the education community working to create democratic ideals to school to our readers. As Maxine Greene stated, “Surely it is an obligation of education in a democracy to empower the young to become members of the public, to participate, and play articulate roles in the public space” (Greene, 1985). We look forward to our future conversations, debates, and interactions with you as we fulfill our obligation to create and sustain democratic learning environments in our schools.

For more information: http://www.lclark.edu/org/journal/

Nancy G. Nagel
Associate Dean and Professor of Education

Peter W. Cookson, Jr.
Dean and Professor of Educational Leadership