Changes In Curriculum Inquiry

Editorials Changes in Curriculum Inquiry DENNIS THIESSEN, ELIZABETH CAMPBELL, & HEATHER SYKES Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada

As the incoming editorial team of Curriculum Inquiry (CI), we are mindful of the responsibility we have to maintain the high standards of one the leading journals not only in curriculum but also in the wider field of education. We are committed to what has distinguished CI since its inception, as reflected in the following statement from one of our brochures: Curriculum Inquiry is dedicated to the study of educational research, development, evaluation, and theory. This leading international journal brings together influential academics and researchers from a variety of disciplines around the world to provide expert commentary and lively debate. Articles explore important ideas, issues, trends, and problems in education, and each issue includes provocative and critically analytical editorials covering topics such as curriculum development, educational policy, and teacher education.

We are also pleased to announce that the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT) and the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning (CTL) will continue to be the home of CI. As we review the current practices of CI and consider some adaptations or new directions, we are very much aware of the successes of those who have worked so hard to nurture and direct CI. F. Michael Connelly was one of the co-founders of the journal (originally entitled Curriculum Theory Network). He has been the sole or co-editor of CI since 1980. He negotiated the transition from an in-house publication to commercial publisher first with Wiley & Sons and then in the early 1990s with Blackwell Publishing. His strong intellectual leadership has guided CI in its development and brought acclaim and distinction for CI in the field. We also want to pay tribute to Ming Fang He (associate professor, Georgia Southern University) and JoAnn Phillion (associate professor, Purdue University), who, along with F. Michael Connelly (professor emeri© 2006 by The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Curriculum Inquiry 36:1 (2006) Published by Blackwell Publishing, 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA, and 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK

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DENNIS THIESSEN

tus, OISE/UT), were the editors between 2001 and 2005. We also want to acknowledge and express our appreciation to the outgoing associate editors Johan L. Aitken, Elaine Chan, Carola Conle, C. T. Patrick Diamond, Joseph P. Farrell, Gail Matthews, and Elizabeth Vallance; and the book review editors Michelle Boone and Anne Forsythe Moore. The tireless efforts and rigour of associate and book review editors have been crucial to the success of CI. The new editorial team will assume the responsibilities of the former associate editors and book review editors. As of June 2005, the new editorial team includes the following members: Editor-in-Chief Editors Book Review Editor Business Manager Editorial Assistant

Dennis Thiessen Elizabeth Campbell Heather Sykes Kate Moss Lara Cartmale Frances Tolnai

The editor-in-chief and the two editors bring a wide range of expertise and interests to CI. Elizabeth Campbell’s scholarship focuses on the moral and ethical dimensions of teaching and schooling. Her book, The Ethical Teacher, was published by the Open University Press, McGraw-Hill. Recent articles on teachers’ ethical knowledge, moral agency, and professional ethics are published in the Journal of Educational Change, Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, Educational Research and Evaluation: An International Journal on Theory and Practice, and the Journal of Education Policy. She is a member of both the Centre for Teacher Development at OISE/UT and the new crossdisciplinary Centre for Ethics at the University of Toronto. Heather Sykes’ research examines issues of gender, sexuality, and embodiment in anti-oppression education, physical education, and sport from poststructural, queer, feminist, and psychoanalytical perspectives. Her work has been published in journals such as the Journal of Curriculum Studies, Journal of Lesbian and Gay Issues in Education, Journal of Sport Psychology, and Qualitative Studies in Education. Dennis Thiessen’s research interests include student lives and careers, curriculum change and teacher development, and school improvement. His recent publications include three books: (1) Making a Difference About Difference: The Lives and Careers of Racial Minority Immigrant Teachers (with Nina Bascia and Ivor Goodson); (2) Children and Their Curriculum: The Perspectives of Primary and Elementary School Children (with Andrew Pollard and Ann Filer); and (3) Agents, Provocateurs: Reform-Minded Leaders for Schools of Education (with Ken Howey). He is a co-editor of the forthcoming International Handbook of Student Experience in Elementary and Secondary Schools (with Alison Cook-Sather). In order to maintain the quality and high standards of CI, the new editorial team is also engaged in a review of CI’s policies and practices. To

EDITORIAL—CHANGES IN CURRICULUM INQUIRY

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date, we have decided on a few changes, some of which are evident in this issue. CI has a new cover design. Past editors of CI are listed on the inside front cover. On the inside back cover, we have revised the instructions for submitting manuscripts. Prospective authors are now asked to submit their manuscripts electronically through the CI web site. With this web-based system for managing manuscripts, we will enhance our capacity to provide timely support to authors from submission to publication. We have also decided to discontinue the four “Special Series” designations employed by CI: Girls and Women in Education (series editor: Johan Aitken), Personal Practical Knowledge (series editors: Jean Clandinin and Miriam Ben-Peretz), Arts-Based Educational Research (series editors: C.T. Patrick Diamond and Christine van Halen-Faber), and Multiculturalism in Curriculum Inquiry (series editors: JoAnn Phillion and Ming Fang He). By identifying these fields of inquiry as being of particular interest, CI has both encouraged and published many important papers on topics of significance in these areas. The intermittent “Special Series” strategy has been a novel and effective way to encourage submissions on relevant and current issues. Instead of the “Special Series,” we are investigating other strategies to include themes in future volumes. Despite our discontinuation of the “Special Series” strategy, we encourage further submissions in these areas. In addition, the new editorial team is discussing other possible changes in the structure and academic direction of CI. We are examining ways to extend how the journal promotes academic dialogue on important and contemporary questions in the field. In terms of organization, we plan to establish the OISE/UT editorial consultants to provide editorial assistance and advice to the editorial team and an international editorial board to replace the current consulting and contributing editors. In future issues, we will provide more information and clarification about these changes. The continued success of CI depends on your support and involvement. We invite your submissions and seek your participation as reviewers. We also welcome your comments and suggestions about how CI should evolve in the coming years.