JITE v34n1 - From the Editor - Professional Generosity

Professional Generosity

The term, professional generosity, comes to mind as I begin my term as Editor of the Journal of Industrial Teacher Education (JITE) . My experiences with NAITTE and the Journal have been very positive ones. Over the years I have been profoundly impressed by the level of professionalism and quality that the editors have invested in their work. Some years ago, Tom Walker provided careful and patient guidance as I published my first refereed manuscript in JITE. His help clearly exceeded what was required of an editor. In the years since, I have continued to be impressed with the high levels of professionalism and generosity of the JITE editors. Since assuming the Editorship, I have also developed a strong sense of appreciation for the time and effort invested by members of the JITE board and the manuscript review team. Without their insightful analyses, the quality of the Journal simply could not be maintained.

Several years ago when Scott Johnson approached me about considering the Editorship, our conversation included the sense that there are times when it is appropriate and right to "give back" to the profession. We shared a common appreciation for the assistance, guidance, and support that we had received from past JITE editors as well as through participation in NAITTE. As I begin my term, it is with clear appreciation of NAITTE, a community of professionals who share not only common professional goals, but who also exemplify and model professional generosity.

I particularly want to thank Scott Johnson, past editor of JITE, for his assistance and support during the transition. Six months in advance of assuming the editorship, Scott and his style editor, Sarah Smith Duncan, delivered a carefully prepared and well documented set of computer files to me during the AVA conference. In the ensuing months, Scott has forwarded manuscripts and provided patient and wise counsel into the review process. Without his assistance and support, timely production of this issue would not have been possible.

Before moving forward, it is appropriate to publicly acknowledge several of Scott's accomplishments. During his term, the Journal moved into the information age. In collaboration with the Scholarly Communications Project at Virginia Tech, JITE has been mounted onto the World Wide Web ( http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JITE/jite.html ). Also during his term, most of the review process was converted to electronic format with reviewers submitting reviews through e-mail. Most important, Scott has earned the respect and appreciation of the profession for maintaining the quality, professional image, and breadth of scope of JITE during his term as Editor. Thank you, Scott, for your exemplary contribution to JITE, NAITTE, and the profession.

The editorial board for Volume 34 officially took office on July 1, 1996. This board is comprised of several individuals who will continue their terms of service as well as some who will be coming onto the board. I am pleased to announce the appointment of Kenneth C. Gray, The Pennsylvania State University, to the position of Associate Editor. Following two years as Associate Editor, he will assume the Editorship beginning with Volume 36. Ken brings a wealth of experience and recognized scholarship to the position and I am pleased to welcome him to the board. Continuing in their positions as Assistant Editors are Jeffrey W. Flesher, Iowa State University; Reynoldo Martinez, Jr., Oklahoma State University; and Stephen Petrina, University of British Columbia. The contributions of each of these individuals have been outstanding. Typically, each manuscript that is submitted for review is sent to a member of the editorial board, which means that the volume of work for these individuals exceeds the demands of other reviewers. They have consistently responded with substantive and high-quality reviews. Their work has been exceptional and I am pleased that they will continue their work throughout Volume 34.

With this issue, I am pleased to announce the appointment of two new Assistant Editors to the Editorial Board. David J. Pucel, University of Minnesota, and Richard D. Lakes, Georgia State University, have agreed to fill these positions. Another personnel change that occurred with this issue is with the Circulation Manager. Charles Linnell, Clemson University, ends three years of solid service in this position. His consistent and careful work has been vital to the health of JITE . His replacement, also at Clemson University, is Bryan Simmons. Also joining the JITE editorial team is Nan Erickson, University of Missouri, who has agreed to serve as Style Editor. Nan brings a background in Business Education as well as numerous years of experience in vocational education to the position. I look forward to working with these outstanding individuals and the members of the review team as we seek to maintain and advance the quality of JITE over the next two years.

As we move into the next two years, my top priority is to maintain and advance the quality of the Journal. My hope is that the pages of the Journal will contain careful and thoughtful scholarship that will engage our readers in framing issues, exploring current trends, and extending their thinking about education. I hope the ideas contained in JITE will challenge traditional practice and encourage free and critical thinking. I hope that we can maintain the scope of NAITTE's mission to span and connect general and vocational education. I encourage our readership to publish their work in JITE. Engage those from outside the profession as well as colleagues within the profession in dialogue and then explore ways in which you can collaborate in scholarly discourse.

I would like to especially encourage those who are in the initial stages of their professional careers as well as those who may be rather new to research and publishing. The Journal of Industrial Teacher Education regularly needs Comments, At Issue, Under Review, and Journal Feedback manuscripts. These sections of JITE provide an excellent means of sharing your thinking as well as an opportunity to become involved in publishing your work. I also want to continue to expand the circle of reviewers. One of the best ways to develop and mature as a writer is through the discipline of developing thoughtful and insightful reviews of others' work. Reviewers must hold active membership in NAITTE, have an earned doctorate, and have published in JITE. Those interested in serving as a reviewer may contact the Editor or any member of the JITE board.

In this Issue

This issue is a special theme issue presenting the Standards of Quality for the Preparation and Certification of Trade and Industrial (T & I) education teachers. Guest editors are Nevin R. Frantz, Jr., Thomas J. Walker, and James A. Gregson. The issues contains five articles and two reactions. The first article, by Rodney L. Custer provides an overview of the background and context that led to the development of the standards. In the second article, Gary Galluzzo discusses educational issues and societal trends that have informed the movement to develop standards. The third article, authored by Thomas J. Walker, James A. Gregson, and Nevin R. Frantz, Jr., establishes the need for standards. The authors also provide clarification of what is meant by standards, describe the development process, and share their vision for the future impact of the standards. The forth article consists of a complete presentation of the standards. Authored by Nevin R. Frantz, Jr., James A. Gregson, Joan E. Friedenberg, Richard A. Walter, and Aaron J. Miller, the article states and then provides rationale and indicators for instructional and curriculum standards. The final article, written by Nevin R. Frantz, Jr., Joan E. Friedenberg, James A. Gregson, and Richard A. Walter presents a rationale and support for the standards, including sections focused specifically on each standard. These five articles are followed by reactions by Richard L. Lynch and Jerome Moss, Jr. Both of these reflective articles raise key issues and concerns that should be considered as the standards move forward into implementation.

The At Issue section contains an essay by Shih-Ping Chung that responds to an article published by Hill, Wicklein, and Daughterty in the Spring 1996 issue of JITE. While applauding Hill et al. for their empirically-based research, Chung contends that the focus on exemplary technology education teachers may have presented a distorted view of the image of the field. The Under Review section contains a review of Peter Drucker's book Managing in a Time of Great Change by David C. Bjorkquist. The issue concludes with the Bits and Pieces section containing information about submitting manuscripts to JITE, how to become a member of NAITTE, and ordering various NAITTE publications.

RLC

Reference Citation: Custer, Rodney L. (1996). Professional generosity. Journal of Industrial Teacher Education 34(1), 3-6.