Editorial Statement

As I write this editorial statement, Americans are reeling from the flooding in the south and the displacement of many thousands of residents, all the result of Hurricane Katrina. As Americans and their international allies work hard to ensure that victims of the storm find adequate food, clean water, and shelter, we are left wondering about our collective ability to deal with crises. In particular, we ponder whether the responses of disaster services were influenced by politics, race, and economics. No clear answers have emerged as yet, but there is no doubt that we will continue to investigate our ability to care appropriately for those citizens who are disadvantaged by circumstances beyond their control.

In light of this situation, the articles in this issue of The Educational Forum are particularly timely because the topics of politics, power, and control permeate these writings. The authors write not about the politics of natural disasters but, for example, about the links between language and power that are highlighted by Sealey-Ruiz's discussion of African-American Vernacular English in relation to academic and social capital. Sealey-Ruiz's connections among aspects of the slave trade in America, the power of language, and the educational success of our children constitute a compelling call to action by the educators who read these pages. Similarly, Sanchez's portrayal of the disassociation of urban youth is an equally strong motivator for educators who wish to address the influences of race, income, and gender on the values and beliefs of young people and even on their ability to graduate from high school. Manuscripts such as those by Sealey-Ruiz and Sanchez will inform those involved in urban renewal efforts across North America, including the Abbott Initiative in New Jersey, which is an attempt to ameliorate the challenges encountered by urban youth.

Strom and Strom shed light on the problem of cyberbullying, a more recent manifestation of power and control in our schools and communities. We are convinced that the long-term effects of cyberbullying can be as detrimental as we know face-to-face bullying to be. Therefore, Strom and Strom's discussion of the prevention, detection, and control of cyberbullying is extremely important as educators learn to live and teach in a wired world.

Not surprising is that two of the articles in this issue examine teacher education as a vehicle to build social capacity. As McFadden and Sheerer point out, teachers are the key to students' success and, therefore, teacher education programs will continue to be scrutinized to see whether we are preparing teachers who will make a difference for students from all segments of society. McFadden and Sheerer's article should make many teacher educators uneasy because of the authors' findings that faculty research too often is disconnected from teachers' lives in schools and that faculty members resist more than minor fixes to teacher education programs. Fortunately, Floyd and Bodur's article offers some hope in the form of case study use in teacher education programs in an effort to help preservice teachers rehearse responses to yet-to-be-encountered professional experiences.

The role of principals in promoting growth in students' social and cultural capacity is emphasized in St. Germain and Quinn's article about tacit knowledge. Readers may leave this article wondering whether expert knowledge is dependent on time in the job or, rather, whether expert advice can be manifested by early career educational leaders. Similarly, do we manifest "novice" and "expert" behaviors in various ways throughout our careers? What are the inherent dangers of relying overly on the wisdom of experience? St. Germain and Quinn are to be commended for highlighting the role of tacit knowledge in the behaviors of principals.

I urge readers to examine the articles in this issue with the intent of acting on the information the authors present. That is, are we content that our young people face obstacles that for too many will be insurmountable? If not, are we willing to recognize African-American Vernacular English as a legitimate form of expression? Are we able to adequately address the barriers that youngsters face because of race, income, and gender? Can we deal with emergent forms of bullying that may cause long-term harm? What large-scale changes to teacher and principal preparation programs are needed to empower educators to help prepare our society for dealing with the natural and social challenges and opportunities that undoubtedly will face every generation?

Our responses to these questions will define our society's future.

Charles F. Webber

Academic Editor

Charles F. Webber, Ph.D., is Professor and Associate Dean in the Graduate Division of Educational Research in the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary in Canada. His current research focuses on crosscultural leadership development, including technology-mediated leadership development. He has published widely in national and international journals and served as an invited presenter at conferences in North America, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. Dr. Webber also holds an appointment as Adjunct Senior Fellow at the University of Waikato in New Zealand.

Copyright Kappa Delta Pi Fall 2005
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved