Editorial - May 2007 - Volume 107 (5)

Taking Stock: A Year in Review

Gerald Kulm, Texas A&M University

The end of the school year also marks the end of a full year of my responsibility as Editor of this journal. This has been a year of learning, excitement, and challenges. We have had the opportunity to publish 26 articles that reflect important research in the fields of mathematics and science education and their integration. The attention in these articles to preservice teacher education, the practice of science and mathematics teaching, applications of technology, and advances in assessment can advance our knowledge and improve teaching and learning.

A few changes have been made to the journal this year, hopefully with the result of enhancing its appeal and usefulness to SSMA members and other readers. In addition to format changes, we have added a regular feature called Research in Brief, which summarizes recent research in important and newly developing areas. I invite members, especially as co-authors with graduate students, to submit their manuscripts, which should not exceed 1000 words. These are reviewed and edited internally by the Editor. The Problems section is now split between the print journal and the web site (ssmj.tamu.edu). Newly posed problems are published in the journal; the solutions appear on the web site as soon as they are received from the Problems editor, thus shortening the time for viewing solutions. The Book Review sections continues each month. I would appreciate comments by the readers about the usefulness of this section. We receive numerous books, but do not have many volunteers to prepare reviews. Should this section continue? If so, what is the best way to select books for review and identify interested reviewers?

Beginning in January with Volume 107, the cover of the journal was changed and up-dated to a more simple, academic looking format. A new section called In this Issue was added to provide an annotated summary of the contents of the research articles appearing in the issue. The current format and sections will continue without changes through December, which is the remainder of the current volume. Any further changes or modification will have the approval of the SSMA Publications Committee and Board of Directors, as has been the case with the changes made in the past year.

This has been a challenging experience with a steep learning curve. We live in the era of technology, sometimes trusting too much in its reliability. The press of producing an issue of the journal every month leaves little margin for temporary down times, let alone major computer crashes. The resulting time compression can tend to magnify small errors. As the editorial staff become more efficient at preparing manuscripts, we expect to minimize errors in the future. I strive to respond to the input of the Publications Board, manuscript reviewers, SSMA members, and readers. I am grateful to those who have pointed out areas that need improvement as well as the encouraging comments. I continue to be optimistic, and look forward to the next four years of my tenure as Editor.