Letter from the editor.

As the UN celebrates its 60th birthday this fall, Upfront takes a look at why the United States seems a little reluctant to join the party. While even the UN's critics acknowledge its many accomplishments, the Bush administration, along with a growing number of Americans, are skeptical of its value and effectiveness.

We also examine how a number of communities are revisiting painful episodes of America's civil rights era, focusing on Virginia's plan to provide scholarships to students locked out of public schools in the 1950s when officials shut schools down rather than comply with the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.

Over on the Web, Scholastic has just launched Write It (www.scholastic.com/writeit), a free, interactive site to build students' writing skills. Upfront's site, (www.upfrontmagazine.com) continues to offer a selection of features from current and past issues.