Looking backwards.

One of the peculiar aspects of being an editor at the same magazine for 17 1/2 years is that you witness the periodic recycling of the same ideas promoted for the good of elementary and secondary education by an ever-changing cast of characters. I don't say this necessarily as a criticism of those particular educational practices and policies but rather as a recognition of how hard it is for some worthy ideas to make inroads and actually stick long enough to make a difference.

In looking back, I thought it might be fun to see what this magazine found worthy of publishing during the same month 10, 15 or 20 years prior. So with this issue, we'll introduce a new department, Flashback, on the opposite letters page that will give readers a succinct read on what The School Administrator served up to AASA members on an earlier occasion.

Our debut Flashback, focusing on the January 1997 issue, finds businessman Christopher Whittle, who had been much maligned by the public school community for his advertising-laden Channel One broadcasts, reaching out to public school leaders. Next month, we'll shift back 15 years to an issue that carried one of our most memorable photo covers, what internally became known as the "blue eggs issue."

I'll be interested in your reaction to this new feature, which will appear periodically, whether you were an AASA member and School Administrator reader the first time around or joined the ranks in the years since.

Jay P. Goldman

Voice: 703-875-0745

E-mail: [e-mail]