Dear Readers,

We are happy and honored to introduce the inaugural issue of THE RUSSIAN-AMERICAN EDUCATION FORUM: AN ONLINE JOURNAL. This international publication for professional educators is the child of two non-governmental parent organizations: the Moscow Publishing House, “Pedagogicheskii Poisk” (Educational Search) and the American non-profit, THE AMERUS EXCHANGE, LTD, located in Chatham, NY. The Russian publisher, Dr. Vladimir Lizinsky, approached THE AMERUS EXCHANGE with an idea and an offer to start an international educational journal online. Dr. Tatyana Tsyrlina-Spady, a Russian educator now living in the United States, and AMERUS EXCHANGE president, Jack Mc Gurgan, a retired school principal, enthusiastically agreed, and the online journal took on life.

Through the generosity of Mr. Richard Spady, Seattle businessman and philanthropist, and with financial support from AMERUS EXCHANGE members, articles were acquired and translated. An all–volunteer editorial board of Russian and American academics and educators along with an experienced print editor were assembled by Dr. Tsyrlina-Spady, who serves as editor-in-chief. The “chief” has also gathered an impressive collection of experienced educators, also volunteers, of course, who have been reading and commenting on the initial articles. The editor-in-chief with assistance of Svetlana Naumova translated the large portion of the inaugural articles. The AMERUS EXCHANGE website, www.theamerusexchange.net, under the direction of Darlene Cardillo, computer technologist, will become the birth home of our baby.

Why have so many done so much to bring THE RUSSIAN-AMERICAN EDUCATION FORUM to life?

Today, in Russia and in America, educators are searching for innovative and successful solutions to long-term problems. It only makes sense to find out how other education systems have dealt with these same problems. Successful solutions to difficult problems in education may only be lurking on the other side of research and experimentation of a synthesis of American and Russian techniques. For ages, we have known so little and prejudged so much about one another. Now is the time to discover the truth, learn from it, and build the future on it. It is in the best interest of the citizens of both nations and cultures to seek methods of building understanding, cooperation, and eventually, mutual respect because these can calm fears, produce sensible solutions, and lead to world progress, prosperity, and enduring peace. People who understand and respect one another are much less likely to be antagonists. Ignorance, being one of the main social evils of all times, is especially dangerous within the field of education.

Our journal, born of two large, powerful, and diverse nations, will grow up to be our means of communication. Such children have their feet grounded in the families of their mothers and their fathers. Accepted by each side, the child can help each to develop insights into the points of view of the other. Our child, our journal will become the medium for a dynamic dialogue amongst the educators of our two countries. It will be the catalyst for the investigation of theories, techniques, and practices developed and employed in classrooms by master teachers and pedagogical thinkers.

To begin, we will publish Russian articles translated into English. Later, we will add articles written by Americans and translated into Russian. We plan to present the reader with a wide range of topics covering the theory of Russian education. Critical problems of its educational reality, general concepts of some of the best Russian schools, and practical advice from working school principals and teachers. We also plan to educate the American reader by introducing a number of innovative schools from Russia’s educational past.

We expect our child to grow up to become a social arena, a meeting place, and an electronic faculty room where American and Russian educators will discuss through commentaries and blogs the most difficult problems of schooling and education. We know that cultural and historical differences as well as ignorance of one another’s school systems will be a shock to some. We hope that through feedback, dialogue, and discussion, we will be able to enlighten one another about how things work in our school. Following an initial “definition of terms,” we look forward to our readers digging more deeply into the philosophies, theories, and research supporting the activities of “the other,” and then re-examining those of our own side.

Perhaps such a dynamic dialogue might spur the development of a “TEACHERS WITHOUT BORDERS” based on the successful and effective medical model; or, maybe the desire for Russian-American face-to-face exchanges in both lands.

Like all good parents, we want our child to mature overtime and do something great for the world. We hope that our e-journal might help Russian and American educators develop a spirit of trust and understanding between one another. These teachers and academics will then share this spirit with their students; their students will convey it to their families and friends; and the entire process will contribute to the establishment of a more stable world.

We invite you to meet our precious youngster. Read the articles, read the commentaries on the articles, and then send your own commentaries beginning an interactive conversation over our mutual interest, the education of children. To be successful, this project needs your intellectual input and your moral and financial support.

We are deeply grateful to Professor Albert Baca, Professor Donald Biggs, Professor Penny Bryan, Darlene Cardillo, Professor Ginger MacDonald, Elizabeth Saenger, Richard Spady, John Spady, and Judi Thorpe for their contributions to the birth of THE RUSSIAN-AMERICAN EDUCATION FORUM: AN ONLINE JOURNAL.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Tatyana Tsyrlina-Spady, Editor-in-Chief, tsyrlina@aol.com
Dr. Vladimir Lizinsky, Publisher, PEDAGOGICHESKII POISK
Jack Mc Gurgan, President, THE AMERUS EXCHANGE, LTD