Dear readers,

With this publication we return to the problem that seems old and eternal – I mean higher education. It feels that it is in the process of constant change, which is actually good, as the journal will always remain viable. Two things are worth mentioning: first, this is Issue No.18, and the journal can consider itself an adult (!); second, and much more important, 150 (!) countries in the world have become our readers. In fact, there are very few journal-free spots left on the map. So, you may feel proud being part of such a genuine global community that is interested in studying problems of education.

Now back to this current issue. As usual, you will find the paper of our regular author — Professor Mikhail Boguslavsky, this time he describes the life and professional activities of an outstanding individual, a Russian medical doctor and a reformer in education Nicholay Pirogov. Along with Boguslavsky, we have also invited two other specialists in the same field (Pichugina and Bezrogov) who cover another interesting and challenging personality of a Greek philosopher Plato. And, if you have doubts about the topic, read the paper and you will learn that Plato, in fact, could be considered one of the founders of higher education in the world.

The main topical section of the journal represents research papers and essays that touch upon different aspects of higher education in Russia and the United States starting from issues of undergraduate studies in teacher education (Alexandrova and Pichugina) to some thoughts about how to effectively organize graduate classes on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean (Polyakov; Gautreau). Separately, we would like to mention a paper written by a famous academic Zaretskaya on the problem, which has been recently revived in Russia — a character formation function of higher education. I would also recommend reading a research paper about the language of mathematics in elementary school teaching (Herron, Summers, Chao), you will find quite a few interesting turns there. Another Russian specialist in measurement processes Professor Maslak touches upon the issues of evaluation, and more precisely, about how to measure creative self-efficacy. Finally, let me mention the paper by Lovorn, Augustine, and Dutton that might serve as a foundation for a serious research though the topic itself brings smiles to faces, as we are talking about the role of humor in the teaching process.

That’s about it, and without any extra ado, I pass you along to the journal authors in hope that you will enjoy reading. As usual, we remain grateful to the authors and thankful to our reviewers, and look forward to receiving your comments and responses.

Always yours,
Tatyana Tsyrlina-Spady
Editor-in-Chief
tsyrlina@aol.com