Educational Renaissance Vol. 1


Vol. 1, No. 1, August 2012, pp. 1   
 
 
 
 
Editors Welcome 
 
James Marshall, Patrick Newell, Paul Beare 
California State University, Fresno 
 
 
 
 
 

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Educational Renaissance!  This first issue includes 
articles and essays that portray the important history of the Renaissance group as well as present 
research and perspective on how educational professionals are being prepared in our colleges and 
universities. 

The history of the Renaissance Group appears in the article by Executive Director, 
Michael Giovannetti, who gives an overview of the formation of the Renaissance Group. Roger 
Pankratz’s article chronicles successes in the development of the Renaissance Group, its 
educational partnerships, and the effect that his has had on education in the United States.  

Following these articles are a series of brief essays that present perspectives on the 
importance of collaboration from a university president, a school district superintendent, and the 
president of the Renaissance Group. The essay by John Welty provides the perspective of how an 
engaged University affects the community in its geographical region.  Rich Smith's essay 
discusses the expectation of collaboration, how it works in the world of transportation, and how 
that expectation should become part of the world of education. John Counts’ essay provides a 
perspective on how the Renaissance Group serves and furthers teacher preparation as a way of 
addressing America's educational challenges. The final article from this issue, by Nancy 
Bacharach and Teresa Heck, provides an overview of an exciting innovation in fieldwork from 
the perspective of teachers in the classroom. 

In future issues, we will be expanding the number of articles that involve primary inquiry 
and include research on teacher preparation, professional development, classroom dynamics, and 
partnerships across universities and school districts. 

In addition to the authors, we would like to thank all of the reviewers who participated in 
making this issue a success and whose dedication helped launch Educational Renaissance. We 
appreciate all of the work these reviewers do, and we encourage others to share their expertise as 
a reviewer for this journal by registering at http://educationalrenaissance.org.