Letter from the Editor of the Elementary Science Education Issues of JSTE

Abstract

Welcome to the November Elementary Science Education (ESE) issue of the Journal of Science Teacher Education (JSTE). Formerly Journal of Elementary Science Education, the journal was officially merged with JSTE in 2010 when I took over as editor. Since that time, ESE has been published as two stand-alone issues yearly (No. 2 and 7), and we have received a steady flow of submissions related to elementary science education (68 in 2011, and 63 already as of October 2012). A special thank you to all the editorial review board members who have worked with us through that transition; the thoughtfulness of their reviews has helped ensure the high quality of manuscripts selected for inclusion in these issues. As we near 2013, we will undergo yet another transition—one that is intended to bring greater coherence to the journal and to establish its niche in science teacher education. The ESE issues will now appear as a regular section on Elementary Science Teacher Education (ESTE). As editor of this section, I believe the transition will allow for a more regular presence of elementary-focused research within each issue, and also help ensure authors’ work appears in a timely manner in print form following acceptance for publication. That said, volume 23 issue seven will be the last stand-alone issue of ESE. The ESTE Section, like JSTE more broadly, will serve as a forum for disseminating high quality research and theoretical position papers concerning the preparation and inservice education of teachers of science. I look forward to receiving manuscripts from our readers that communicate important ideas, theories, research, and field-oriented information related to policy, supervision, curriculum, instruction, and assessment in elementary science teacher education.