Editor's Page

Highlighting Our Special Features

"The Professional Journal for Extension Educators" is how we describe this publication. We try to make the best possible use of the limited number of pages in each issue to accomplish this statement of purpose. We do this through the articles we select to print and through the four special features included throughout the year: Idea Corner, Forum, Research in Brief, and Tools of the Trade. On this Editor's Page, I'd like to highlight our special features.

The Idea Corner is our action-centered feature. Brief reports on "we tried this and it worked (or didn't) how-to-do-it," and similar reports are highlighted. You can learn from the successes and failures of other programmers. After all, we don't all need to reinvent the wheel.

The Forum is for short statements of opinion, ideas, or challenges. It's sort of a super letter-to-the-editor feature where we can learn from the thinking of others. "We should be --," "we shouldn't be --," "we need to change-," kind of statements are included here. Both the Idea Corner and the Forum features are reviewed by the Editorial Committee. We especially appreciate contributions from field-based staff members to these features.

Extension education is a broad field with much helpful information and many resources. Most Extension staff members say they have more reading material available to them than they have time to digest. The Research in Brief and Tools of the Trade features are designed to help. Special editors are assigned to sort out research items and resource materials that should be called to the attention of Extension staff and are found outside the usual ones available. Even though special editors have accepted responsibility to search for and report what they think should be called to our attention, I'm sure they'd appreciate your ideas. If you find some research item or tool you think would be helpful to Extension staff, please contact the appropriate Research in Brief or Tools of the Trade editor.

Our goal in each of these special features is to present important ideas and information succinctly so you can gain as much information as possible in a few minutes of time. Let us know your reactions and suggestions to our special features.

Roger L. Lawrence