A Brief History of the NREA Professional Journal

The Rural Educator, the professional journal of the National Rural Education Association, was adopted by the organization from one begun by Dr. Richard Fisher at Colorado State University in the late 1970's. Since the journal was already successful and addressed only rural issues, and since the headquarters of the Rural Education Association had been moved to Colorado State with Joe Newlin, a professor there, as the new Executive Director of the group, it made sense to adopt a proven product as their own. Co-editors with Dr. Fisher were Dr. Bill Timpson, also of Colorado State, and Dr. Everett D. Edington of New Mexico State University. The assistant to the Editor was Ms. Brenda Kohrmann of Colorado State University. The first issue, Volume 1, No. 1, was published Spring 1980, with five articles. Of interest is the fact that the first article was entitled "The Home-School Visit: A Useful Tool" written by Dr. Robert C. Newhouse, an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, College of Education, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. Dr. Newhouse offered five useful suggestions for working with parents, as well as five cautions to consider. Now in 2007 Dr. Newhouse is the immediate past-president of NREA and Dean of the College of Education at Kansas State University. Other articles in that first issue were "Rural Youth and Political Influence Aspirations" co-authored by Mary Olson and David Bills of the University of Wisconsin at Madison and Dr. Everett D. Edington of New Mexico State University at Las Cruces; "Small Districts: Where the Action Is" by Gene Schmidt, the Superintendent of Schools at North Boone Community Unit Schools, Poplar Grove, Illinois; "The Reality of Stress" by G. Kent Stewart, Professor of Educational Administration, College of Education, Kansas State University; and the final article by a reading teacher at Fort Morgan High School in Fort Morgan, Colorado, Shirley Travis. Her article was entitled "An Answer to"-and describes her very successful program in a growing trend of providing reading instruction to high school students. In the fourteen years that Dr. Fisher served as the Editor, the format changed to more professional cover and printing; more articles were included in each issue; and the Editorial Review Board consisted of many more members; and more manuscripts were submitted for review as the organization grew in numbers and national recognition. Dr. Fisher served as the Editor of me Rural Educator until he retired in 1993. At that time, Joe Newlin, the Executive Director of NREA, took over the editorship and used guest editors from the Editorial Review Board to assist him in selection of articles that had been approved by the Review Board for publication. These editors also edited and organized these articles to send to the printer, Citizens' Press in Fort Collins. Ironically, that first Guest Editor for the Volume 14, Number 2, Winter 1992-1993 edition was Dr. Robert Newhouse, now professor of Education and Director of the Center for Rural Education & Small Schools at Kansas State. The following issue had as Guest Editor Dr. Edward W. Chance, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Director of the Center for the Study of Small/Rural Schools at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Dr. Chance was to serve as Guest Editor three more times before his untimely death. Among others who have served are Dr. Patti Chance of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Joyce Stern, consultant and Rural Education Specialist in Washington, D. C; Dr. Bruce Barker, then professor at Western Illinois University in Macomb, and again when he became Dean of the College of Education at Southern Utah University; Dr. Ivan Muse and Dr. Scott Ferrin of Brigham Young University, Utah; and Dr. Claudette Morton, Director of the Montana Small Schools Alliance, Helena, Montana. Many, many others contributed their time from busy schedules to serve as Guest Editors and help make the journal more professional for the organization. …