Stetson Launches New Journal on Education Reform

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Stetson University’s Nina B. Hollis Institute for Educational Reform (NBHIER) published seven articles addressing many facets of school reform from scholars and practitioners throughout the United States in the inaugural issue of its new journal Voices of Reform: Educational Research to Inform and Reform.

NBHIER develops local incubation projects to test innovative ideas that impact K-12 classrooms with specific attention on closing the opportunity gap for children in marginalized settings. The institute’s goal with the journal is to spark new ideas vetted by research and give a voice to the under-represented children in the educational system.

The journal is providing educational researchers and practitioners with a voice.

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Lou Sabina, Ph.D.

“Our journal serves as a way to bridge the gap between practitioners and scholars on issues in educational reform,” explained journal Editor Lou Sabina, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor of education at Stetson University. “Educational reform means all aspects of education and not just K-12 education, including preschool and higher and international education.

“There have been many changes in education that are not based on or followed up by research,” expressed Sabina. “NBHIER wanted to provide a place where both researchers and practitioners could share ideas and test educational theories. Plus, having a common space for many different educational stakeholders is truly a unique concept.”

The journal’s future looks bright.

“The first journal was an invited issue and NBHIER is planning to continue to receive traditional submissions for the next few issues in hopes of increasing its presence and building a reputation in the education community,” said Sabina. “The ultimate goal is to publish two issues a year, featuring five to seven articles with themed and non-themed topics and traditional submissions. Themed journals will reflect upon hot trends and topics in the education field.”

NBHIER hopes to make a difference in education.

“The type of issues that we are examining are ones that face educators every day and can lead to practical improvements in schools, structural changes in higher education or just conversations that can help others think about the way that our education system operates,” said Sabina. “We envision that researchers and practitioners can bring the ivory tower to the classroom and affect change and allow for grassroots ideas to flourish. At the end of the day, school improvement is our number one goal and our journal offers an avenue to discuss those issues.”

The Voices of Reform: Educational Research to Inform and Reform journal is accepting submissions for its second issue, which will be publishing next fall. The journal is seeking scholarly, practitioner-oriented and scholarly-practitioner articles between 3,500-7,500 words for its next issue. If you have any questions, please contact Sabina at: [email protected]

-Sandra Carr