PROFS START INTERNET'S FIRST REFEREED JOURNAL ON WOMEN'S ISSUES

The website, Advancing Women In Leadership, will offer a professional, refereed electronic journal providing scholarly insight, perspectives and advice for aspiring women.

The forum will be co-edited by Genevieve Brown, left, and Beverly J. Irby, right, professors of educational leadership at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. It will be linked with Advancing Women, an international on-line network for women in the workplace published by Gretchen Glasscock.

"Our mission is to provide a forum for accomplished women to share with an international audience their experiences or research on women's and girl's issues," Irby said. "The articles published in the journal will report, synthesize, review or analyze scholarly inquiry and issues important to women and girls."

Authors represented in the journal will include women from business, arts, economics, engineering, medicine, education and other professional areas. Following a refereed format, all journal submissions will be evaluated by an editorial review board composed of scholars representing a variety of professions. Only articles demonstrating scholarship, relevancy and currency will appear in the journal, Irby explained.

"The ultimate goal of Advancing Women in Leadership," Brown said, "is to expand the global support network for women in leadership positions. The Internet, with a reach transcending national and cultural barriers, offers an exceptional medium for this groundbreaking endeavor."

The March 25 journal debut coincides with the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in Chicago.

"AERA is the premiere association for educational researchers internationally," Irby explained. " Because our new academic journal focuses on the advancement and education of women, the Chicago meeting offers an excellent opportunity for launching our inaugural issue."

The first issue of Advancing Women in Leadership will feature eight papers exploring a variety of educational issues:

• "Where Have All the Smart Women Gone," by Alice Rowe, deals with women identified as "gifted" girls who participated in "gifted" education programs. The article looks at where those women are today.

• "Violence(s) and Silence(s) in Engineering Classrooms," by Karen L. Tonso, focuses on barriers encountered by women in a predominately male engineering doctoral program.

• "A Status Report on Educating Girls in Guatemala's Public Education System," by Jennifer Johnson, looks at what one Central American country is doing to promote the education of girls.

• "Adjusting to a New Society: A Study of Educated Chinese Women's Acculturation in the United States," by Ping Lui, tells the stories of three Chinese women immigrants who have held professional positions in their former country.

• "Gender, Culture and Language in School Administration: Another Glass Ceiling for Hispanic Females," by Rosita Marcano, deals with Hispanic principals and their particular needs in school administration.

• "Title IX of the United States Education Amendments: A Gender-Equity Education Intervention Strategy," by Cindy L.A. Pemberton, examines equity law and relates it to women's sports.

• "American Association of University Women: Commissioned Research Reports Since 1990," by Priscilla Little, consists of several studies on girls in schools, from elementary school to secondary school.

• "Book Review: Women as School Executives: Voices and Visions," by Linda Gardner, reviews a book edited by Beverly J. Irby and Genevieve Brown for the Texas Council of Women School Executives, an educational support organization.

"Advancing Women in Leadership is an historic landmark in serious communication," said Irby. "We hope to tap into and share the education, talent, abilities and determination of women everywhere."

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Media Contact: Phillip Rollfing