Dear Members, Colleagues, and Friends:
Passion, collegiality, and elegance marked the dedication of ASCD's new headquarters building on September 17. ASCD's officers, Executive Council and Board members, past presidents, affiliate representatives, staff members, and invited guests gathered at 1703 North Beauregard Street in Alexandria, Va., to celebrate our long-awaited move. The events of the day unfolded against the background of our new environs at their most beautiful, with the stately trees of Mark Center and the flowers abloom along Seminary Road and Beauregard Street.
The dedication was the first event that we have hosted in our new building, a facility that reflects many years of planning and preparation. Having unpacked our boxes in mid-July, we are now beginning to feel at home and focus our sights on another milestone: the year 2000.
Once in a great while, we are called to be part of something that is larger than everyday life—an experience that promises to challenge our minds, enliven our emotions, and impel our souls. As we stand on the brink of a new millennium, we have unimaginable responsibilities. The luminaries on our dedication program panel—Michael Fullan, John Goodlad, Kris Gutierrez, Asa Hilliard III, E. D. Hirsch Jr., Nel Noddings, and moderator John Merrow II—called upon us to reinvent ourselves, our organizations, and our world. This mission will require unprecedented learning.
Perhaps it is unfortunate that the new millennium will not permit us to start with a clean slate. Many of the challenges that we will face are not new, particularly as we work to promote policies of equity and opportunity to enhance education for all learners. Certainly, such thoughts keep us humble, for even though education has come a long way during the past decades, it—and we—also have a long way to go. Sometimes it is frustrating to realize that as we take one more step toward a goal, the goal seems to be moved further from us.
But if there is one trait of recent decades that will undoubtedly define the new millennium, it is the challenge of constant change. During the dedication ceremonies, all in attendance were invited to join ASCD in becoming the champions of change—creating the experiences and honoring our journeys, our collective wisdom, and the deep inquiry we must now undertake. ASCD is committed to broadening the dialogue and action agenda to include all constituents whose opinions shape education today and tomorrow. Respectful and informative dialogue, disagreement, and reconciliation are essential to realizing policy that will serve the needs of all learners.
The year 2000 also provides a benchmark for ASCD to reconfirm another central aspect of its mission: serving the educators who serve the children of what has been called the "millennium generation." We remain committed to developing the leadership of educators. To meet their needs, ASCD will enlarge the development of programs for future leaders in the classroom, school, district office, and university.
The complex challenges of tomorrow will require complex solutions. We are called to face without fear the radical shift in thinking that we will have to make to live our new story. Although ASCD is proud of its rich legacy, we realize even more profoundly that challenging work lies ahead.
But we cannot do it alone. During the dedication, I announced Partners for Life: A Health in Education Initiative, a four-year initiative undertaken by ASCD and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Through public discussions, collaborations, and publications, this project will increase awareness of public health issues among middle and high school educators. Through a grant program, we will encourage model partnerships between schools and community-based public health agencies affecting middle and high school learners.
While the new headquarters facility has been built with the future in mind, our real work must take place in our respective learning circles, where we synthesize our new knowledge and consummate plans to change our lives, our work, and our world.
To quote Beatrice Bruteau:
We cannot wait for the world to turn, for times to change, that we might change with them, for the revolution to come and carry us around the course. We ourselves are the future, we are the revolution.
The dedication ceremonies made us proud to be part of ASCD. I encourage you to share that sense of pride, to visit your new headquarters, and to take advantage of the many events and services your Association offers.
Hope to see you soon.
Best wishes for a productive and successful year
—Gene R. Carter, Executive Director