President's Message - Summer 2010

A HUMBLING JOURNEY

Timothy J. Landrum
University of Louisville

As I assume the presidency of the Division for Research, I feel somewhat like I've just won a Nobel Prize.  (Is my reasoning obvious?)

I've been involved with DR since just after graduate school, when it became clear to me that one way to meet, work with, and learn from the top researchers in the field of special education was to become active in DR.  I've been a membership chair and a newsletter editor, and those were enjoyable, if not glamorous, ways to remain involved with DR over the years.  But it wasn't the committee work or newsletter editing that was most gratifying.  Each year as we would wrap up our work at a CEC convention, or occasional Fall or Summer meeting, I'd feel renewed energy in my own academic work, stronger ties to the research community at large, and a heightened sense of the importance of my own efforts, and those of the division, toward advocating for research and promoting evidence-based practices in special education.

Over the years I've been associated with DR, I've had the opportunity to work with (in alphabetical order) people like Diane Browder, David Chard, Mike Gerber, Russell Gersten, Karen Harris, Marty Kaufman, Kathleen Lane, John Lloyd, Don Macmillan, Marjorie Montague, Sharon Vaughn, and Robin McWilliam.  Who else can say that?  The idea of an all-day board meeting does not sound intuitively appealing; it certainly didn't to me at first.  But in many ways, I have found most of those meetings memorable.  The DR Showcase session this past year in Nashville, "The contributions of research to special education's past, present, and future identity,"  featured a panel of former DR presidents Mike Gerber, Russell Gersten, Karen Harris, and Robin McWilliam. They discussed the trajectory of their own careers in research, as well as the evolution of the field itself.  They talked about successes and missteps, about where our field might be headed, and where it ought to head.  If you had the chance to see that session, you have some sense of what I mean about board meetings being memorable; many were characterized by just such discussions, with some of the giants in our field at the table.  Quite a learning experience for me.

As I assume the presidency, I am particularly excited about four endeavors underway with DR.  Our Beginning Career Workshop, organized by membership chair Stephen Smith, continues to receive glowing reviews from participants.  An exciting volume on research-based practices in special education, to be published by Pearson, is in the final editing stages under the guidance of co-editors Bryan Cook and Melody Tankersley.  And a new endeavor we're exploring, led by Cara Richards-Tutor, is the idea of holding methodological workshops for researchers. While our initial idea had us envisioning an in-person conference or workshop, recent economic times have us exploring the idea of virtual workshops, or webinars.  More to come on that front. Finally, several DR Board members continue to be involved with CEC's work group on evidence-based practices in special education.

In sum, the Division for Research has long been an organization of the best and brightest researchers and advocates for research in special education, and is on a trajectory to make even more concrete contributions to the field.  Assuming the presidency at a time of what I perceive as marked ascendency, and following the astute leadership of immediate past-president Jean Crockett, I feel more than a bit humbled.  I think I'm remembering a recent quote from our current (U.S.) president accurately: I hope someday to deserve this honor.