Change is in the air. A new season. A new name. A new institute. With this issue the Center X Quarterly becomes the Center X Forum which the editorial board believes better reflects the publication‰s mission—to explore educational issues from a variety of perspectives. This issue focuses on literacy and what that means in different disciplines. Teachers and researchers share with us their work in classrooms and the university. They tell us about work in English, history, mathematics, and science classes. One writer tells us about an Urban Studies Seminar that goes beyond the classroom and into the communities in which students live. We also introduce our latest effort in working with urban schools. The Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access (IDEA) will bring multiple resources, disciplines, institutions, and communities together for educational reform.

In Ancient Rome the forum was a public place forming the center of judicial and public business. We hope the Center X Forum will provide a similar public place for open discussion. We welcome your response to any of the articles in this issue and would like to hear how future issues could promote discussion on what is central to all our work—student achievement.