Note

Image caption: Catherine Pierre
Editor

So, we cheated.

As the magazine's associate editor, Dale Keiger, likes to say, "Babies are cheating." Magazine editors use them (shamelessly) to draw readers into stories. Puppies are also cheating, as are happy, playful elementary school students. You just can't skip over a story with pictures of cute kids.

That's why, when considering how to illustrate "Changing the Game," Bret McCabe's feature story about the School of Education's new role in managing day-to-day operations of the East Baltimore Community School, we took the irresistible approach: We asked Chris Hartlove (a dad, naturally) to photograph some EBCS students.

But in truth, baiting readers was not our only motive. Bret's story covers a lot of ground—some of the larger issues being debated in education reform; the challenges EBCS students face; the role a newly implemented curriculum is playing in changing the way those kids feel about learning; and the university community's commitment to the neighborhood surrounding its East Baltimore campus. As a demonstration of that commitment, not only has President Ron Daniels made this a priority, but School of Education Dean David Andrews has moved into the neighborhood, just across the street from the school.

All of these are important issues, and they come down to one thing: the kids. After all, they are the future of our wonderful and challenged city. And whether you're a parent, a teacher, a Baltimore City resident, or none of those things, you can't look at their charming little faces and not care what happens to them.

Catherine Pierre
Editor