The decision by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) to de-charter the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) marks a significant moment for our writing studies community. For decades, the CCCC has been home to vital discussions about writing assessment, just as it has fostered so many facets of Writing Studies scholarship and teaching. The Journal of Writing Assessment (JWA) joins colleagues across the field in expressing solidarity with CCCC’s leadership, with the editors and editorial staff of the journals and book series under NCTE, and with the membership of our field’s preeminent professional organization. We also affirm our strong belief in the importance of preserving the scholarly communities and professional networks that have long supported research and teaching in writing studies.
As a scholarly journal, JWA remains committed to the principles of academic and intellectual freedom and to the open exchange of ideas that makes scholarship possible. We believe that the advancement of knowledge depends on professional communities that encourage open and independent inquiry, methodologically sound investigations, and research centered in and inclusive of the communities most in need.
We know the future of NCTE’s journals, especially College Composition and Communication (CCC) and Teaching English in the Two-Year College (TETYC), as well as our field’s book series Studies in Writing and Rhetoric (SWR), are currently unknown or in flux. We stand with the editors and editorial staff of those publications and want to extend an offer of support in whatever way we can. We look forward to working with colleagues across writing assessment as we build a sustainable future for our profession grounded in academic freedom, intellectual openness and curiosity, and a shared commitment to advancing knowledge.
Stacy Wittstock, Co-Editor
Mathew Gomes, Co-Editor
Lizbett Tinoco, Co-Editor
Chris Blankenship, Associate Editor
Tara Wood, Copy Editor
Madeline Sutton, Associate Editor
Alexis Teagarden, Assistant Editor JWA Reading List
Olivia McMurray, Copy Editor JWA Reading List
Stephen McElroy, Associate Editor
Matt Gomes, PhD
Associate Professor of English
Santa Clara University
Indexer and Social Media Coordinator, The Journal of Writing Assessment