January 2001 saw the launch of the Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education (CJSMTE), founded by Derek Hodson, Gila Hanna, and Jacques Désautels. It was the first refereed research journal in science, mathematics, and technology education to be published in Canada. This is to wish the journal a happy 20th anniversary.

It was the conviction of the founding editors that there would be great value in a journal with a distinctive and independent voice, welcoming diversity and fostering excellence and equity in science, mathematics, and technology, and this conviction has been fully borne out. The editors and board members, present and past, together with all published authors, can be justly proud of this great achievement. Congratulations!

Back in 2001, it was gratifying to receive good wishes and warm words of welcome from the editors of several established international journals of science, mathematics, and technology education. To cite, for example, the then chief editor of Educational Studies in Mathematics:

Welcome to CJSMTE with its distinctive mission to encourage thinking across the neighbouring areas of mathematics, science and technology education, and across neighbouring English- and French-speaking educational cultures. Welcome, also, to the journal’s commitment to build a more critical, coherent and cumulative research community engaged with important professional issues, through its encouragement of rigorous reviews and analyses of research, policy and practice. (Hodson et al., 2001, p. 7).

CJSMTE was launched with a stellar editorial board, a key factor in its ongoing success. It was the assiduous work of the board members and of a large number of external reviewers that laid a strong foundation and made CJSMTE a well-respected journal here and abroad. This was never more true than in the early years, before CJSMTE had an electronic submission platform. With manuscripts arriving as email attachments or as hard copies in the mail, the journal relied heavily on the sheer devotion of the editorial assistant, editors, and board members, who spent many hours tracking and reviewing manuscript submissions, all the while somehow finding time to extend assistance and advice to often-inexperienced authors.

CJSMTE has come a long way since its beginning in 2001. Its growth has been shaped by a change of publisher, the appointment of new editors and associated editors, and the periodic renewal of the editorial board. The journal did much more than keep its initial promise to provide a distinct Canadian voice, to bring together anglophone and francophone researchers and educators, and to bridge the gap between theory and practice. It has become a truly international journal. Special thanks are due to all the authors, to chief editors, editors, guest editors, editorial assistants, the editorial board, and to the external reviewers, whose efforts ensured the success of the journal. At its 20th anniversary, CJSMTE can confidently look forward to a long and productive life.