Al Shanker's Last Stand ELAINE WOO, Elaine Woo is a Times education writer. Her last article for the magazine was a profile of the principal of Belmont High School
She Ran Away and Joined the Cirque KENNETH TURAN, Kenneth Turan is The Times' film critic. His last article for the magazine was a profile of film director Mike Leigh
The Relentless Hit Man Robert Hilburn and Chuck Philips, Robert Hilburn is The Times' pop music critic. Chuck Philips is a Times staff writer
Seattle Without the Clouds Tim Appelo, Tim Appelo, film critic for the Oregonian in Portland, covered the grunge years for Entertainment Weekly and edited the 1970s Seattle music magazine the Weekly's Sounds
Of Grace and Disgrace Martin E. Marty, Martin E. Marty, a professor of the history of American religion at the University of Chicago and senior editor of the Christian Century magazine, directs the Public Religion Project, a nonprofit group analyzing the role of religion in American life
High Political Anxiety on the Eve of a New Era Tad Szulc, Tad Szulc is the author of "John Paul II: The Biography" (Scribners) and "Fidel: A Critical Portrait" (Avon). He just returned from a trip to Hong Kong
Have the Voters Created Their Dream State Legislature? Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, Melissa Healy covers Congress for The Times. and Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a contributing editor to Opinion, is a senior associate at the Center for Politics and Economics at Claremont Graduate School and a political analyst for KCAL-TV
Ignore All Doomsayers on EPA Laws Gregg Easterbrook, Gregg Easterbrook is a contributing editor to the Atlantic Monthly. His most recent book is "A Moment on the Earth: The Coming Age of Environmental Optimism" (Viking)
The Urban Environment Joan Walsh, Joan Walsh, an editor at Pacific News Service, is the author of "Stories of Renewal: Community Building and the Future of Urban America" (The Rockefeller Foundation)
Take the Initiative to Reform the Process JUDY B. ROSENER, JUDY B. ROSENER is a professor in the Graduate School of Management at UC Irvine. She is the author of "America's Competitive Secret: Utilizing Women as a Management Strategy."