Volume 12 of the Mid-Western Educational Researcher contains four issues. The first issue includes kick-off, keynote, luncheon, and presidential addresses from the annual meeting of the Mid-Western Educational Research Association (MWERA), held in Chicago, Illinois, in October 1998. Issue 3 is the program for MWERA's annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois, October 1999. Issue 4 focuses on teacher mentoring in the Midwest. Articles are: "Policy Research in Higher Education: Data, Decisions, Dilemmas, and Disconnect" (Edward R. Hines); "Western Governors University: University of the Future" (Robert C. Albrecht); "Academic Careers in the Twenty First Century: New Options for Faculty" (Judith M. Gappa); "Free Market Policies and Public Education: At What (Opportunity) Cost?" (Kim K. Metcalf); "Conference Highlights" (Jeffrey B. Hecht); "Electronic or Paper? Comparing Submissions to MWERA-98" (Jeffrey B. Hecht); "The History of MWERA and the Role and Scope of Its Historian" (Thomas S. Parish); "The Use of Tests of Statistical Significance" (Thomas R. Knapp); "The Value of Multimethod Qualitative/Quantitative Research Methodology in an Educational Program Evaluation: A Case Study" (Catherine C. Knight, Walter J. Kuleck); "Multimethod Analysis of Mathematics Achievement Tests" (Dimiter M. Dimitrov); "Review of 'Conducting Survey Research in the Social Sciences'" (John M. Linacre); "The Status of High School Scheduling in Illinois" (Donald G. Hackman); "Time Spent on Higher-Order Tasks in Two Teacher-Apprentice Options" (Elizabeth A. Wilkins-Canter, Audrey T. Edwards);"The Relationship between Culture and Cognitive Style: A Review of the Evidence and Some Reflections for the Classroom" (Joan Thrower Timm); "Mentoring: An Introduction" (Mary K. Bendixen-Noe); "Issues in Mentoring Programs for Teachers" (Deborah L. Bainer); "Mentor Accountability: Varying Responses to the New Jersey Provisional Teacher Certification Program and Their Implications for Proposed Changes in Wisconsin Licensure" (Anne D'Antonio Stinson); "Leading the Way...State Initiatives and Mentoring" (Carmen Giebelhaus); "Mentoring: Aim and Assess" (Charles K. Runyan); "The Principals' Role in Mentor Programs" (Barbara L. Brock); "Mentoring and the Impact of Local Teacher Organizations" (Mary K. Bendixen-Noe); "With a Little Help from My Friends: A Course Designed for Mentoring Induction-Year Teachers" (James A. Salzman); and "Extending the Vision: Mentoring through University-School Partnerships" (Connie Bowman). An index of 1999 articles is included. (SV)