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ASCD Express is our free email newsletter. Published twice a month, Express provides practical, actionable strategies from teachers, school leaders, and education researchers around the world—straight to your inbox. We develop each themed issue with an eye for relevance to the real experiences of working educators.
We seek articles for each issue's topic from classroom teachers, leaders, researchers, and specialists. Submissions typically range from 600 to 1,000 words and have actionable takeaways. We welcome research-based strategies and solutions, examples from your own classroom, and advice about how to overcome specific challenges. Send submissions or suggestions for themes to express@ascd.org.
In your submission, please include your name, a brief professional bio, links to any sources, and the issue theme. Because of the volume of submissions we receive, we ask that you wait one month after the submission deadline to send any inquiries.
We look forward to reading your work!
School culture and climate, instructional leadership, teacher retention and development—school principals oversee it all. High turnover rates for principals (the national average tenure for a principal is four years; even shorter at high-poverty schools) reflect the effects of increasing demands on school leaders. What are your keys to success when managing principal pressures like keeping your school safe, providing services for underserved students, dealing with difficult employees, retaining great teachers, and managing your time and workload? How do you set and maintain priorities? What advice would you give to new leaders? How do you keep your joy and sense of purpose in a tough job?
Submissions closed
English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest-growing student population group in the United States. Yet most teachers are not trained to work with these learners. This issue will look at the structures and strategies that schools can use to improve instruction for ELLs and maximize their learning opportunities. Articles will explore specific challenges these students face today, both in the classroom and in society. How can schools create supportive spaces for these students, tapping into their strengths and not allowing language differences to be a barrier to learning? What supports work best to drive learning for ELLs in different subject areas? The issue will also address how schools can include ELLs in all aspects of schooling—both general education classes and school activities—and create culturally responsive learning environments that help ELLs thrive. Initiatives to connect with parents and communities will also be highlighted.
Researchers point to a hidden curriculum of white, middle class values that underpins the culture of U.S. schools. Students who don't fit this mold may feel a disconnect between their lives and the experience and content of school. Not surprising, this can lead to disengagement and limited opportunities for students of color and those experiencing poverty. What happens when schools reframe cultural differences as strengths and intentionally embed them in all aspects of learning? How does a culturally responsive approach guide your school? We are seeking articles from educators who are applying culturally responsive approaches to a range of areas within education, including but not limited to: curriculum and instruction, classroom management and discipline, parent engagement and support, school leadership, and ongoing professional development.
Developing strong, enthusiastic readers is one of the central objectives of schools, and yet reading instruction is often beset by complex structural challenges, shifting resources, and competing priorities. This issue will look at effective practices for teaching reading and supporting student engagement in reading at all grade levels. What should school leaders and teachers know about the latest research on reading instruction and literacy development—and how does it translate into the classroom? What works for struggling readers? How can schools create and support stronger cultures of reading? How has literacy changed in the 21st century, and what challenges and opportunities do those changes present? At the secondary level, what works in fostering critical literacy and close-reading skills—and inspiring a passion for reading? How can school leaders prioritize immersive reading skills as a key element of whole child education?
Nearly half of all teachers say they experience a high level of stress, every day. Stress leads to high levels of teacher turnover (44 percent of new teachers leave their jobs in the first five years), particularly in low income schools, and has an overall depressive effect on school culture and climate. What can educators do to make teaching a more sustaining rather than draining career choice? This issue will discuss schoolwide approaches to fostering work/life balance, including how educators and leaders build networks of support, create daily routines to mitigate stress, watch for the warning signs of burnout, strategize task management, and cope with a unique set of stressors.
Submissions due: January 1, 2020
Giving students more say and control over their own education—as well as creating climates that foster student expression—has become a growing priority in K–12 education, intersecting with personalized and student-centered learning movements. But what does this look like in practice? How can educators create lessons and school environments that effectively leverage student voice and agency? What advantages does this create—and what challenges? How might this emphasis transform traditional curriculum and instructional frameworks and develop students as leaders and innovators? Topics to be addressed include the role of technology in shifting instructional paradigms, student activism, problem-solving skills, and student choice within the curriculum.
Submissions due: January 15, 2020
Childhood trauma is one of the most extensive and invisible factors affecting students and their learning, according to research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, not only cause health problems and toxic stress but also create serious roadblocks for students' academic and emotional well-being. A trauma-sensitive learning environment, in which educators are attuned to students' life experiences and work to support their self-regulation and coping skills, has positive implications for all students' success. What are the most important components of a trauma-informed approach for teachers and leaders? What strategies and curricula are most effective? How can teachers infuse a trauma-informed lens into all aspects of their work?
Submissions due: February 1, 2020
Long considered ancillary to other academic priorities, oral communication skills are now increasingly seen as central to student growth and success. This issue will consider ways to go beyond traditional formats for classroom exchanges to discussions that promote higher-order thinking, effective communication, and social-emotional learning skills. What discussion strategies actively engage all students—not just outspoken students, but also introverted ones, students with learning disabilities, and English language learners? How can teachers facilitate nuanced discussions on tough topics, developing students' ability to consider other perspectives and exchange differing opinions? The issue will also look at how discussion skills contribute to whole child learning and development and how educators can foster more effective discussions among themselves.
Submissions due: February 15, 2020
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