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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
When it comes to motivation, the Buddha was right: "You are your own enemy and you are your own savior." Toward the end of a long school year, educators' tanks (and by proxy, those of students and staff) can feel empty. The intention-setting days of September and January are long gone. How do educators reconnect to their purpose and passion and finish the year strong? What personal practices, team-based approaches, or leadership supports boost educator motivation? How can educators apply a motivated mindset to the way they conduct their classrooms or schools? What shifts help save staff or students from end-of-year burnout and fatigue?
Submissions due: March 1, 2020
Research in neuroscience is shedding new light on how students learn and develop. How can educators make the most of this information—and how can they sort genuine scientific findings from myths and hearsay? This issue will offer a solution-oriented look at brain science and education, highlighting both groundbreaking findings and practical takeaways. Key questions to be examined include: How might recent findings in neuroscience inform instructional practices and lesson planning? What aspects of learning have schools conventionally overlooked or discounted? How can schools create the best conditions to support student learning, including in the case of students suffering from trauma or adverse experiences? And what does the latest research on the brain and learning really say—or not say?
Submissions due: March 15, 2020
In the K–12 years, there are clear steps for how to prepare from one grade to the next. But the space after graduation is different: Students can take many different paths, whether to college or careers or alternative programs, and there's no set roadmap for getting them there. In fact, research by author Paul Tough found the transition can be incredibly stressful and confusing for students (especially those from low-income backgrounds) and opportunities for higher education are less democratic than many envision. What are the most effective methods and programs schools can use for college and career readiness? In what ways should schools' preparation processes change? How can educators support students in navigating a complex system of choices? What role should the higher education community and other outside stakeholders play in improving these pathways?
Submissions due: April 1, 2020
All students benefit from being taught by a teaching force that is more representative of the world's racial and cultural diversity. Studies show that teacher diversity especially corresponds with higher academic achievement and social emotional supports for students of color. Although teaching has become more diverse in the U.S. over the past 30 years (20 percent teachers of color), the profession is nowhere near alignment with the diversity of the U.S. population (40 percent people of color) or the population of students in school (50 percent students of color). Furthermore, teachers of color have a higher turnover rate than White teachers and the number of Black and Native American teachers is actually declining. What are the barriers to recruiting and retaining Black and Brown teachers? How can districts create more supportive hiring practices and pathways to teaching? What are the working conditions that influence whether a teacher of color stays or leaves? How can school leaders be more responsive to needs and challenges once teachers are on the job?
Submissions due: April 15, 2020
"The key is not spending time, but investing it," says Stephen Covey. This issue will look at the multifaceted topic of time in schools—how it influences educators' practice and the way schools are structured, and how education leaders can use it more effectively. We'll highlight time-management strategies to help educators become better organized and achieve work-life balance, and we'll explore ways schools can make time for what matters—by maximizing instructional time, prioritizing teacher planning and collaboration, adjusting the master schedule, minimizing "busy work," rethinking school start times, reconfiguring the school year, and more.
Submissions due: May 1, 2020
Gender has become an increasingly significant and sometimes fraught topic in schools. This issue will look at various aspects of gender and gender identity in relation to education. Among other topics, it will examine research on gender and learning and highlight ways schools can be more responsive to students' gender differences and expressions. Articles will discuss gender and development, gender opportunity gaps, the role of single-sex classes and schools, how to avoid stereotyping, and ways to support transgender students.
Submissions due: May 15, 2020
In recent years, the debate over the merits of homework has continued to grow. How much is too much? What types of assignments are most effective for reinforcing and deepening learning? Should homework be graded? And is homework necessary at all? This issue will look at how schools are responding and will tackle important factors in the debate, including the over-scheduling of students' lives, inequity in assignments and home support, and learning and the developing brain.
Submissions due: June 1, 2020
Partnerships between students' school and home lives spell success, especially when educators and parents or caregivers work together well. How can educators foster and maximize genuine relationships with families, mitigate challenges around communication and engagement, and agree on students' best interests? How can schools remove barriers to engagement? What are the signs of effective relationships with families? This issue will dive deeper into the successful tactics school communities use to strengthen the bonds between students' in-school and out-of-school supporters.
Submissions due: June 15, 2020
Managing student behavior in a classroom is hard. Getting all staff on the same page schoolwide can seem insurmountable. This issue will explore how educators can make students accountable for their behavior, while not damaging relationships and self-esteem in the process. Among other topics, the issue will explore restorative approaches to discipline, proactive behavior management, building relationships with hard-to-reach students, and equitable consequences. Articles will look at more than classroom management; they will dive into how whole schools are radically rethinking discipline.
Submissions due: July 1, 2020
Grading reform has become a growing priority in K–12 education, one that is closely tied to equity and instructional policy. This issue will delve into models and practices designed to make grading more accurate and meaningful, with a particular focus on the shift to standards-based grading. Additional topics to be considered include grading alignment and fairness, assessment and progress monitoring improvements, homework changes, and report card redesign; the overall focus will be on grading for learning and to better support student growth. The issue will explore philosophical and pedagogical reasoning behind grading shifts, as well as practical implications and best practices for implementation
Submissions due: July 15, 2020
Learning environments are supposed to spark discussion, but some topics can feel off-limits for the classroom. Issues about race, gender, sexuality, politics, religion, or immigration can be difficult to cover without sparking conflict. Aversion to controversial topics may come from parents, leadership, students, or even educators themselves. But research shows that learning how to have productive conversations and speak openly can foster sympathy toward others. What are some of the most common taboo topics in schools? What training and tools help educators create environments in which students can comfortably engage with hot-button issues? How can teachers and leaders communicate an open climate with parents and caregivers, and how should they respond to conflicts that arise? What ground rules and dialogue models are most helpful?
Submissions due: August 1, 2020
Trauma and adverse childhood experiences are increasingly common for today's students—and awareness is growing about how they can affect a young person's life, outlook, and ability to learn. This reality can be heart-wrenching for educators and presents significant challenges for schools. How can educators be more responsive to the needs of students suffering from trauma? This issue will highlight new research and findings on developmental trauma and learning, explore approaches for accommodating and supporting affected students (in instruction, discipline, relationship-building, and assessment), and call attention to common practices and policies that exacerbate problems. We'll also look at self-care steps for teachers working with these students.
Submissions due: August 15, 2020
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