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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.
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!
How to submit: We are now accepting submissions through Submittable. If you have questions or suggestions, please send us an email.
On a rolling basis, we are accepting submissions for a recurring monthly issue that will address the challenges educators are facing for the 2020–21 school year related to COVID-19, distance and hybrid learning, health and safety, and equity, as well as the promising practices that will help re-envision teaching and learning post-pandemic. Note: Any submissions submitted under “Ready for the Restart” will automatically be considered.
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: July 15, 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: August 15, 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: September 15, 2020
In the United States, one in five people learn and think differently, and one in four adults have some type of disability. But the world, including our schools, are often not built for differences like dyslexia, dyscalculia, and ADHD. How can educators make sure learners have the support and resources they need to learn, grow, meet challenges, and thrive? With the added complications and uncertainty of distance and hybrid learning, how must teaching change to connect with these students at a distance? In partnership with Understood, this issue will explore how to make classrooms—in person and remote—more accommodating to students with all types of disabilities.
Submissions due: October 1, 2020
Is it true that everything you needed to know about life you learned in kindergarten? Maybe not, but research indicates that a high-quality education in the first few years of school can increase children's success in reading, writing, and math; close achievement gaps; and set the foundation for healthy and engaged citizenship. This issue will delve into best practices and new ideas for supporting early elementary students (K–3) in developing the academic and social-emotional skills they'll need to thrive in later grades—and in their lives.
Submissions due: October 15, 2020
The majority of U.S. teachers report that their work is "always" or "often" stressful. Many are also vulnerable to secondhand trauma and compassion fatigue. Recognizing these as urgent issues in K–12 education, this issue will highlight ideas and programs for promoting teacher well-being and mental health and explore ways schools can provide better supports to help stave off burnout, depression, and anxiety. Educator mental health need not be the "elephant in the classroom" any longer.
Submissions due: December 15, 2020
Educators have no shortage of professional development offerings, but do they always have a lasting effect in the classroom or on school leadership? This issue will explore how and why effective PD works, highlighting successful programs as well as the science of adult learning and knowledge transfer. It will also provide tips and ideas for creating and facilitating effective PD sessions and look at how school leaders can build thriving cultures of professional learning.
Submissions due: January 15, 2021
Maya Angelou once said, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." We know what the data say about inequities in education—now we need to do better. But how do educators actually change their practices to be more equitable? This issue will unpack how biases and legacy policies can shape everything from pedagogy to curriculum to assessments to relationships and expectations—and offer real and practical ways to take action at the school and classroom level. A central focus will be on identifying strategic steps to improving learning opportunities and support for all students.
Submissions due: February 15, 2021
If it's true, as Simon Sinek says, that leadership is a way of thinking and a way of acting, what do effective school principals look like in action—and how do they get that way? What training, system supports, and school structures help principals feel empowered, capable of leading schoolwide instruction, and equipped to create thriving learning environments? This issue will look at ways to strengthen school leadership pipelines, build capacity, and support principals at all career stages. We welcome stories about or by successful school leaders describing their development and their professional needs.
Submissions due: March 15, 2021
Everyone wants to see evidence-based practices in schools. But how can educators and scholars do a better job of translating research findings into classroom instruction and school decision making? This issue will highlight effective ways to bridge education research and practice, exploring promising models and opportunities to address knowledge gaps, identify relevant findings, and integrate best practices in schools. Possible topics to be explored include teacher research, professional development initiatives, school and higher education partnerships, and technology-based solutions to the gap between research and practice.
Submissions due: April 15, 2021
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