Educational Leadership, ASCD's flagship journal, is intended for everyone interested in preK–12 education issues, including curriculum, instruction, supervision, and leadership. Each issue contains articles written by educators for educators. We particularly look for articles that inspire improved teaching and learning.
Educational Leadership is known for its theme issues. The more appropriate an article is for a theme issue, the more likely it is that we will be able to publish it. We also accept articles on non-theme-related topics if the subject is compelling and timely.
The EL editorial staff makes all decisions regarding publication. ASCD reserves the right to reject material, whether solicited or otherwise, if it lacks quality or timeliness. ASCD offers no remuneration for articles.
What We Look For
The best way to determine what kinds of articles we publish is to read the magazine.
Most published articles are between 1,500 and 2,500 words, are written in a conversational style, and cover topics that are useful for preK–12 educators. These are some of the qualities we look for:
- Articles describing research-based solutions to current problems in education
- Reasoned debate on controversial subjects
- Opinion pieces that interweave experiences and ideas
- Program descriptions (school, district, or state)
- Practical examples that illustrate key points
- An emphasis on explaining and interpreting research results rather than on methodology
- International contributions
We are not looking for term papers or reviews of literature, and we rarely publish conventional research reports. We cannot review drafts and usually do not find query letters helpful; we prefer to read the manuscript. We do not publish articles that have been previously published, in print or electronic form. While your article is under review with us, we ask that you not submit it to another publication or post it on a website or blog—not even your own.
Please submit your manuscript under the appropriate upcoming theme category. If you wish to submit an article to be considered for the ASCD Blog, please submit it under the "Submit an ASCD Blog" category. Please do not submit the same manuscript under multiple categories--duplications will be withdrawn from consideration.
For more information about the submission and editing process, please visit our web site.
What New Leaders Need
Whether they are principals, district administrators, or teacher leaders, newly minted leaders in education face steep challenges and require specialized support. This issue will look at the demands facing new education leaders and how school systems can help them make more seamless transitions. It will also examine leadership skills development, onboarding mentorship programs, school-management best practices, and common personal and interpersonal challenges.
Submissions Deadline: May 1, 2023.
How to Prepare Your Manuscript
- Double-space all copy and number all pages.
- Indicate the number of words in the manuscript, including references and figures.
- Include your name, address, phone number, and email address at the top of the manuscript. Also include names and email addresses of any coauthors.
- Include a two- or three-sentence bio for each author at the end of the manuscript.
We use the reference style outlined by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Cite references in the text like this (Jones, 2000) and list them in a bibliography at the end of the article. Please do not use footnotes or endnotes for the references.
Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy of citations, quotations, figures, and facts.
The Challenge of Challenging Behavior
In the wake of the pandemic, challenging student behaviors are on the rise, causing frustration for teachers and raising questions about existing disciplinary policies and practices. This issue will take a deep dive into the topic of difficult student behaviors—looking at possible causes and patterns—and explore ways educators can constructively address and resolve them while supporting students’ growth and dignity. The issue will include whole-school approaches as well as best practices and solutions for the classroom.
Submissions Deadline: June 1, 2023
How to Prepare Your Manuscript
- Double-space all copy and number all pages.
- Indicate the number of words in the manuscript, including references and figures.
- Include your name, address, phone number, and email address at the top of the manuscript. Also include names and email addresses of any coauthors.
- Include a two- or three-sentence bio for each author at the end of the manuscript.
We use the reference style outlined by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Cite references in the text like this (Jones, 2000) and list them in a bibliography at the end of the article. Please do not use footnotes or endnotes for the references.
Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy of citations, quotations, figures, and facts.
Literacy Across the Disciplines
Literacy is not just for language arts and English classes! This issue will look at how schools can embed meaningful reading and writing practice in all content areas, exploring both discipline-specific literacy practices and the role of literacy in increasing conceptual understanding and academic growth. Key topics include authentic interdisciplinary projects, research and source analysis, media literacy, technology integration, teacher professional development, working with struggling older readers, and strategic text selection.
Submissions Deadline: July 5, 2023
How to Prepare Your Manuscript
- Double-space all copy and number all pages.
- Indicate the number of words in the manuscript, including references and figures.
- Include your name, address, phone number, and email address at the top of the manuscript. Also include names and email addresses of any coauthors.
- Include a two- or three-sentence bio for each author at the end of the manuscript.
We use the reference style outlined by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Cite references in the text like this (Jones, 2000) and list them in a bibliography at the end of the article. Please do not use footnotes or endnotes for the references.
Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy of citations, quotations, figures, and facts.
Mental Health Matters
Educators have long understood how mental health affects students’ engagement and success. Events of the last few years have underscored the urgency of attending to students’ psychological safety and well-being. This issue will seek to raise awareness of current student mental health challenges and look at ways schools can better support students’ psychological and emotional wellness—including through partnerships, relationship building, crisis-response strategies, professional development, and ongoing care and resources.
Submissions Deadline: September 1, 2023
How to Prepare Your Manuscript
- Double-space all copy and number all pages.
- Indicate the number of words in the manuscript, including references and figures.
- Include your name, address, phone number, and email address at the top of the manuscript. Also include names and email addresses of any coauthors.
- Include a two- or three-sentence bio for each author at the end of the manuscript.
We use the reference style outlined by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Cite references in the text like this (Jones, 2000) and list them in a bibliography at the end of the article. Please do not use footnotes or endnotes for the references.
Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy of citations, quotations, figures, and facts.
The Emotionally Intelligent Educator
In October 1995, the cover of TIME magazine boldly proclaimed that emotional intelligence “may be the biggest predictor of success in life.” Nearly 30 years (and a worldwide pandemic) later, research has only strengthened that claim. For educators and school leaders, having a strong sense of emotional intelligence—the ability to recognize and manage one’s own feelings, and to recognize and respond effectively to others’ feelings—can be a key to school success. What does it take to strengthen characteristics of emotional intelligence, including self-awareness, empathy, optimism, and teamwork? How can teachers and leaders be more in tune with students’ needs—as well as their own? As this issue will explore, how we show up emotionally matters.
Submissions Deadline: October 2, 2023
How to Prepare Your Manuscript
- Double-space all copy and number all pages.
- Indicate the number of words in the manuscript, including references and figures.
- Include your name, address, phone number, and email address at the top of the manuscript. Also include names and email addresses of any coauthors.
- Include a two- or three-sentence bio for each author at the end of the manuscript.
We use the reference style outlined by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Cite references in the text like this (Jones, 2000) and list them in a bibliography at the end of the article. Please do not use footnotes or endnotes for the references.
Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy of citations, quotations, figures, and facts.
Can STEM Save the World?
From climate change to algorithm-driven social platforms, from gene editing to vaccine policy, the world is full of complex challenges and systems that require strong foundations in STEM disciplines to understand. STEM instruction that connects the classroom to our dynamic world not only fosters deeper learning, but also prepares young people to analyze and solve global challenges. This issue will explore how educators can engage students of all levels in multidisciplinary, inclusive, and inquiry-driven STEM instruction that is directly relevant to the world today.
Submissions Deadline: November 1, 2023
How to Prepare Your Manuscript
- Double-space all copy and number all pages.
- Indicate the number of words in the manuscript, including references and figures.
- Include your name, address, phone number, and email address at the top of the manuscript. Also include names and email addresses of any coauthors.
- Include a two- or three-sentence bio for each author at the end of the manuscript.
We use the reference style outlined by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Cite references in the text like this (Jones, 2000) and list them in a bibliography at the end of the article. Please do not use footnotes or endnotes for the references.
Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy of citations, quotations, figures, and facts.
The Power of Teacher Agency
Teachers need autonomy and discretion to develop their practice and improve student learning. They also need to know their voice matters in school decision making. Yet with top-down policies, one-size-fits-all PD, and prescriptive instructional mandates, such agency can feel elusive. How can schools and districts restore teacher agency in this highly politicized, post-pandemic era? How can leaders provide that sweet spot between what educator-author Paul Emerich France calls “total independence and soul-crushing restriction”? This issue will unpack the power of teacher agency—and outline strategies for cultivating it.
Submissions Deadline: December 1, 2023
How to Prepare Your Manuscript
- Double-space all copy and number all pages.
- Indicate the number of words in the manuscript, including references and figures.
- Include your name, address, phone number, and email address at the top of the manuscript. Also include names and email addresses of any coauthors.
- Include a two- or three-sentence bio for each author at the end of the manuscript.
We use the reference style outlined by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Cite references in the text like this (Jones, 2000) and list them in a bibliography at the end of the article. Please do not use footnotes or endnotes for the references.
Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy of citations, quotations, figures, and facts.
ASCD is committed to highlighting diverse voices in education and fostering a dynamic community of passionate thinkers who share ideas around problems of practice and leadership. To further these aims, we welcome submissions for blog posts on best practices, innovative and creative approaches, and ideas in K–12 education.
Short blog posts (600-1,200 words) should be written in an approachable, conversational, inviting, nonacademic style. They should be directed toward an audience of practicing educators—including school and district leaders, instructional coaches and learning coordinators, and teachers—and focus on one or more of ASCD's core topic areas: curriculum and instruction; equity and cultural competency; leadership and management; social-emotional learning; technology; and whole child education.
What We Look For
In general, we look for pieces that are timely and topical, addressing current issues and problems of practice in the field in a concise, conversational, and lively manner. Blog posts should also be solution-oriented and grounded in authentic educational practice and evidence. Here are some examples of the types of online content we publish:
- Best practice pieces on instructional or leadership strategies that offer immediate takeaways for readers.
- Blog posts focused on specific problems of practice in a school community (whether at the classroom or leadership level) and proposed or attempted solutions.
- Pieces highlighting or responding to recent developments, controversies, or research findings in the field.
- Blog posts responding to current events and their implications for schools and educators.
- Personal stories on professional challenges or successes.
- Blog posts for school leaders (including teacher leaders) highlighting ideas and approaches to systemwide change and impact.
- Blog posts focused on ideas and improvements in educator professional development.
- Some of our most widely read topics include instructional strategies, engagement, leadership, professional learning, equity, curriculum, technology, school culture, assessment, classroom management, policy, and social-emotional learning.
What We Don't Want
Types of content we are not likely to publish on the ASCD Blog include research reviews or reports; press releases or product promotions; organizational position/policy statements (including those masked as articles); and attack pieces or political rants. Our style is friendly, conversational, and relaxed. While evidence-based and substantive, the articles we publish are not academic in style and do not use excessive jargon or insider terms.
We also do not accept any content that, in whole or in part, has been previously published, in print or online. Nor do we accept pitches for guest posts.
ASCD reserves the right to reject material, whether solicited or otherwise, on the basis of its evaluative criteria and current content needs. ASCD offers no remuneration for online articles.
Please do not include attachments of photos or artwork with your submission. Images will be discussed during the editing process as needed.
Please allow three weeks for a response before querying about the status of your submission.
We look forward to reading your work!