English Education

English Education is the journal of English Language Arts Teacher Educators (ELATE), a constituent organization of NCTE. Grounded in ELA teacher education, articles address the preparation, support, and continuing education of English/literacy teachers at all levels of instruction.

English Education accepts manuscripts in three categories, outlined below. As an annual volume, issues are published in July, October, January, and April. For additional insight into writing for the journal, please read Dr. Shoffner’s editorial in the October 2020 issue.

For any inquiries, please contact Dr. Melanie Shoffner, editor, at shoffnme@jmu.edu.

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Call for Manuscripts—Special Issue: Teacher Education as a Political Act
Submission Deadline—EXTENDED: January 1, 2025

In the January and April 2024 issues of English Education, guest editor and ELATE Chair Nadia Behizadeh focused our attention on “engaging in this messy, difficult, and sometimes demoralizing work of striving to integrate a sociopolitical discourse into ELA teacher preparation and K–12 education” (p. 61). Citing the many issues shaping education today—from book bans to “divisive concepts” legislation to oppressive systems—she reminds us that the work we do as teacher educators is work situated in the political.

In “Paulo Freire and the Crisis of the Political,” Giroux (2010) explains Freire’s understanding of education as “eminently political” (p. 336) because

education is a political and moral practice that provides the knowledge, skills and social relations which enable students to explore for themselves the possibilities of what it means to be engaged citizens, while expanding and deepening their participation in the promise of a substantive democracy. (p. 336)

Teacher education can position us and our students to pursue the “practice of freedom” with “a critical sensibility capable of advancing the parameters of knowledge, addressing crucial social issues, and connecting private troubles and public issues” (Giroux, 2014, p. 46)—as long as we understand education as a political endeavor in a politically fraught world.

Volume 57 of English Education will center ELA teacher education as a political act, examining how we navigate the political as ELA teacher educators, as literacy experts, as educational researchers, and as classroom teachers. How are we educating preservice teachers for the political demands of the profession? What can we learn from practitioners in the field who navigate political pressures every day? How might we engage in policy work that pushes back against the neoliberal framing of teaching and learning? What pedagogical moves do we use to prepare our preservice teachers and sustain ourselves in politically hostile environments?

All those who are engaged in the work of ELA teacher education are invited to submit manuscripts engaging with the theme “Teacher Education as a Political Act.” Manuscripts from scholars of color, early-career scholars, and graduate students are welcomed and encouraged. Manuscripts are due by January 1, 2025, and, if accepted, will be published in the April 2025 or July 2025 issue.

For any inquiries, contact Melanie Shoffner, editor, directly at shoffnme@jmu.edu.

References

Behizadeh, N. (2024). Centering hope and organizing for justice by integrating a sociopolitical discourse. English Education, 56(2), 60–65.

Giroux, H. A. (2010). Paulo Freire and the crisis of the political. Power and Education, 2(3), 335–340.

Giroux, H. A. (2014). Public intellectuals against the neoliberal university. In N. K. Denzin & M. D. Giardina (Eds.), Qualitative inquiry outside the academy (pp. 35–60). Routledge.

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Manuscripts

Submitted manuscripts undergo external review by three scholars with expertise in the field. Decisions are typically made within three months of submission.

Research

• Research manuscripts are empirical or theoretical works that examine, illuminate, and expand understandings of ELA teacher education. These manuscripts may address a wide range of topics and/or different levels of instruction but must provide meaningful connections to and implications for teacher education.
• Manuscripts should be no more than 6,000 words, exclusive of references. For initial submission, manuscripts should include tables and figures in the text.

(Re)Active Praxis

• Praxis manuscripts are reflective essays that examine personal pedagogical efforts to engage in ELA teacher education. These manuscripts must engage in thoughtful reflection that considers how individual teacher educators develop, enact, and sustain meaningful personal praxis.
• Manuscripts should be no more than 2,000 words, exclusive of references. As reflective inquiry, manuscripts should be written in first person.

(Re)Viewing the Field

• Book reviews are brief examinations (600-650 words) of recently published works relevant to ELA teacher education. Book reviews are published open-access on the English Education website.
• As English Education does not accept unsolicited book reviews, interested authors should contact the editor or complete the journal’s interest form.

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Submission

Submitted manuscripts should be double-spaced, using Times New Roman 12 pt. font (or equivalent) with 1” margins. Manuscripts should follow the APA 7th Edition style guide and use language consistent with the NCTE Statement on Gender and Language.

To ensure impartial review, please remove any identifying information, such as author name or school/institution, in the manuscript. Author’s in-text citations and references should be identified as (Author, year).

All manuscripts are submitted via Editorial Manager. First-time users will need to register with the system.

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Upon Acceptance

Prior to publication, authors must submit an NCTE Consent to Publish form. Authors are responsible for securing permission to reprint copyrighted material as well as tables, figures, and/or images used in or adapted from other sources. Use of student work (e.g., writing, artwork) will also require written permission from the student.

Research manuscripts require submission of the following:

• copy of IRB approval
• blank copy of participants’ consent form
• brief statement attesting that all participants have signed the given consent form

The editor reserves the right to make editorial changes in any manuscript accepted for publication to enhance clarity, conciseness, and/or style. The editor’s decisions are final.