Maine Schools in Focus: Submission Guidelines
Maine Schools in Focus is disseminated monthly during the school year by the College of Education and Human Development through postings on the college website (and by email for those who subscribe). This is an outreach effort of the College and is one of the many ways we engage with school education practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders about important issues in K-12 education, education policy, our research and work in Maine schools. The briefs both inform readers about particular topics in education and also spotlight the important work we and our partners do to support improvements in teaching and learning.
An Advisory Board, composed of external stakeholders, members of the college, and the founding-editor Dr. Gordon Donaldson, provides input on topics of interest to help plan briefs for the following year, as well as feedback on our past efforts. Members of the editorial board within the college review the briefs and provide feedback prior to publication. Managing editors, Dr. Jim Artesani, Associate Dean of Graduate Education, Research and Outreach, and Dr. Janet Fairman, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI), manage the flow and scheduling of briefs and provide final editorial decisions.
We invite members of the college and our partners in K-12 school systems to author briefs. These briefs should provide objective information and discussion of a focused topic or area within K-12 education or higher education, with the goal of informing readers and stimulating further discussion within the field. Briefs are limited to 750-900 words and should be written for a general audience, and thus avoid unnecessary technical or research jargon and heavy use of citations. Briefs should conform to current APA formatting conventions. A disclaimer will be attached to all briefs indicating that the expressed views are those of the author(s). The college will solicit briefs on specific topics but will also accept submissions for possible publication. Individuals interested in submitting a brief are encouraged to contact the managing editors in advance to discuss the proposed topic.
Submissions should be emailed to: Dr. Artesani (arthur.artesani@maine.edu) and Dr. Fairman (janet.fairman@maine.edu). A minimum lead time of 3-4 weeks is advised to provide time for the review process. The managing editors will share peer feedback with authors and discuss any suggested revisions.