Guidelines for Submission of Articles:

1. American Educator is the quarterly professional magazine of the American Federation of Teachers. We are interested in articles on a wide range of topics, including new trends in education, politics, well-researched news features on current problems in education, education law, professional ethics, and thoughtful or thought-provoking pieces and essays that explore current social issues relevant to American society. We also welcome articles on international affairs and labor issues of interest to teachers as AFT members.
   
   
2. Articles should be written in a journalistic style that avoids education and research jargon.  We do not publish research papers, doctoral theses, etc., as articles. If you have been involved in a study or research project that you think would be of interest to our readers, write a story about that research and summarize the pertinent findings. Cite sources within the copy rather than by footnotes.
   
   
3. Personal narratives of classroom experience are read with interest, but few are published. Those selected for publication are short, to the point, and timely.
   
   
4. Articles may vary in length from 500 to 2,500 words, depending on the topic. Avoid overwriting. A well-written article of 700 words, for example, has a much better chance of being accepted than a lengthy, rambling story. Pay careful attention to grammar, spelling, and sentence structure. As teachers, our readers are very quick to point out grammatical errors. We use the University of Chicago Press, A Manual of Style as our stylebook.
   
   
5. We prefer queries to manuscripts. When sending a manuscript (typed, double-spaced), please keep at least one copy of your article on file, as we cannot be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. We will attempt to answer every manuscript query within six weeks. Be sure to include your contact information in the event we need to reach you. 
   
   
6. Authors are paid upon publication. Payment varies according to length and topic. The minimum payment for an article is $300.
   
   
7. If your article is accepted for publication, you will receive a release form for your signature. Unless otherwise indicated, we assume that your article has not been published elsewhere in North America. We purchase all rights to articles (although rights may be returned to author upon request), and the editor reserves the right to edit manuscripts for style, format, and length requirements.

Articles should be sent to:

Lisa Hansel, Editor
American Educator
555 New Jersey Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20001

If you have any questions regarding the Guidelines for Submission of Articles or if would like to submit your article via e-mail, please contact us at amered@aft.org.