ElementsEd Submissions

ElementsEd is committed to bridging the gap between education research and everyday life in schools, communities, and families. Written for utility, clarity, and practical value, each issue of our journal centers on a timely and provocative topic in the field of education. The theme of our next issue — “Making Kids Smarter: Are We Up To The Task?” — aims to bring together key frameworks for understanding intelligence alongside research-proven, practical advice.

To further these goals, we welcome pitches from thought leaders, scholars, educators, and other stakeholders that speak to our next issue’s theme (see below for a more detailed description). All proposed articles should focus on timely, topical questions and problems of practice that are of maximum value to an audience that includes both educators and families. To that end, we favor pieces that are actionable, solutions-oriented, grounded in research, and written in an approachable, jargon-free style. You can take a look at our inaugural issue for exemplars.

To pitch us an article, compose a brief paragraph (4-6 sentences) describing your proposed article. Be sure your pitch directly addresses:

• A specific question that your proposed article will answer
• A clear point of view on your chosen topic
• The research or specific examples that inform your thinking on your chosen topic
• How your proposed article speaks to the issue’s theme
• An approximate anticipated word count (we seek articles between 1000-1800 words, depending on the topic)

Send your pitch via email to Işıl Çelimli, Managing Editor, at elements-ed@avenues.org by August 18, 2023. Feedback, guidance, and editorial support will be provided to help authors develop accepted pitches into full-length articles.

About Our Next Issue

When it comes to making kids smarter, we’re getting it all wrong. Myths about intelligence abound — that it stops growing at some point in the development of our brains, or that genius is dictated by genetics, or that we’re just either naturally good at something or we’re not, no matter how much we practice. But we’re doing ourselves — and, worse yet, our kids — a huge disservice when we limit our understanding of cognitive talent to natural aptitude or academic achievement, to where someone’s degree is from or to what job title they hold. Because it turns out that being smart isn’t about how much or how well one learns at all. In fact, the really important elements of intelligence — like empathy, long-term thinking, and problem-solving — are also the ones that give shape and form to a well-rounded, purposeful, and flourishing life.

Being smart is the ability to use knowledge and thinking skills to anticipate, identify, and solve problems. And when we shift our understanding in this way — when we rethink our own thinking about thinking, so to speak — we open up a world of possibilities. What if being smart means being able to adapt to changing circumstances in a world that’s constantly in flux? What if it means being able to connect with others and engage in productive conversations, no matter our backgrounds or beliefs? What if genius is an adjective, not a noun — equally available to each and every one of us, and to each and every child?

In the second issue of ElementsEd, we explore these questions and more. Bringing together the voices of thought leaders, scholars, and educators who are working at the intersection of cognitive science and education, this issue provides new frameworks for understanding intelligence alongside research-proven, practical advice on how parents, educators, and communities can work together to make kids smarter.