Official Journal of OCTE

Published twice annually, spring/summer and fall/winter

Submission deadlines are February 1 (spring/summer) and September 15 (fall/winter).

The Oregon English Journal is a peer-reviewed publication which serves to reflect current content, theory, research, and practice in the teaching of English Language Arts at all levels, elementary through college.  The journal also publishes original poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.  Oregon English Journal is a forum for the open discussion of ideas.  Publicity accorded to any point of view does not necessary reflect or imply endorsement by the Council, its officers, or members.

Call for Submissions

Fall/Winter 2026 Issue

Theme: Rethinking Professional Learning

There was a time when professional development could ignite a teacher’s passion for the classroom. Workshops, trainings, and collaborative sessions left educators energized, full of ideas, and ready to try something new. They were practical, engaging, and transformative experiences. Today, that is far less often the case. Traditional models—one-time workshops, top-down training, and standardized initiatives—rarely have the same impact, and participation in state-wide and local professional development has dropped sharply. Our own Oregon Council of Teachers of English has experienced this decline, which makes it clear that the way teachers engage in ongoing learning must be reconsidered, re-evaluated, and resuscitated.

Even as attendance at traditional professional development wanes, teachers continue to learn, often in ways that are quieter but deeply meaningful. Collaboration with colleagues, self-directed inquiry, classroom experimentation, professional reading, and participation in broader educator networks are all practices that are context-specific, sustained over time, and guided by the needs of the classroom. These approaches reflect the creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience of educators who seek growth even when conventional structures no longer inspire them.

For the fall/winter 2026 issue of the Oregon English Journal, we invite educators, writers, and scholars to reflect on what professional learning looks like now. If traditional professional development is no longer engaging or widely attended, what practices, structures, and experiences are supporting teacher growth? Where and how does meaningful learning actually happen?

As you consider this theme, please use the following questions as prompts:

• What forms of professional learning have most influenced your teaching practice?
• How do you engage in self-directed or inquiry-based professional growth?
• What role do colleagues, teams, or professional learning communities play in your development?
• How do informal spaces, such as conversations, social media, conferences, or online communities, shape your learning?
• What distinguishes professional learning that leads to lasting change from learning that does not?
• How do you adapt, reinterpret, or resist mandated professional development?
• In what ways do time, structure, and institutional support affect your ability to learn?
• How do you document, reflect on, or sustain your professional growth over time?

• What does meaningful professional learning look like in your specific teaching context?

We welcome a range of submissions, including:

• Classroom-based articles and practitioner reflections
• Scholarly essays and research
• Personal narratives
• Poetry and creative work

As traditional professional development loses influence and engagement, rethinking how teachers learn has never been more urgent. We look forward to reading how you and your colleagues are shaping professional learning in ways that are meaningful, practical, and sustaining.

Editors  

• Bob Bizjak, Beaverton School District

oregonenglishjournal@octe.org

Editorial Board

• Joseph Fitzgibbon, Portland Community College
• Tim Gillespie, Lake Oswego High School, retired
• Erin Ocon, ESL Specialist, Vernon K-8 
• Wendy Swanson, Portland State University, retired
• Kimberly Hill Campbell, Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling, retired

• Editor Emeritus:  Ulrich H. Hardt

Submission Guidelines

Submit an electronic copy of your manuscript/review in Google Docs format and an accompanying separate electronic cover sheet including

• your name
• mailing address
• email
• a 2-3 sentence biographical sketch

Submissions/reviews will be read by the Oregon English Journal Editorial Board members in an impartial blind reading. To ensure this, please do not include your name anywhere on the manuscript/review but on the cover sheet.  

Deadline for Submission for Spring/Summer Issue: February 15, 2026