About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Open to be different...

OTHER EDUCATION
the journal of educational alternatives

ISSN 2049-2162

Most academic journals in the field of education focus on institutionalised forms of educational provision, throughout the life-course. Other Education looks at education differently. Our work enables and enhances movement of education towards the democratic, the autonomous and the socially just. How this is done is, with us, open. We are open to be different...

We operate as an international academic journal with blinded peer reviewed papers. Occasionally, by agreement, we also offer scholars an opportunity for a a community peer reviewed (not blinded) special issue, where peer review occurs within a known group. We embrace practitioner reports and interesting articles of a non peer reviewed kind in our Other Contributions section, which occasionally carries a Teachers' Voices section. We have a Book Reviews section and an Academic Events and Activity section for items of interest, benefit, use and news for our readership.

Our focus is the theory, philosophy and practice of educational alternatives. Educational alternatives signifies home schooling/home education, de-schooling, democratic schooling, Sudbury, Montessori, Steiner and a wide range of 'other' education and alternative approaches outsdie of and also within mainstream practices of education and schooling.

We consider that the work of scholars writing on educational alternatives is currently too dispersed amongst journals without our focus and vision to create concentrated conversations and the development of meanings on 'other' terms. Within this dedicated space to alternatives, in and of education, scholars can generate positive lines of new thought and challenging contributions to any sedimented status quo with force and support of a dedicated audience and editorial team. Discussing attractive, ugly, difficult, simple, valuable, decidedly useless, weird, ordinary and interesting educational possibilities is a part of our remit. We are not just interested in the successful, the beautiful, the high status, the winners... We serve the marginal, the excluded, the poor, the different and those without a voice. As the journal evolves, so will our conversations. Join us. Publish with us.

We aim for the cumulative development of knowledge, understanding and scholarship on educational alternatives worldwide. Other Education seeks to become a focal point for such work and contribute to the visibility and quality of scholarship on educational alternatives; creating a step-change in mainstream reception of such work. The field of practice which will be the focus of contributions is potentially very large and the journal does not wish to create boundaries or limitations. The creativity of authors interested to develop conversations is valued both in terms of content but also new and experimental article formats and structuring. Other Education is currently an English language journal but if you wish to publish in another language please contact the editor to discuss. French, German, Italian are currently possible.

For more information contact Helen or Gina: editor@othereducation.org

Other Education works with a default CCBY licence but other Creative commons licences are possible, dependent on author preferences. Please see options here: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/

Peer Review Process

We double-blind review each article, unless they are part of a special issue reviewing process which may be double or triple reviewed but not blind - by agreement with the editors. Submissions are judged by virtue of their original contribution to knowledge, rigour, neutral or justified perspective, interest and the quality of the writing. Articles are expected to be submitted without substantial spelling errors or inconsistencies in structure. Writing that is different, unusual, challenging and even strange is, of course, very welcome.

Reviews take on average 3 months to be secured and a further month to be fed back to the author. Sometimes there can be delays but we always deliver publication to authors who have been promised it, so do bear with us. 

Reviewers are recruited by virtue of their expertise and interest in the area of the article to be reviewed.

We are most grateful to our community of reviewers for the sharing of their knowledge, advice, time and energy towards the development of other education related scholarship.

We no longer accept articles above a 7k word limit. This is a new (2022 onwards), policy and is non negotiable.

Publication Frequency

We have published two issues per year, without fail, since 2012, usually summer and winter. 

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of research.

Other Education is currently a 'platinum' journal without gold author processing charges (APCs) or green waits. We reserve the right to ask for a small APC where institutionally viable. We would never levy a charge to an individual author but refusal by a university to pay an APC may require an author to publish without affiliation, as an independent scholar (for that piece). Everything is a discussion with the author's and the journal's well-being in mind.

Sponsors

Other Education is presently a fund-free organisation, which means that all the work is done on a voluntary basis. 

Sources of Support

If you are a person, agency or organisation interested to financially support the work of Other Education, please get in touch with the Editor: editor@othereducation.org. Your support will be deeply appreciated and will serve to help us do our work.

Other Education now has Paypal Me facility for donations. Please use the email address: editor@othereducation.org

We thank you so much for any financial support you might choose to give.

Journal History

Other Education was begun in a small way in 2009 by Helen Lees, as a PhD student, in response to a gap in provision within the educational journals arena for a journal focusing on educational alternatives. Between 2010 and 2012, Helen Lees and Gert Biesta worked together on getting the journal launched as Co-editors. From 2013 onwards Helen Lees has been Editor-in-Chief. In 2020 she was joined by Rosetta Cohen as Co-editor for a guest issue. In 2021 Gina Riley joined her as permanent Co-editor. Other Education has an international Editorial Board, relying heavily also on the goodwill and commitment of many wonderful and hard working volunteers to get issues to the public.