Contents: The goals of the Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk (JESPAR) are to provide the best research-based information possible to professionals involved with improving the ducation of students placed at risk and to promote the use of that information through effective communications among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the field. JESPAR publishes articles geared to academic researchers, policy analysts, and especially to practitioners regarding practical, research-based progress in the field of education for students placed at risk. The journal offers refereed research articles on promising programs; descriptions of promising programs in the field; case studies of "schools that work"; literature reviews; book and report reviews; regular communications on Title I regulations; and school and district practices from federal, state, and local perspectives. JESPAR's focus is almost entirely K-12.

Case Study Guidelines: The articles that appear in the case-study section of JESPAR must adhere to the following criteria. The case must be from one or more schools and/or programs serving large numbers of students placed at risk. Specifically:

* The school studied would serve a population that is at least 50% free lunch eligible and/or 50% minority or bilingual. In some cases, the program described may serve at-risk students in the midst of a larger school that is not predominantly at risk.

* We define "students placed at risk" in a way that is similar to previously-used terms such as "disadvantaged." The roots of disadvantage might be economic, racial, ethnic, national/regional, or due to some other clear source.

* The definition of a school serving students placed at risk could include but is not limited to alternative schools. While we actively seek reports from "regular" schools, we also welcome reports from schools created specifically to serve students who are not succeeding in "regular" schools. We are interested in receiving reports from alternative, magnet, parochial or private schools, so long as the schools can document that they are working in exemplary fashion.

* The program/practice should have been in place for at least a full year, preferably two or more, to show continuing effects.

* The program must have substantiated evidence of positive effects (preferably including measured gains in academic achievement, but not excluding gains in such other desired outcomes as attitudes and attendance). The program/school must be well described in your case study, both at the level of the student and that of the school. The case, as described, must be verified by people in the school (if the case is written by someone from the outside), or by outside observers (if the case is written by internal persons).

If you feel that your case study meets these guidelines, we would be pleased to consider it.

Manuscript Preparation: Prepare manuscripts according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed., 2001, APA, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242). Follow "Guidelines to Reduce Bias in Language." Use 1 1/2 inch margins. Type all components double-spaced and in the following order: title page (pg. 1), abstract (p. 2), text (including quotes), acknowledgements, references, appendices, footnotes, tables, and figure captions. On the cover page, type article title, author name(s) and affiliation(s), running head (abbreviated title), and name and address of the person to whom requests should be addressed. Research articles should include an abstract of no more than 150 words. Type author notes and acknowledgments at the end of the article (just before the References section). Attach photocopies of all figures. To faciliatate anonymous review, only the cover page should include in the author's name. Careful effort should be made by the authors to see that the manuscript itself contains no clue to their identities.

Book Review Guidelines: In addition to the above general guidelines, the title page of a book review should include: title and author(s) of the book being reviewed; publisher and city in which the book was published; copyright date; number of pages in the book; and hard- and soft-cover price of book. Book Reviews must be no longer than four to seven double-spaced pages. Please cite the page numbers of all quotes.

Manuscript Submission: Submit four (4) high-quality manuscript printouts to the editor, Sam Stringfield, Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk, JESPAR, Johns Hopkins University, 3003 North Charles Street, Suite 200, Baltimore MD 21218-3888. All manuscripts submitted will be acknowledged promptly. Authors should keep a copy of their manuscripts to guard against loss.

Cover Letter: In a cover letter, include the contact author's address and telephone and fax numbers and state that the manuscript contains only original material that has not been previously published and that is not under review for publication elsewhere.

Permissions: Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work and for obtaining permission from copyright owners to reprint or adapt a tabloe or figure or to reprint a quotation of 500 words or more. Authors should write to original author(s) and publisher to request nonexclusive world rights in all languages to use the material in the article and in future editions. Provide copies of all permission and credit lines.

Accepted Manuscripts and Computer Disks: After manuscripts are accepted, authors are asked to (a) submit a disk containing the file in Word or Word Perfect format for Windows; (b) make sure that the content of the file exactly matches that of the printed, accepted, finalized manuscript (providing a revised MS if necessary); (c) provide camera-ready figures; and (d) sign and return a copyright transfer agreement and author information form. It is the responsibility of the contact author to ascertain that all co-authors approve the accepted manuscript and concur with its publication in the journal.

Production Notes: Files of accepted manuscripts are copyedited and typeset into page proofs. Authors read proofs to correct errors and answer editors' queries. Authors may order reprints of their articles when they receive proofs.