The Education Law Association seeks individuals and/or teams of individuals who would like to be part of an editorial team for Religion and Law in the Public Schools, 2nd Edition

Required Qualifications for Editors 

• Educational law content expertise through scholarship and/or practice;
• Prior experience in scholarly or practitioner publishing;
• Demonstrated organizational and attention to detail skills; and
• Proficiency with Bluebook Citation Manual.

Responsibilities of Editors for Each Book 

• Manage review of the chapters assigned;
• Write/co-write an introduction to summarize the book and provide a running order of chapters and updates;
• Connect with current edition authors for updates and revisions; 
• Identify and invite additional authors to update and/or contribute to the book as needed;
• Set and follow deadlines to ensure timely submissions and publication;
• Verify that authors have copyright permission for anything they plan to include in their chapter;
• Verify the accuracy of materials and citations;
• Provide first round of copy editing plus additional support as needed; 
• Identify a cover image (if requested) when the book is completed; and
• Assist with marketing activities for the book.

Work Purpose Statement 

Religion and Law in Public Schools is an important publication for ELA, currently in its 1st Edition (2017). ELA is preparing to update the material for a 2nd edition to reflect current legal language and rulings. The updating process is a collaborative endeavor that requires editors to provide feedback and authors to update the material. The anticipated publication date for the 2nd edition is November 2024. Please review this information about the previous volume on Amazon.

Time Commitment 

Based on prior editions, editors typically find that it takes approximately 100 hours of work spread over a period of about 11 months to edit a book such as Religion and Law in Public Schools. We anticipate having multiple editors who will split the chapters and other duties so that the total time commitment for each editor will be significantly less. There are currently 21 chapters separated into three sections. We hope to publish a shorter book for the next edition, so we are open to considering a new organization for the content of this book. We would also like suggestions for incorporating DEI. We recommend applying as a team of 2 to 4 editors.

Submission 

If you are interested in serving as an editor, please submit a proposal. Your proposal will be evaluated by the Publications Committee, with the Board of Directors serving as the final decision maker. Proposals are due by January 15, 2024. All proposals should be submitted to the Education Law Association, Att: Publications Committee at support@educationlaw.org

Proposal/Application Components 

All proposals should be submitted as one zip file to the Education Law Association, Att: Publications Committee at support@educationlaw.org

1. Application cover sheet + application
2. Cover Letter/statement of interest
3. Short CV of the proposed editors
4. Statement proposal which must include:
   1. Proposed book structure, chapter titles, and summary of needed updates
   2. Author recruitment strategy 
   3. Proposed timeline for author recruitment, editing process, and book completion
   4. Intended audience and marketing strategy
5. Writing or editorial sample of the applicant editor(s)

Compensation

Editors will serve in a voluntary, non-compensated role. The Education Law Association will hold the copyright for all materials included in the book. However, all editors will receive title page recognition for their contributions. 

Contact 

Application/proposal questions should be directed to: the Education Law Association, Att: Publications Committee at support@educationlaw.org