Pitch us

If you are a student anywhere in the world writing seriously about policy and institutions, this masthead reads you.

What to send

A pitch, not a finished piece. Three things, in under 300 words: the claim an institution made, in its own words and dated; the document that shows what actually happened; and why the gap exists. If you already have a draft, send the pitch anyway and attach the draft.

Pieces run 800 to 1,500 words. One Chart and Five Questions run shorter by design. A piece earns extra length with evidence.

What happens next

Every pitch gets a response within three weeks. If we take it, an editor works the piece with you to the same standard as our own, and the editor’s name runs next to yours. Acceptance is never guaranteed, which is the only reason an acceptance here means anything.

What you keep

Everything. You hold full rights to your work and may republish it anywhere. You may describe the piece and the edit anywhere you like.

What we do not take

School coverage, breaking news, unsigned opinion, personal essays, fiction, and claims nobody has adjudicated. The What we cover page has the six questions a piece starts from, and Standards has the rules it is held to.

Send it

Put the institution and the claim in the subject line. Tell us your school and where you are writing from. It goes on your byline, not on our flag.