In summer 2025, Carnegie Corporation of New York commissioned NCTE to create teaching resources, developed and peer reviewed by NCTE members, that would bring the philanthropic foundation’s Great Immigrants, Great Americans comic series into classrooms nationwide.
A strong national response from teachers demonstrated the widespread interest and benefits of teaching with comics. The excitement, depth of expertise, and wide variety of applicants made choosing the final cohort members difficult. Ultimately, two cohorts of four NCTE members and one facilitator each were selected for this project. They created 16 lesson plans for middle and secondary grades, which were made widely available on ReadWriteThink for the benefit of all. Their work emphasized not only the final products, but the deep value of comics in the ELA classroom to reach students and invigorate teaching practices.
This release also demonstrates the continued success of NCTE’s cohort model for member engagement, which centers teacher expertise and collaboration around specific topics in the teaching and learning of English language arts. Cohort members have shared how important the work is to their ongoing learning, joy for teaching, and ability to be immediately useful in their classrooms.
Learn more about the cohort members below, and join them for a special webinar about these resources and their work. The webinar will take place January 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET. Register here.
While teachers everywhere are increasingly obligated to focus more on state testing, and district curriculum rather than meaningful collaborative experiences, opportunities like the Comics Cohort with NCTE remind me why I became a teacher. Working together with other passionate experts happens all too infrequently in the day-to-day, and NCTE’s commitment to making sure teachers have that opportunity is invaluable. – Philip Belcastro
As a classroom teacher, I was empowered with this work. I felt like a trailblazer, who was given an opportunity to make their classroom practices heard, and was given the opportunity to share with others without doubt or questioning. A lot of times teachers are questioned relentlessly about their classroom practices, so this was a wonderful change. – Zainab Jabak
Contact NCTEAwards@ncte.org with any questions.
MEET THE “JUSTICE LEAGUE” COHORT
Jason D. DeHart is a passionate educator, actively engaged in finding what works for connecting readers with literacy practices. DeHart earned his PhD from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2019. He served as a middle grades English teacher for eight years; has worked at the university level at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, as well as at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Appalachian State University; and currently works with high school students in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. DeHart’s publications include Building Critical Literacy and Empathy with Graphic Novels, as well as a number of edited volumes for Routledge and IGI Global. He has written articles and posts for The ALAN Review, English Journal, the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Edutopia, Steve Bickmore’s YA Wednesday, and MiddleWeb.
Philip Belcastro is a public high school English teacher in Philadelphia. He is passionate about educating teenaged students and helping them navigate the difficult and complex world through short-fiction works, including comics and graphic novels. His students learn to become better writers of nonfiction academic writing, as well as creative writing, and critical thinkers through classroom exploration of literature and new media such as TV, film, and video games. He is on several advisory committees at the district level working to improve English classes for all students in Philadelphia. He was also part of the 2023 New York Public Library Center for Educators and Schools summer residency program, working with other educators from around the country to help develop curriculum using the library’s free resources on Afrofuturism and speculative fiction by marginalized communities.
Dr. Scott Honig started reading and collecting comics in the early 1990s (X-Men was his gateway drug), but it wasn’t until college that it became an academic pursuit. A summer internship at Marvel Comics served as a foundation for understanding the comics process. In the early 2000s, Dr. Honig began his career as a secondary ELA educator. What started as an extracurricular comic book club grew into the inclusion of one graphic text in each English class, which then became entire classes on comics as literature, art, and history/culture at the high school and middle school levels. His doctoral dissertation centered around the use of comics and graphic novels in the high school ELA classroom.
Dr. Erica Washington McDonald is a seasoned educator and instructional leader with two decades of experience serving Title I schools. A native of Flint, Michigan, she began her career after earning a bachelor’s in education from the University of Michigan and later completed a master’s at Marygrove College. She earned a doctorate in middle secondary grades education at Kennesaw State University. Her research focuses on culturally responsive pedagogy, student engagement, and community-centered instruction. Her professional journey includes impactful work with Georgia’s Department of Juvenile Justice, where she developed a deep appreciation for experiential and inclusive learning strategies. She currently serves as a language arts educator in Cobb County Schools and is the founder of Treasurechest Learning Systems and Booker T. Washington Family Initiatives. Her teaching philosophy is inspired by her family legacy, including her great-great-grandfather, Booker T. Washington, and great aunt, Sarah Meriwether Nutter. As a committed member of Kappa Delta Pi, she empowers educators to integrate multimedia, alternative texts, and student choice into their instruction. Her goal is to equip teachers with practical tools to foster equity, deepen engagement, and build strong classroom and community connections.
Dr. Andrea Parker is a twenty-year veteran of Chicago Public Schools where she has spent most of her career as an English language arts teacher. During her tenure, she has facilitated annual student poetry slams, as well as a theater club where she writes and directs her original plays. She is National Board Certified and has mentored new teachers for over six years. She has previously and will again present at the Illinois Association of Teachers of English Annual Conference, primarily focusing on vocabulary development strategies. She was honored as Chicago’s WGN Channel 9 Teacher of the Month for April 2022. Dr. Parker extends her talents to college students, serving as an adjunct professor in English at Chicago State University, where she earned her MFA in creative writing in May 2025. In her free time, she performs stand-up comedy, travels, plays the violin, and bowls in her local bowling league. Dr. Parker has been a member of NCTE for more than six years.
MEET THE “LITERACY LANTERN CORPS” COHORT
Peter Carlson is a literacy curriculum specialist with Green Dot Public Schools in Los Angeles, where he supports secondary ELA teachers in designing equitable, rigorous, and responsive instruction. With over a decade of teaching experience in South LA, including courses in English, broadcast journalism, and critical media literacy, he brings deep expertise in integrating media and storytelling into academic spaces. He is coeditor of With Great Power Comes Great Pedagogy: Teaching, Learning, and Comics and an active contributor to national conversations on comics education. Peter’s current work centers on culturally responsive pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and academic discourse, guiding educators in transforming student voice into classroom power. He is especially committed to supporting educators navigating curricular constraints while dreaming boldly with their students.
Jeff Gentile After graduating with a bachelor’s in English lit and journalism from the University of Oregon in 1989, Gentile spent a few years focusing on development and fundraising for a homeless shelter, as well as working in the food service sector. He then went on to earn a teaching certificate from Concordia University in 1997, beginning his teaching career in Portland, Oregon. He has taught English and social studies at Roseway Heights Middle School since 1998. In 2005 he earned his master’s in education from Lewis and Clark College. Since then, Gentile has regularly attended multidisciplinary conferences and workshops, focusing on reading acquisition and on teaching talented and gifted and ELL students.
Eric Kallenborn discovered his love of comics at age 10, when his dad would take him to the local candy store to pick up monthly issues: a tradition that sparked a lifelong passion and eventually shaped his career. A high school English teacher for over 20 years, Eric has integrated comics and graphic novels into his teaching to engage students and elevate critical thinking. He has also helped develop comics-based curriculum for both English and art classrooms, advocating for their value as serious literary and artistic texts. Eric shares his expertise at events across the country, from local educator workshops to national fan and education conferences. His work promotes the power of visual storytelling in the classroom and encourages educators to embrace pop culture as a tool for meaningful, inclusive instruction. His work has been featured in a number of academic publications.
Zainab Jabak (she/her/hers) is a Lebanese-American educator, avid reader, speaker, consultant, and proud product of immigration. She brings years of varied school experiences from the US and abroad.
Having served as the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts’s (TCTELA) High School Section Chair, Jabak enjoys collaborating with other educators from across the state, and now the country. She currently teaches at Alief Taylor High School in Houston, Texas. She has worked with children and families for over eight years in various educator roles. She enjoys collaborating with fellow educators and advocates for social and political change in education. Jabak rejoices in collaborating with educators and allies toward growing a strong foundation on which students can thrive.
Currently, she is embarking on her sixth year of teaching, teaching sophomores to foster a love of reading. While juggling state standards, Ms. Jabak creates a meaningful balance so students can reap the benefits of reading for pleasure. Outside her classroom, she partners with her school district’s professional development team to create and facilitate learning modules and live workshops for teachers to gain a better understanding of culturally responsive teaching.
Her affiliation with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) has led to her involvement with various literacy initiatives including ALAN’s Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee and NCTE’s Build Your Stack® Committee.
Jabak has received several awards and grants: the 2023 Promising Young Educator Award by Abydos Learning International, the Book Love Grant, and the Educators Making a Difference Award from the We Need Diverse Books Organization. She is the founder of the first Project LIT Chapter at her school district, where she ensures all students are provided with culturally relevant texts.
Anna Gotangco Osborn is an experienced reading specialist with twenty-four years of secondary ELA teaching experience. She happily learns with middle school readers and teachers at Jefferson Middle School: A STEAM Academy in Columbia, Missouri. She has presented for NCTE and other national and state organizations on topics such as teacher agency, reading/writing strategies, and young adult literature. Recently, she co-moderated NCTE presentations with Asian American authors and graphic novel teachers, authors, and researchers. A biracial Filipina American and daughter of a Filipino immigrant, she advocates for stories that celebrate a broad definition of what it means to be American. Anna has written educator guides for Mae Respicio’s Isabelle in Bloom and Emily Jenkins’s All the Best Dogs. She’s currently a doctoral candidate in reading education at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her research focuses on teachers’ stories about using graphic novels to discuss social justice issues with secondary students.