Giving Voice and Providing Resources

Inaugural Elementary Teacher Cohort to Launch New Teaching Resource in 2025

NCTE is excited to announce a new educator cohort designed to support elementary classroom teachers and amplify their voice. The seven cohort members were assembled to create a monthly publication that will support teachers at all levels of experience, including those who are early in their careers. The new offering will be a multimodal must-have for NCTE members, featuring classroom stories, implementation strategies, and downloadable resources. The publication is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2025.

Meet the Members of the Elementary Cohort

Jordan Caldwell is an elementary principal in Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania. Prior to becoming a principal, she spent 10 years in the classroom teaching middle school ELA. She is devoted to promoting literacy and lifelong curiosity with all learners. Jordan is a board member of PCTELA (an NCTE affiliate) and is also involved with PAECT.

Dora Diaz is a former two-way dual language teacher and a current PhD student in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on bilingual/bicultural education at the University of Texas-Austin. She has spent the past 14 years working in bilingual education settings as a teacher and assistant principal in the Austin area. She strongly advocates for high-quality, rigorous instruction while focusing on making content relevant for students and their families. She has presented at national and local conferences. Her research interests include integrating diverse funds of knowledge into the core curriculum and developing a more authentic parent involvement paradigm that values different experiences and cultures.

Gary Gray Jr. is a Black Canadian poet and educator who writes for young children (and sometimes adults). Born and raised in Preston, Nova Scotia, Canada, Gray’s love for literature stems from told and untold stories within his community. Gray found inspiration in spoken word to begin writing in high school during a writing workshop by poet and professor Shauntay Grant. He did not read his first full novel until the age of 21. Gray is the author of I’m From, illustrated by Oge Mora (Harper Collins/Balzer+Bray, 2023).

Melissa Guerrette (she/her) is a National Board Certified Teacher with 23 years of teaching experience in grades 4–6 at Oxford Elementary School (MSAD #17), Maine. Guerrette is the 2021 Oxford County Teacher of the Year and a 2022 Maine Teacher of the Year semifinalist. She received her bachelor of arts in elementary education from Saint Michael’s College and a master’s in education through Walden University. Guerrette serves on committees related to reading communities, ELA curricula, teacher leadership, and school improvement. Her professional passion is empowering students and helping them uncover their identities—as readers, as writers, and as people—for themselves.

Kari Johnston is a fifth-grade bilingual teacher in Austin, Texas. She holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, with a focus on bilingual/bicultural education, from The University of Texas at Austin. Kari is passionate about creating opportunities for her students to see themselves reflected in the classroom, particularly through literature. She fosters critical thinking in her students, emphasizing that learning is incomplete without an appreciation for every perspective. She collaborates with families and focuses on providing authentic opportunities to amplify student voices.

Katie Keier has been a classroom teacher, school librarian, and literacy specialist in grades preK–8 for 33 years. She is currently a kindergarten teacher in a Title I school near Washington, DC. Katie is passionate about play, literacy learning, equity and access for all learners, arts integration, and Reggio Emilia-inspired pedagogy. She is the coauthor of Catching Readers before They Fall, writes on the www.catchingreaders.com blog, and posts as @bluskyz on Instagram and Threads. When she is not learning and playing with young children, she can be found running and playing on the mountain trails of Virginia.

Anita Stratton is an elementary educator in central Ohio with over 15 years of experience. She is currently teaching EL and has taught second and third grade. She is committed to creating a loving world for children that is inclusive of all stories. She received her master’s degree in early childhood education from The Ohio State University. She is a member of the Columbus Area Writing Project. She contributed a chapter to The New Teacher Book: Finding Purpose, Balance, and Hope During Your First Years in the Classroom.

Cohort Facilitator

Franki Sibberson has spent the past 35 years in education. She taught in Dublin City Schools for over 30 years and has coauthored several books for teachers. Franki holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in reading from Bowling Green State University. Franki also served as President of the National Council of Teachers of English.

Franki is a lifelong learner, and her passion has always been teaching that is responsive to each individual child. Areas of focus include early and elementary literacy development, student-driven reading choices, classroom design, quality children’s literature, project-based learning, and digital literacy.

Most recently Franki served as the Executive Director of SproutFive’s Professional Learning Institute. There she supported teachers in implementing best practices with 0–5 year olds.

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