NCTE Elementary Cohort

Developed by credentialed and committed educators, Classroom Corridors is a monthly digital publication that brings practical insight and inspiration directly from elementary classrooms. Each multimodal issue features classroom stories, implementation strategies, downloadable resources, and the Corridor Conversations podcast—all created by teachers, for teachers. Explore the latest issue at ClassroomCorridors.org.

To help nurture connection and amplify teacher voice, Classroom Corridors also hosts virtual gatherings for those interested in writing for the publication. These sessions invite teachers to join cohort members in conversation around upcoming themes and consider what they might contribute to Classroom Corridors. Teachers participate in discussions that support their own writing, with the goal of publishing a piece in Classroom Corridors.

About the Elementary Teacher Cohort

The Elementary Teacher Cohort was established in 2024 to better support NCTE members teaching in elementary classrooms and to amplify their voices through new opportunities for leadership and collaboration.

Now in its third year, the cohort continues to develop practical resources and meaningful opportunities for elementary educators to learn from one another. Welcoming two new members to the 2026–2027 cohort brings new experiences and perspectives that will enrich Classroom Corridors and strengthen support for teachers nationwide.

Elementary Teacher Cohort Members (2025–2026)

Kenya Clark is a National Board Certified Teacher, literacy advocate, author, and instructional leader from Mississippi. With a passion for the Science of Reading and educational equity, she is dedicated to helping students, teachers, and families build strong literacy foundations. Kenya serves as a grade-level leader, Teach for America Leadership Development Coach, and presenter, sharing practical strategies that foster student achievement and joyful learning. As an author and creative, she believes in the power of art and stories to inspire, connect, and transform lives.

Dora Díaz is a former two-way dual language teacher and a current PhD candidate in curriculum and instruction, with an emphasis on bilingual/bicultural education, at the University of Texas at Austin. She has spent the past 16 years working in bilingual education settings as a teacher, assistant principal, and, more recently, as a teacher educator 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 local, national, and international conferences. Her research examines how governmentality, surveillance, and policies shape education and how classroom communities collectively resist these forces to create more equitable, dignified, and humanizing learning environments.

Victoria Dotson has spent the last decade teaching elementary literacy. She holds a master’s degree in reading with a Literacy Specialist certification from Loyola University. She is currently teaching fifth grade on the northwest side of Chicago, where she seeks to center the voices and stories of her multilingual students.

Gary R. 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 25 years of teaching experience in grades 4–6 at Oxford Elementary School (MSAD #17), Maine. She is the 2021 Oxford County Teacher of the Year, a 2022 Maine Teacher of the Year semifinalist, and was recognized with the 2025 Claudette and John Brassil Award for Distinguished Teaching from the Maine Council for English Language Arts. She received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Saint Michael’s College and her master’s degree in education from Walden University. She serves on committees related to reading communities, ELA curricula, and teacher leadership locally and across Maine, including as an original member of the Teach Maine Center Executive Team. Her professional passion is empowering students and helping them uncover their identities—as readers, as writers, and as people—for themselves.

Katie Keier has been a classroom teacher, school librarian, and literacy specialist in grades preK–8 for 35 years. She is currently a kindergarten teacher in a public school near Washington, DC. Katie is passionate about play, literacy learning, agency and access for all learners, arts integration, outdoor education, 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. When she is not learning and playing with young children, she can be found running and playing on the mountain trails of Virginia.

Khaliah Purvis is a fourth-grade teacher at Patrick Henry K–8 School in Alexandria, Virginia. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Virginia and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. Passionate about literacy, culturally responsive teaching, and creating meaningful learning experiences for diverse learners, Khaliah was named Patrick Henry K–8 Teacher of the Year for the 2025–2026 school year and received the ACPS Heart Work Award.

Kara Hinderlie Stroman spends her day teaching five- and six-year-olds in a small public community school in Portland, Oregon. She was a member of The Oregon Writing Project as a writing coach. She has written two articles that have been published with Rethinking Schools in a variety of their publications, including Teaching for Black Lives and The New Teacher Handbook. Kara was the winner of the Enid Lewis Children’s Book award in 2022 and has led professional development workshops across the country focusing on early elementary literacy practices in teaching and learning.

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.

Elementary Teacher Cohort Members (2025–2026)

• Jordan Caldwell
• Dora Díaz
• Victoria Dotson
• Gary R. Gray Jr.
• Melissa Guerrette
• Katie Keier
• Anita Stratton
• Kara Hinderlie Stroman
• Facilitator: Franki Sibberson

Elementary Teacher Cohort Members (2024–2025)

• Jordan Caldwell
• Dora Díaz
• Gary R. Gray Jr.
• Melissa Guerrette
• Kari Johnston
• Katie Keier
• Anita Stratton
• Facilitator: Franki Sibberson

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