UTEP’s Jonna Perrillo Awarded NEH Grant to Reimagine the Role of Literature in American Schools

Perrillo, an associate professor of English education and education historian, has received a $174,648 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), marking the third NEH award for this program since 2020 to co-direct the 2026 Summer Institute for K–12 Educators with Andrew Newman, professor of English at Stony Brook University. The program, Making the Good Reader and Citizen: The History of Literature Instruction in American Schools, will bring together 30 middle and high school teachers from across the country for a two-week virtual exploration of the civic and cultural purposes of reading.

For Perrillo, the work begins with a commitment that literature is more than a school subject. “For much of the 20th century, teaching literature was understood as a way to grow citizens; people with empathy, judgment, and a stake in democracy,” she says. “We have drifted away from that vision. This institute is about helping teachers reclaim it.”

The program examines decades of research and archival sources to trace the evolution of literature instruction goals, from progressive, student-centered models that foster moral and civic growth to formalist approaches centered on close reading and textual analysis. Participants will work with leading scholars, engage in collaborative discussions, and design classroom projects that re-humanize the English Language Arts curriculum.

Past versions of the institute, co-directed by Perrillo and Newman in 2021 and 2023, have had a profound effect on participants. Teachers have used the experience to introduce new curricula, advocate changes in district standards, and speak publicly on the social value of reading. One participant described it as “the single most significant experience in my pedagogical development as a teacher.”

The 2026 institute will also create a lasting professional network. Alumni from earlier cohorts have presented at national conferences such as the National Council of Teachers of English, co-authored journal articles, and developed professional development programs for educators in their states. Perrillo’s scholarship, including her forthcoming book on censorship from Harvard Education Press, continues to amplify these voices in national conversations about literature and democracy.

This award positions UTEP at the forefront of a national dialogue on the role of literature in education. By leading this work in partnership with Stony Brook University, UTEP is shaping how teachers, scholars, and policymakers think about literature’s place in civic life. Conversations that begin in El Paso will influence how literature is taught in classrooms across the country.

“In a period when literature is often sidelined by testing and politics, this work helps teachers reimagine its purpose,” Perrillo says. “The students they reach will carry those lessons far beyond the classroom.”

Written by David A. Hernández, Director of Research Development, Research & Innovation

Point of contact: Jonna Perrillo, Ph.D., Professor, Department of English, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at El Paso, jperrillo@utep.edu