In an opinion piece published on January 3rd, New York Times editorial board member Brent Staples observes that comic books, once reviled by parents and educators as "a hazard to young minds", are gaining "a new respectability at school." For that, he credits The Comic Book Project, started in 2001 and since directed by TC alum Michael Bitz. The Project gives students "the opportunity to collaborate on often complex stories and characters that they then revise, publish and share," Staples says, noting that "the pairing of visual and written plotlines ... appear to be especially helpful to struggling readers."