Sarah Aitken

Sarah Aitken is the Director of Instructional Support, Early Literacy for Instruction Partners. Previously, she served as the Director of Elementary Education for Haywood County Schools in Brownsville, TN, supporting instruction and school administrative teams for Pre-K3 through fourth grade. She focuses much of her time in this position on early literacy and providing students with equitable access to high quality instructional materials that are ground in the science of reading. She is passionate about supporting educators in growing their knowledge of phonological and phonemic awareness and a structured, systematic approach to phonics instruction.

Prior to joining Haywood County Schools, Sarah taught ELA for six years in first and second grade. She has mentored new teachers and worked tirelessly to build collaborative cultures within grade level teams. Sarah worked tirelessly to foster strong relationships with students and their families and while she is no longer in the teacher’s seat, Sarah truly believes that she will always and forever be a teacher first (and looks for every opportunity in her present role to jump back in saddle!)

Sarah is a 2013 graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin where she obtained a B.S. in K-6 Integrated Studies. She is a proud member of the University of Memphis Leadership Scholars 2017 Cohort. This life changing opportunity allowed her to earn a M.A. in Educational Leadership and Supervisory Processes.

Important as her role as educator is, Sarah’s most prized accomplishments is being wife and mother to two lively little boys.

Sarah is on Twitter @SarahAitken14.

Check out Curriculum Case Study: How a More Rigorous Curriculum Got Students in a Rural Tennessee District to Stop Skipping School, a publication in the 74 co-authored by Sarah.