Courtney spent the past 15 years working in public education, including the last eight and a half years as an adult ESL instructor in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In this role, she taught in both traditional face-to-face classroom settings and online, as well as in local factories, with a focus on workforce English. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Central Michigan University. She will soon complete a Master of Education in Instruction and Curriculum from Grand Valley State University.

Sarah-Anne Schicker is a former educator with over a decade of classroom experience. She joined the Professional Learning Team at Newsela as a Professional Learning Specialist in 2024. Based in Nashville, TN, Sarah-Anne was a huge fan of using Newsela’s diverse, accessible, and relevant content in her classrooms as both an educator and an administrator.

In her current position as a Professional Learning Specialist, Sarah-Anne works closely with districts across the United States to provide educators with the tools they need to bring Newsela to life in their classrooms–harnessing the power of differentiation and engagement necessary for today’s generation of world-changing students.