Dr. Jarred Amato is an award-winning English teacher and the co-founder of Project LIT Community, a national grassroots literacy movement. Jarred enjoys reading, writing, and laughing alongside young people every day and collaborating with fellow educators to improve literacy access, attitudes, and outcomes. Jarred is a two-time MNPS Blue Ribbon teacher and the recipient of the Penguin Random House Teacher Award for Literacy and the Inspiring Educator Award from the Nashville Public Education Foundation. Jarred received his B.A. in English and History from Vanderbilt University, his M.A.T. from Belmont University, and his Ed.D. from Lipscomb University. After 13 years of teaching middle and high school English in Nashville, Jarred recently relocated to New Jersey, where he and his wife are attempting to keep up with their 2-year-old son.