Educators » Carol J. Carter

A Balanced Vision: How To Direct Passion With Understanding

When it comes to discussing the obstacles facing Generation Y, itâ€™s easy to get caught up in things that are beyond our control, like the job market or rising tuition. When informing youth of these issues, however, itâ€™s essential to their success that theyâ€™re also aware of what they can control: namely, themselves.

In his opinion piece on Gen Y, Don McNay contrasts two young men he knows. One has been actively searching for work for months and is close to getting a job at a fast food restaurant. The other has mostly given up and now stays at home and watches television. Of the first he says confidently, â€œIâ€™m sure [he] will make it as he keeps trying and trying.â€ For the second he can express no hope of success except by some undeserved miracle.

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The Power of Perspective: How Changing the Way We Think About Students Affects Their Performance in the Classroom

A teacher’s perspective greatly influences the experience and success of the individual’s in their class. Where one teacher might describe a class as â€œunruly,â€ another might describe the same group of students as â€œenergetic,â€ and just this sort of distinction can make the difference between student improvement and student devolution. The power of positive thinking and high expectations, especially on the diverse classrooms of today, is a vast pool of educational power that is tapped much less than it should be.
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3 Ways Educators Can Get Inspired for the New Year

The summer break is coming to end and many teachers are already preparing for the new school year. In the midst of planning, organizing, and putting classrooms back together, teachers can also prepare for the new school year by getting inspired by other educators who are making a difference. Whether you’re ready to embrace the new school year or not, the following are some ways you can get inspired to start the year strong and to bring inspiration into the classroom.
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Growing Class Sizes: Creative Solutions for Challenging Times

What could cause a student to go from Student of the Month one year to nearly failing the next? Family problems, class size, social changes, and a more challenging workload could all be indicators of a rough academic year. For Shania, a third grade student at P.S. 148 in New York who was profiled in a recent Huffington Post article, a combination of these factors brought her grades so low she came close to repeating the third grade.Â Â She is not alone, especially among low-income, urban, and rural students in the United States.

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Career Readiness Evaluated by a Test? The ACT Career Series

ACT Inc. just announced they are developing new assessments aimed at students between 3rd and 10th grade to test their college and career readiness skills. Many states are pushing for more students to leave school with the skills they need to succeed in college and career and ACT believes their new series, to be launched in 2014, will be the answer.

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Extinguishing Behavioral Problems with Peer Programs: Challenging Students to be Active and Accountable

Engaging students is at the top of every educator’s list, but how to engage today’s studentÂ is far more vexing.

For some, engagement can mistakenly be synonymous with entertainment.Â In schools around the country teachers try tricked out gadgets, expensive software, experimental pedagogies to try and tap into what interests the 21st century student. It’s important to cater to the interests of students, but the end result shouldn’t be to be hip to new technology. Instead, engagement, whether achieved through flashy technologyÂ or not, should aim to tame behavioral problems, improve student grades and retention, deepenÂ learning, and call studentâ€™s forth to be active and accountable .

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Increasing Number of College Grads by Aligning K12, Business, and Higher Ed

Alignment is key to getting more students through school and into a fulfilling career. We need to align middle school to high school, high school to college, and college to career. We also need alignent between K-12 systems, colleges, and businesses. And most importantly between students, schools, and parents.
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Transitioning Strong: Using the Summer Months to Prepare Students for Next Year

Learning is a process. We often think of the K-12 experience as a linear experience as students progress from one grade to the next, but within the 12+ years of school, students undergo multiple transitions that break that numerical structure and make it anything but seamless.

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Maximize Summer Learning: Tips for Brain Growth Over the Summer Months

Most summer learning programs are designed for younger students. A summer program or a list of books to checkout from the library is all it takes to help kids stay academically active over the summer months and ready to take on the next school year.

But what about college students? After a stressful senior year in high school or a challenging semester in college, many students are inclined to take a break from learning before the next semester. This can do more harm than good. Putting the brakes on learning at any point in one’s life is discouraged, especially in college where we hope students are learning knowledge is power, knowledge is infinite, and knowledge fades if it’s not put to use.

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Closing the “Book Gap”: A Simple Step to Empower Low-income Families

The achievement gap is not an invisible problem. It is one that we can see and one that can be eliminated if we take action. Every summer underprivileged students who don’t have the means for learning resources or experiences will get set behind their more affluent peers. They also are more likely to return to a home environment every day that is not conducive to learning. Low-income families may have illiterate parents, no or limited access to technology, and a lack of literature — all influences that keep the poverty cycle going and the achievement gap strong.
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