Dyslexia News & Blog

What’s the best way to teach kids how to read? The reading debate has been simmering for decades. Recently, thanks to a newly named body of research exploring the science of reading, it has captured news headlines. Don’t get me wrong. I’m delighted by today’s energized discussion over how best to teach kids to read. It’s one of the most important conversations we can have as a nation. Here's what I'd like us to pay attention to instead.

At 3,500 strong and growing each year, our alumni family is a prestigious group whose post-Carroll journeys have taken diverse paths. Lucky for Carroll, they are eager to give back by sharing their experiences. This year, we hosted twelve alums on Alumni Panels following Parent Visiting Days. Read more about their experiences, perspectives, and insights.

Late last month, the journal Nature Human Behavior published the largest, most comprehensive, global study to date on learning progress two-and-a-half years into the pandemic. The results—based on data provided from 15 countries (excluding low-income nations)—were sobering. In short, kids worldwide experienced learning deficits equal to ⅓ of a school year. What’s more, now nearly three years out, evidence suggests those deficits still haven’t been recovered. The story for Carroll students—I’m pleased to say—is different.

Three campuses, one school. We rally around this mantra in our work to build all-school belonging. Naturally, there are inherent challenges to ensuring that our students feel connected to each other when geographically dispersed. It’s the intentional planning of school leaders and dedicated educators that allows Carroll to connect the dots on the map. A recent examples of this was Ruby Bridges Day.

Thanks to the generosity of Stewart Myers and the Maureen McGuire Myers Endowment Fund for Faculty Professional Development, three Carroll educators recently returned to “school” to sharpen and broaden their skills. From a classroom setting to the great outdoors to a yoga studio, their on-the-ground training varied widely. Even more noteworthy is the impact of their experiences on Carroll students. Take a peek at how the 2022 Myers Fellows are applying the lessons they learned in and beyond Carroll classrooms.

Carroll is thrilled to announce the appointment of Ms. Detra Watson as Carroll School’s next Lower School Division Head. She will succeed Sue Kingman and her 22 years of leadership in July 2023.

Every chance they get, Carroll educators celebrate student victories, big and small. By doing so, they foster joy not simply in what was accomplished, but in all the learning that is yet to come. Following their lead, and in the spirit of year-end reflection, I’ve created my own highlight reel of successes and sources of pride—in no particular order—from 2022. It feels important to pause and take stock of the tremendously meaningful work we engage in at Carroll. What’s more, writing it down has made me even more excited for all that lies ahead in 2023!

The first time I heard the phrase “productive struggle” was in graduate school. I was in a math methods course, slogging through some pretty tough concepts. My professor was doing her best to encourage us, reassuring us that floundering, muddling through, and making mistakes were hardly signs of failure. In fact, in these very lurching efforts were the seeds of profound learning. Little did I know, more than two decades later, the notion of productive struggle would be foundational to my work, and to the work of all Carroll educators.

This school year, eight Grade 4 students are piloting the use of a large-scale building kit known as Rigamajig, originally developed for New York City’s High Line Park by toy designer Cas Holman. The kit—filled with every imaginable type of building material—is designed to encourage collaborative, hands-on, open-ended play. But when Head of School Renée Greenfield first ran the idea by Carroll teachers last summer, Lower School science teacher Kelly Sampar and Lower School speech language pathologist Jen Amos immediately honed in on a secondary benefit: building communication skills.