Carter Middle School is nestled in the eastern portion of Knox County, Tennessee. The school zone encompasses over one hundred square miles, which includes a mix of farms, suburban neighborhoods, industrial parks, mines, and inner city living. The students come to Carter Middle School from six different elementary schools. Carter Middle School has around 850 students with about 70% of those students qualifying as Economically Disadvantaged and 20% of the population is identified as students qualifying for Special Education services. The distance from the school to the students’ homes is a challenge. It is hard for students to stay for after school tutoring or events because of transportation issues.
In 2015, Carter Middle School was named a Reward School for its growth in student achievement. This was due to the teacher development for instructional effectiveness through Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) and tracking student data in our PLCs. Teachers focused on student data to guide instruction and to align remediation efforts for students who did not master standards.
The ability of our students to have access to individual devices all the time will further enhance our efforts to move students to the next level. The devices will allow teachers to differentiate instruction for remediation and enrichment. Students will be able to access these resources at anytime. Students will also be able to access research resources from home that they were unable to use before.
Carter Middle School is committed to developing personalized learning for students in order to create learners that are able to problem solve and face challenges they will have in real world situations. By creating an environment that encourages individual thinking and problem solving, Carter is committed to producing students that are able to meet the challenges they will face in higher education and life.
Verizon Innovative Learning Schools