Carroll ISD Deputy Superintendent Dr. Courtney Carpenter knew from an early age she wanted to be an educator. After joining the district in May, she quickly went to work building relationships, listening and learning from stakeholders and setting up Carroll ISD for success. Now heading into her 24th year in education, Dr. Carpenter says she’s excited to not only see every student return to classes in person, but also provide instructional and wellness support for all Dragons.
MY MOM WAS... a young, single mother and aspired to go back to school for her college degree when I was about 8 years old. I have vivid memories of watching her do homework and prepare lessons for her practice teaching classrooms. She would practice her lessons on myself and my brother, and we loved interacting with her. I believe that I saw early on the impact she was having on students.
I ADORED MY… kindergarten teachers, Miss Moon and Miss Lewis. They had me hooked on being a teacher with the weekly alphabet characters. I fondly remember playing school at my grandmother’s house every day after school. She even installed an old chalkboard for me to ‘teach’ my stuffed animals and little brother for as long as he’d sit and listen to me!
AS A YOUNG TEACHER… I loved making an impact on young people across elementary to high school ages. My passion grew to wanting to impact more students and teachers. That is what piqued my interest in pursuing further education — master’s and doctoral degrees — and leadership opportunities as a campus principal and central office administrator.
DR. LEDBETTER IS A VISIONARY… leader with high expectations. He challenges his team to strive for excellence in creating opportunities for students that will help them reach their greatest potential. As an educator who believes in leaving things better than they were the day before, I want to work for a leader who believes in inspiring excellence. Dr. Ledbetter believes in a shared vision and distributive leadership. He believes in community engagement and that philosophy provides a listening culture where stakeholders come together for a shared vision.
WHEN DR. LEDBETTER LEFT MIDLOTHIAN ISD... I, at the time, was serving as the interim superintendent. As I watched him take his vision to a new place, it seemed like a natural fit to want to continue working with him. I was inspired by his vision for public education.
I BELIEVE THAT THIS ROLE… will provide opportunities for alignment across departments and campuses in regards to district goals, strategies and actions, whether that is through the District and Campus Improvement Plan Process, Strategic Plan Process or other large systems. This role oversees the departments of curriculum and instruction, communications, technology, special programs, principals and some district-level responsibilities.
WORKING WITH… principals closely allows for the opportunity of executive-level coaching and thought-partnership. There is great power in collective wisdom and providing campus and district leaders with a reflective process when determining actionable steps. Working with leaders across departments and understanding the intricacies of how each department’s initiatives impact the educational process as a whole is a critical process to alignment and necessary for continued success.
THIS SCHOOL YEAR, I AM EXCITED ABOUT… building relationships with students, staff, parents and the community; going through the Strategic Plan Process to define the future direction of CISD and what our community values in terms of student success metrics; visiting campuses and seeing the great tradition of excellence in CISD; and engaging in conversations around the highest hopes for our Dragons.
WHAT BEING A DRAGON MEANS TO ME IS… we expect excellence for all Dragons: students, staff, parents and the community. It means that we value traditions of high expectations and [strive] for unlimited potential. It means a family of strength and unity, where we are better together.