Search Update
April 22, 2008

Dear Members of the Milton Academy Community,

We are pleased to announce that Mr. Marshall Carter will be the K–8 principal of Milton Academy, effective July 1. Mr. Carter comes to Milton from The Rashi School in Newton, Massachusetts, where he was the middle school director, managing all aspects of the 6-8 grade division within a K-8 setting.

As a member of The Rashi School’s senior administrative team, Mr. Carter helped to make Rashi’s middle school program a vibrant, stable and thriving academic, social and emotional culture that achieves excellent secondary school placement. Mr. Carter chaired the technology committee in addition to teaching seventh grade Language Arts and eighth grade Social Studies classes. An element of Mr. Carter’s success at Rashi was his ability to develop and sustain a trusting relationship with Rashi parents.

“I would like to extend a special thank you to Neal and the members of the Search Committee, as well as to all those members of the Milton community who offered their valuable insight throughout the search process,” said Interim Head of School, Rick Hardy, in commenting on Marshall Carter’s appointment. “Mr. Carter is an experienced and talented educator who is excited by the opportunity at Milton to build on the sound planning by the K–8 committee and to implement a program that maximizes students’ experience at every grade. We are delighted to welcome him to Milton and look forward to working with him as he leads Milton, K-8.”

"I am thrilled to be joining the Milton community,” Mr. Carter said. “It was apparent to me throughout the hiring process that there is uncommon strength, commitment, and dedication among Milton’s faculty and families. As an educator, I have long been committed to the K-8 model, and this is the leadership role that I have been working towards for many years. I look forward to connecting with students, parents, faculty and fellow administrators, listening to their ideas and hopes, and leading a collaborative vision for the new K-8 division."

Mr. Carter’s teaching experience spans more than 15 years. Immediately before his role at The Rashi School, Mr. Carter was a member of the faculty at Shady Hill School in Cambridge for seven years. He taught fifth grade and eighth grade classes, and served as Assistant Director of Shady Hill's well-known Teacher Training Course, working closely with apprentice teachers as they honed their craft. Prior to that, Mr. Carter taught at Campbell Hall Episcopal in North Hollywood, California and at Kent Denver School in Englewood, Colorado. During his independent school career he has coached boys’ and girls’ soccer, directed and produced student theater productions, and advised student newspapers.

The Search Committee, which was led by senior administrative council member Neal Litvack and included faculty from the Lower, Middle and Upper schools, began working in February. The Committee conducted its search guided by the educational goals of a new K–8 structure at Milton: to ensure curriculum continuity and excellent preparation for the Upper School; to implement a nine-year continuum of supportive faculty-child relationships; to respect diverse developmental needs; and to maximize opportunities for student leadership and curriculum development. The Committee began by meeting with faculty, students and parents to define what characteristics would be important in a new principal. Over two months the committee narrowed the field of more than 75 prospective candidates, and hosted three finalists on campus earlier this month. The Committee considered feedback from Milton students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni who met and spoke with the candidates.

Mr. Carter graduated from Bowdoin College with a double major in English and History and earned his Ed.M. from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. An avid traveler and gardener, Mr. Carter also commits his time to community volunteer work through Christ Church Episcopal and Cambridge Camping Association. He lives in Cambridge with his wife, Kendra, and their young daughter, Louisa.