Carter Dewees ('25)

Carter Dewees (SY Class of ‘25) is passionate about the ways in which policy and education intersect. As an American Studies major, Carter has gained insight into the historical and theoretical foundations of US politics and culture. As an Ed. Studies Scholar, he has found a tangible way to apply his knowledge and experiences for improving the US education system, specifically through curriculum development and education policy: “What I love about Ed. Studies is its practicality and all the room it opens for innovation.”

Carter has seen the intersection of policy and education, as well as the practical skills involved in enacting policy and pedagogy, through his EDST coursework. In the course “Public School Policy Reform in the United States,” Carter learned from Nathan Dudley, an educator and advocate who had been a principal in the New York City school system for more than two decades, about the complexities behind running a US public school system. Not only was he taught about the data and political precedent that went into deciding policy, but he also had the chance to participate in a decision-making simulation in the NYC school system. He also had the opportunity to visit three NYC schools: “[These experiences] helped me envision what a future in education might look like.”

For his EDST capstone project, Carter is combining what he has learned about pedagogical practice with his love for American Studies to develop a post-AP Exam 21st Century History Curriculum for Lyman Hall High School in Wallingford, Connecticut. Carter remembers that the most recent question on the AP US History Exam in high school was about the dot com bubble bursting in the 1990s. To engage with politics, however, he required a historical knowledge of the past twenty years, which was not provided by the AP Exam curriculum. “The past is inseparable from the present,” Carter explains. “I wanted to create a curriculum that bridges that gap in an academic setting, since students would otherwise be left to make these connections from sources on the internet, as I did.”

After he graduates, Carter hopes to take a detour from education and pursue a career in sports broadcasting. He hopes to broadcast collegiate sports for a major university before working for a professional team or major network as a play-by-play announcer. However, Carter also hopes to become an educator in the future, applying his historical and pedagogical knowledge to meet and exceed the needs of students in US public education.