After an extensive search, the Inglewood Unified School District has hired Dr. Carmen Beck as the new Chief Academic Officer. Dr. Beck is a dedicated, dynamic teacher and educator. Previous to accepting the C.A.O. position in Inglewood she was the Director of Curriculum/Instruction and Academic Enrichment for the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools. She served in this role for the past three years. Previous to this, she served 7 years as a Middle School Principal and 3 years as an Assistant Principal in San Bernardino Unified. Before becoming an Administrator, she served as a teacher in Lake Arrowhead for eleven years. During her tenure as a teacher she was also a Bilingual Mentor, an ELIP Coordinator, and a BTSA Mentor.
Dr. Beck’s motto is simple: all decisions within the organization should be based upon how it benefits students. She adds, student’s needs should be our true north! Having spent much her career in and around curriculum, she has learned that it is simply a tool and instruction is the heart. She wants every teacher to feel equipped and supported to “beat” their best! She explained to me that if we just “be” our best, then we are truly not going beyond our expectations. Beck believes that it is her job to support teachers in every way. She plans on continuing what was in place, and finding opportunities to enhance innovative instructional methods to use in the 21st century classroom of today.
In order to do this, she whole-heartedly believes that we have to reallocate our resources to wrap services around students needs instead of replicating cookie cutter programs which don’t meet all students, because they are unique as we all are. Dr. Beck repeats the notion of teamwork which she feels makes the dream work!
