After two dedicated and thorough years of research, Mathematics educator at Middletown High School North Mrs. Kara Perry has been awarded her Doctorate (Ph.D) Degree in Math Education from Rutgers University.

Perry began taking on graduate program classes at Rutgers in 2015, the same year she began student-teaching at North.  Perry stated that it took four years to earn her Graduate Degree; in January 2017, Perry had successfully earned her Master’s Degree.

As far as teaching at the collegiate level, Perry currently teaches math at Stockton University and Statistics at St. Peter’s University. A part-time college instructor, she plans to continue this path and hopefully have the opportunity to teach at other universities after teaching during the school day at North.

When asked about goals she plans to accomplish in the future, Perry responded, “I want to keep improving as a high school math teacher, and improve on the strategies I use when teaching in the North Active Learning Lab.  I will begin some educational research projects in order to learn more about math education and ways to improve it.”

As a matter of fact, Perry had not always thought about becoming a Mathematics teacher; after beginning tutoring at Stockton’s Tutoring Center, she developed a passion for instructing those who needed her help.

Initially, Perry went to study becoming an actuary, which she said was “a lot of fun, challenging math in the area of risk analysis.”  

Perry knew she always wanted a career where she had the chance to make a positive influence on others. After earning a scholarship to study math through college, Perry decided to take the opportunity and see where it would lead her.

Perry noted that during her college days she was interested in working on new ideas in mathematics that had not been defined yet; she recalled that this was “such an interesting and challenging process.”

“My advisor wanted me to go to graduate school for Mathematics, but I wanted to teach and I really wanted to engage in research that is actually applicable to life and helpful to people,” Perry remarked.  “So I chose a program at Rutgers in Math Education that would allow me to learn how to influence math education on a different level. It really went well with the start of my teaching career because I want to learn about how research affects practice in the education field.  Earning my Doctorate allows me to engage in educational research and try to understand and improve math education.”

When asked about she has to thank for helping her through this in-depth process, she stated that Rutgers research advisor, Carolyn Maher, was an integral individual that aided her throughout the program. Moreover, her husband, Matt, also helped a great deal by listening to her dissertation defense presentation three times while she prepared to deliver it.

Perry told the Lion’s Roar Staff that she doesn’t like to sit still and is looking forward to her next professional challenge. Perry also revealed that since her workload has decreased a bit, she and her husband recently adopted a chocolate lab puppy named Brody!

Again, the Lion’s Roar Staff, along with students and teachers, are extremely ecstatic for Mrs. Perry.  Her devotion toward math education is truly remarkable. She is an extremely hard-working member of the Middletown North faculty and always wants the best for her students. Congratulations Dr. Perry on successfully defending your dissertation, we are looking forward to seeing what lies ahead for you in the years to come!