Mike Carter joined Wanzenberg and Associates as an Executive Functioning coach in the spring of 2020.
Mike draws from deep experience in special education, and he has served as teacher and building-level administrator in therapeutic settings since 1995. He was also an English-Language Arts (ELA) teacher for over 20 years, working with a diverse group of student exhibiting issues with social and emotional needs. Mike holds active ISBE certification as an instructor as well as administration, with endorsements in journalism, language arts, and secondary education.
Mike guided the development of a new campus of a well-regarded therapeutic Chicagoland day school in 2005. Mike earned his master’s degree in educational administration from Northern Illinois University in 2008 and has served in a variety of admistrative roles. Mike was named principal of a therapuetic day school in 2012 and supports the instruction and operations of that program currently. Mike has participated in over 6,000 IEP meetings in his career and bring a vast knowledge of best practices in special education to Wanzenberg and Associates.
What Mike likes most is working collaboratively with parents and students and highlighting the executive functioning skills that many students are missing in today’s world. He believes these skills need to be taught explicitly and is working on building a curriculum to use with his current high school students. Mike favors a direct, honest, and caring approach with his clients, helping students make necessary changes to gain in their independent, daily functioning in the challenging school environment.
Mike graduated from Indiana University in 1995 with a degree in journalism from the prestigious Ernie Pyle School of Journalism, as well as a degree in education.
Mike is an adjunct professor at Northern Illinois University working in teacher preparation in the Department of Education since 2019.
Mike and his wife Katie have lived in Batavia since 2004 with their two teenaged children, Ellie and Jack. In his free time, Mike cohosts a fantasy baseball podcast and writes about baseball for two websites. He also coaches high school baseball at the high school level.
Mike can be contacted at mdc@iepguardians.org or (630) 545-0234