Jay Carlton, MFA began his teaching career in 1992, working at the renowned Marion Frostig School for Children with Learning Disabilities in Pasadena, California. Over the next 20 years, training under leaders in the field like Dr. Marshall Raskin, Dr. Roberta Goldberg and Dr. Dean Conklin, Jay participated in all aspects of student life, academic research, and program development, becoming highly educated and trained in the field. His natural talent developed and he became very adept in respect to working with students challenged by mild to moderate disabilities such as ASD, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and many other common learning challenges. By the time he left Frostig, to raise his young family in Oregon, Jay was the high school lead teacher and program coordinator. 

Upon arriving in Oregon, Jay took a job at Highland Elementary School, a magnet school in Bend. It was an incredible learning experience for him, having come from a non-district institution. From that experience, Jay became familiar with how the Bend-LaPine school system worked, how the IEP process functioned, and discovered some of the pitfalls parents fell into while navigating the world of special education. 

After Covid, Jay recognized that he was looking for a more enriching experience in respect to his professional career. Partnering with Samara Learning Center, Jay built a solid learning specialist practice, focusing on all aspects of academic life, ranging from Orton Gillingham reading instruction, mathematics, executive functioning support, and all other academic and organizational challenges up to the 9th grade level. 

After 33 years of working in the field of special education at multiple institutions and with thousands of families across the West Coast, Jay has developed a philosophy that is quite simple. Before academics, Jay takes time to develop relationships with the students. His sessions are supported by mutual respect, genuine care, humor, honesty and the creation of an environment where youth can be themselves. However, after all these years, Jay has yet to find a magic pill for student success. Most growth is messy and happens in increments. Jay’s hope is that the journey to a more secure academic and social school life is an enriching experience in itself. Jay is very grateful for having a career that keeps a smile on his face.

Jay Carlton, MFA
Steller Jay Creative Learning