Dr. Carol K. Ingall is the Dr. Bernard Heller Professor Emerita of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary.  She holds bachelor’s degrees from Barnard College and the Jewish Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts in Teaching History from the University of Chicago, a Master of Library Science from the University of Rhode Island, and a doctorate in education from Boston University.  She has been teaching since her late teens and found her calling in Jewish education, where she honed her craft on bewildered elementary school students in suburban Chicago synagogues, on wary middle and high school students in Jewish day schools and community schools, and eager adults hoping to learn more about Jewish history, Bible, and philosophy.  As the executive director of the Bureau of Jewish Education of Rhode Island she traversed the state (it took an hour in any direction) to serve the needs of its teachers and administrators through professional development, stipends for creative curricula, and supervision.

 

Arriving at the Jewish Theological Seminary with a doctorate and a conviction of the importance of making Jewish children good as well as smart, Ingall found a supportive community and colleagues.  Besides teaching moral education, she taught skills for teaching, mentored those students hoping to fill positions in Jewish day schools, qualitative research, adult education and faith journeys, and the history of American Jewish education.  She is the author of four books, including one that received the National Jewish Book Award, and numerous curricula. Her personal favorite is Down the Up Staircase, a longitudinal study of three would-be teachers in Jewish day schools.