Bank Street College, long a beacon of progressive education, was recently named by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future as one of seven exemplary learner-centered teacher education programs in the US. Founded in 1916 by Lucy Sprague Mitchell as the Bureau of Educational Experiments for new York City, Bank Street continues to emphasize the individuality of each learner and the importance of community-building in the reconstruction of a more just society. This very sensible approach has enabled Bank Street to make number of important contributions over the years:

• The Bank Street Readers put children of color into textbooks.
• The Little Books anticipated the whole language movement by providing young children with individual books and stories.
• The Bank Street Writer was the first word processing program for children.
• The Voyage of the Mimi was the first interactive multimedia curriculum (and it's where Ben Affleck got his start!)

Based on a teacher education program hailed as a "model of coherence" by the Holmes Group, all Bank Street programs link coursework and supervised fieldwork through an intense process of advisement staffed by senior faculty. This approach to advisement is designed to encourage Bank Street graduate students to reflect deeply, to forge a connection between personal and professional development, to pursue the integration of theory and practice, and to maintain an enduring commitment to collaboration for the benefit of young people and families.

Today, Bank Street graduate faculty are preparing teachers and school leaders, as well as educators for day care centers, museums, clinics and hospitals, to serve the broader range of children and families who will build this nation's future. Well aware of the striking disparity between a mostly white, middle-class, and female teacher corps and the accelerating diversity of our student population, we are currently engaged in efforts to help all educators recognize the strengths and needs of every child - including students with disabilities, newcomer children from different nations, who may or may not be English language learners, and the many children of color from communities who have long been under served.

Mission

We recognize that young people and those who teach them, especially in our large urban centers, will need to draw on everything available that can inform and extend learning. Importantly, this includes educational technology and the arts as well as the many sources of knowledge that all of us bring from our homes and communities. As our colleague Sal Vascellaro affirms eloquently, a key aim of the project we share with partners both in and beyond the NYC school system is to continue "widening the circle of affiliation."

Key Partnerships

Bank Street College's partners include the New York City Board of Education, the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts. Bank Street is also a member of the Holmes/UNITE project.

Judith Rizzo is Deputy Chancellor of the New York public schools. Specifically Bank Street is in partnership with districts 10, 5, 7, 3 and selected schools in district 2.

Scott Noppe Brandon is the Director of the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts and is responsible for their higher education collaborative.

Randi Weingarten is the president of the United Federation of Teachers.

Augusta Souza Kappner is the President of Bank Street College.

For more information, please contact:

Patricia Wasley, Dean of Graduate School of Education
Bank Street College
610 W. 112^th Street
New York, NY 10025
E-mail: paw@bnkst.edu

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