Education Commons^™

Learning Within Socio-Political Landscapes: (Re)Imagining Children’S Geographies, Kathryn Lanouette, Katie Headrick Taylor

Occasional Paper Series

In this special issue, we bring together educators and researchers to (re)imagine what it means to teach and learn within the immediacy of the here and now, an orientation crucial to confronting contemporary threats to children’s lives, democracy, and the planet. We seek to extend and broaden Mitchell’s original conceptualization by centering the past and future alongside the immediacies of the now, elevating Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) perspectives in children’s geographies and exploring potentialities of mapping in analog as well as emerging digital forms. We also aim to carry forward her commitments to listening to children with …

Integrating Residencies Into Substitute Teaching, Prepared To Teach, Bank Street College

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

This one-page document illustrates the possibilities and benefits of having residents take on substitute teaching roles in a district. Dollars previously allocated to substitute teaching can be redirected toward candidate stipends while substitute teaching needs are largely met by the cohort of residents.

Alternative Routes To Teacher Certification

Occasional Paper Series

Alternative routes to teacher preparation are clearly here to stay. A growing research literature on non-traditional pathways suggests the complexity of the task ahead. This report offers new teachers the opportunity to tell their own stories in their own words.

Coherent Schools, Powerful Learning: When Shared Beliefs Fuse School Culture, Structures, And Instruction, Douglas R. Knecht

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Describes the evolution of a theoretical model of school quality drawn from my experiences teaching at different schools, pursuing graduate studies, leading district policy and support networks, and partnering with school systems, as I presently do at Bank Street College of Education. The model positions schools as the key lever for improvement and equity in our public system and focuses on the coherence of school culture, structures, and instructional approach grounded in beliefs of human development and learning. Using two contrasting schools as cases to explore and develop this model, I offer one as an example of incoherence and the …

Following The Money: Exploring Residency Funding Through The Lens Of Economics, Karen Demoss, Prepared To Teach, Bank Street College

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Following the Money digs into how the system for funding teacher preparation fuels a host of shortcomings: subpar routes to teaching, inadequate practice before entering the classroom, shortages in high need areas, underprepared teachers. Following the Money finds that financial barriers limit our ability to grow to a universally high-quality teacher preparation system, calling for a stronger knowledge base about the economics of teacher preparation to understand how we can realize the quality we need.

Prepared To Teach Urban Transformation Strategy, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

When teachers quit, education fails. Prepared To Teach is solving the crisis of teacher turnover in urban public schools.

Prepared To Teach Paradigm Shift, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Prepared To Teach is changing the way we prepare teachers. Read about how we work with stakeholders to shift thinking about teacher preparation.

Urban Transformation Deck, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Prepared To Teach's urban transformation summary.

Sample Mou For Residency Partnerships, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

This sample document reflects Prepared To Teach's best learning to date. Partners can proceed in their work without a formal MOU in place, and develop one at an appropriate time to best support their needs and partnership.

About Prepared To Teach, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Learn more about Prepared To Teach and our work around sustainable funding for teacher preparation.

“Who You Callin’ Smartmouth?” Misunderstood Traumatization Of Black And Brown Girls, Danielle Walker, Cheryl E. Matias, Robin Brandehoff

Occasional Paper Series

The emotional rhetoric in education often sympathizes with white teachers while labeling Black and Brown female students as angry, defiant, and/or disinterested. This is done without considering: (a) how white emotions influence interpretations or (b) how Black and Brown girls feel. This essay interrogates how emotionalities of whiteness traumatize Black and Brown girls. Using critical race theory’s counterstorytelling, it begins with the story of a Black girl and her response to her teacher’s white emotions. Then, the paper demands that teachers, especially those who are white, stop emotionally projecting onto Black and Brown girls and instead begin an honest listening.

From Preparation To Practice: Designing A Continuum To Strengthen And Sustain Teaching, Sharon Feiman-Nemser

Occasional Paper Series

This paper was written to stimulate discussion and debate about what a professional learning continuum from initial preparation through the early years of teaching could be like. Drawing on a broad base of literature, the author proposes a framework for thinking about a curriculum for teachers over time. The paper also considers the fit (or misfit) between conventional approaches to teacher preparation, induction, and professional development and the challenges of learning to teach in reform-minded ways and offers examples of promising programs and practices at each of these stages.

There And Almost Back Again, Holley Adcock

Occasional Paper Series

Adcock reflects on and asses her thirty years of experience living and teaching overseas in places all over the globe. This essay focuses on the changes to both individual and national identity that take place when immersing oneself in other cultures.

Normalizing The Need For Help: What All Teachers Need, Nancy Gropper

Occasional Paper Series

Gropper recalls her need for support when she first joined the graduate faculty at Bank Street College as a Supervised Fieldwork advisor. She explores the connections between her own most recent experiences as a newcomer and what all new teachers need in order to succeed - teacher support. This article describes critical components of a teacher support program, referencing the methods of the New Educators Support Team (NEST).

Wrong Place, Right Time, Rachel Mazor

Occasional Paper Series

Mazor recounts working in the three distinctly different environments during her first year of teaching: sixth-grade math, pre-school social studies, and first-grade reading. Each of these experiences taught her specific skills that she later applied to assignments; additionally, each experience helped her develop her own style as a teacher.

When September Comes Again, Elizabeth Huffman

Occasional Paper Series

Huffman describes her first year teaching as extremely difficult and stressful. She reflects on her experiences and includes a log of events that she had written throughout that first year. Her stories remind her why she continues her journey as a teacher today.

Introduction: The First Years Out, Judith Leipzig

Occasional Paper Series

An introduction to a series of essays from former Bank Street advisees that reflect on their first-year teaching experiences. The essays reflect the voices of those in the midst of becoming the teachers they hope to be. They touch on important aspects of teaching such as being present, bringing one's whole self, recognizing the interdependence between students and teachers, and generosity.

Teaching My Child To Resist In Kindergarten, Christine Ferris

Occasional Paper Series

Ferris describes how she taught her son to resist in his kindergarten classroom while drawing on her own experiences as an educator. Their experience draws attention to common teaching methods that do not promote socialization or free thinking. This also highlights the issues that can arise when the value system of a school does not align with a family's own beliefs - especially when alternative schools are not a viable option.

The Power Of More Than One, Jane King

Occasional Paper Series

Jane King reflects on her experiences as a preschool teacher eager to use methods outside of the norm. She resists activities that encourage homogeneity and strives to promote autonomy and free thinking in her students. After transitioning from teacher to parent, she still uses this philosophy to make small changes in her daughter's classroom and encourage her children to engage in acts of resistance and critical thinking both in and out of school.

Stayers, Leavers, Lovers, And Dreamers: Why People Teach And Why They Stay - 2004 Barbara Biber Lecture, Marilyn Cochran-Smith

Occasional Paper Series

Marilyn Cochran-Smith delivers the Barbara Biber Lecture at Bank Street College in memorial of her legacy as a researcher, scholar, and leader in progressive education. Cochran-Smith focuses on what lies at the heart of teaching and learning on an individual level as well as what it will take to improve the current state of urban schools. Her main points address teacher retention and differences among generations of teachers.

Cost-Saving Partnership Structures, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Residency partnerships can create structures that save dollars in the long run.

Building Strong Partnerships For Preparation, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

When strong partnerships are established, districts and preparation providers make changes to the way they work and and the way they work together. The result is a system transformation through the kinds of shifts illustrated below. These partnerships enable IHEs and districts to bring existing resources to bear on work in new, mutually beneficial ways.

Cost Savings Through Reduced Turnover, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Residency-trained teachers stay in the classroom longer, reducing district spending on recruitment, training, and on-boarding.

No Teaching More Fulfilling: An Interview With Pam Jones, Linda Levine

Occasional Paper Series

Teacher educator Linda Levine interviews colleague Pamela Jones on her enduring commitment to quality education for all. Pam shares her thoughts and insight into what it takes to be a successful teacher in high-needs urban schools. Two guiding principles emerge as prerequisites for success: teachers need to be true to themselves and to find teaching assignments in places that resonate with them.

Commentary, Marjorie Siegel

Occasional Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Commentary, Susan Freeman

Occasional Paper Series

Silver Linings, Gil Schmerler

Occasional Paper Series

Looking for rays of sunshine amidst an educational landscape that has taken a particularly horrific beating in the last decade or two is a difficult – maybe quixotic – undertaking.

“If We Look To Buy The Cheapest Paper, Why Not The Cheapest Teachers?”, Fred Klonsky

Occasional Paper Series

Describes the assessment driven state of the author's school district in Illinois.

Overcoming Barriers To Coteaching, Seamus O'Connor

Occasional Paper Series

Seamus O’Connor, a high school special education teacher, shares a story of bridging a divide. He takes a clear and honest look at the evolution of his relationship with his coteaching partner, Carol. In doing so, he explores themes of equity, trust, and negotiated differences in building a collaborative classroom.

One Perspective On Harriet Cuffaro: A Story Of Engagement And Experience, Celia Genishi

Occasional Paper Series

The author presents her learning process in creating this essay, by highlighting some of Harriet Cuffaro's many insights, which she offers within the context of an unfolding story. She also takes the liberty of weaving her story together with Cuffaro's, interwoven with aspects of John Dewey’s philosophy.