Dual Language / Bilingual Early Childhood Special and General Education

In addition to the main admissions criteria, there are additional requirements needed to apply for this program:

• Breadth and depth in the liberal art and sciences.
• Applicants must be fluent in Spanish or Mandarin and have the aptitude to complete graduate level coursework in Spanish or Mandarin.

View the coursework for this program.

Supervised fieldwork/advisement lies at the heart of a Bank Street education. Through sustained experiences in the field, supervision from core faculty, and close collaboration with peers, our graduate students develop the ability to connect theory to practice and to reflect deeply on their own growth as educators.

In this program, you will work in classroom settings as a head teacher or assistant (full-time) or as a student teacher (3 days each week):

• Student teachers will be placed at three age levels within the early childhood range (pre-k, kindergarten, and grade 1 or 2), and in bilingual (Spanish or Mandarin) general education, inclusive, and special education settings.
• As a working head or assistant teacher, you will use your own classroom as your fieldwork. You will gain experience in an additional setting through summer supervised fieldwork/advisement during a July (Summer 2) term.

Taken concurrently with coursework, supervised fieldwork is designed to foster the integration of theory and practice. You will:

• Be supervised by your advisor, a core graduate faculty mentor and experienced teacher.
• Participate in a weekly conference group of 5-7 students and your advisor.
• Reflect on a lesson with your advisor once each month.
• Meet individually with your advisor once each month.
• Complete projects to help you take a deeper look at the setting and students you work with.

Your degree will provide you with a range of career opportunities:

• Teach in dual language or transitional bilingual education classrooms.
• Teach in early childhood general education, special education, or inclusion classrooms in public, charter or independent schools.
• Work as an early-interventionist in social service or education-based agencies, as well as in hospitals or daycare settings.
• Work one-on-one as a Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT) in home and classroom and daycare settings.
• Tutor or work as learning specialist in schools or in private practice.
  Work in special education teacher support services (SETSS) roles

Upon graduation, you will be eligible for New York State certification in Early Childhood General Education, Teaching Students with Disabilities, birth to grade 2, and the Bilingual Extension, provided you complete all other State certification requirements.