Academics

The Bank Street Approach

• Development Focused
  

  Rooted in Sound Developmental Principles

  Every Bank Street program is grounded in the developmental-interaction approach to learning. We recognize that children and adults learn best when they are actively engaged with materials, ideas, and people. Bank Street educators understand that children do not all learn at the same rate or in the same way. Our graduate students learn to create environments that foster children’s development in the broadest sense by providing diverse opportunities for physical, social, emotional, and cognitive growth.

• Theory and Practice
  

  Engaged in Active Problem-Solving

  A hallmark of the Bank Street approach is the integration of theory and practice and an active, problem-solving approach to learning. All Bank Street courses include opportunities for active learning alongside instructors and peers. At Bank Street, graduate students are immersed in the worlds of children, teachers, families, and educational leaders in schools, museums, healthcare, and/or community settings throughout their courses. Students have opportunities to examine their experiences in light of new ideas and insights and build close relationships that will enrich their professional lives.

• Reflective Supervision
  

  Immersed in a Community of Learners

  We understand that learning is social and that children and adults learn in interaction with each other and with their environment. Through supervised fieldwork and advisement, students gain practical experience with the support of an experienced faculty advisor. In addition to individualized mentorship, students meet weekly with their advisor in a small conference group setting to reflect on their fieldwork experiences. These groups become professional learning communities with peers who support each other in reflecting on their developing practice.

• Social Justice
  

  Grounded in a Commitment to Equity

  Our commitment to social justice begins in every Bank Street classroom as we seek to ensure that every voice is valued and heard. It extends to the work our graduates and faculty do in the larger world. Bank Street graduate students learn to foster children and adults’ innate curiosity, commitment to community, and engagement with the world. Our faculty partners with local, national, and international communities to create family- and child-centered programming in a range of settings. Bank Street educators are advocates for equity and ensure diverse voices are amplified and have impact. In the words of our founder, Lucy Sprague Mitchell, “Our work is based on the faith that human beings can improve the society they have created.”