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Academic Programs

Reading and Literacy: Inclusive Teaching

MSEd

  • Program Overview

    If you already have initial teaching certification, the newly redesigned  program in Reading and Literacy: Inclusive Teaching prepares you to work across grade levels, providing a greater range of teaching opportunities. This program is for classroom teachers who seek to deepen their literacy teaching methods, become reading specialists or literacy coaches who work with culturally diverse learners, and develop literacy curriculum that applies culturally responsive pedagogies. 

    Using multicultural literature as a foundation for teaching literacy, the program is designed to integrate reading research and practices that are informed by evidence-based teaching methods for early childhood through high school. Your fieldwork will coordinate with coursework in each year of the program to provide opportunities to deepen the connections between theory and practice. You will study methods for teaching phonics,  decoding, reading comprehension, spelling, and writing to neurodiverse learners.

    The program examines oral language, reading, and writing development along a continuum to guide the teaching of literacy skills and strategies. You will learn to use assessments to inform decisions about learning and guide differentiated instruction for students with a range of reading profiles across grade levels. During fieldwork at partner schools in New York City, individualized supervision is planned in conversation with your Bank Street advisor.

    Benefits of this program include:

    • Small class size and faculty/student ratio, which provide opportunities for collaboration, in-depth learning, and individualized coaching.
    • Rolling admissions and the flexibility of starting in fall or spring
    • A program plan that you can complete in 18 months while you continue teaching in your current position
    • Additional certification that may increase your salary.

    This 33-credit program prepares you to obtain professional New York State certification in Literacy-All Grades (Pre-K–12th Grade) and culminates in a Master of Science in Education.

    Lynne Einbender teaching a reading and literacy graduate class

  • Admissions Requirements

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

    • Applicants must already hold a valid initial New York State certification in Early Childhood or Childhood General Education.

  • Coursework

    View a sample program

    View the coursework for this program

     

     

  • Supervised Fieldwork/Advisement

    Supervised fieldwork and advisement are at the heart of a Bank Street education and take place at partner schools in New York City.

    Through sustained experiences in the field, supervision from core faculty, advisement from on-site mentor teachers, and close collaboration with peers, you’ll develop the ability to connect theory to practice and to reflect deeply on your own growth as an educator.

    • Advisement: Learn from an experienced educator—your faculty advisor—who regularly conducts on-site visits to observe and gain context about what skills you need to refine and advance.
    • Practicum: Two core practicum courses enable you to put your learning into context: Clinical Practicum in Teaching Literacy to Children with Language and Learning Disabilities and Clinical Practicum for Teaching Literacy Across the Content Areas.

  • Career Opportunities

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

    • Teach in classrooms with increased depth in literacy across grade levels
    • Teach as a reading and literacy specialist in schools, supplemental programs, and in private practice
    • Work as a literacy coach to deepen literacy practice for other teachers
    • Earn a higher salary with an additional certification

    Graduates who choose to teach outside of New York State can usually arrange for reciprocity for teaching certification in their new location.

    Two graduate students practicing reading a children's book in a classroom

  • Faculty

I'm a reading specialist at Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy 1. At Bank Street, I learned that being an educator is at once an intensely intellectual, emotional, and justice-oriented practice. The support I received from my mentors continues to be unparalleled as I learn on the job and pursue doctoral study. A former instructor, Laurie Rabinowitz, recruited me to co-author “Disability Sustaining Pedagogy: Literacy Instruction Informed by the Knowledge and Lived Experiences of Teachers with Disabilities.” Working on the paper taught me about the need for teacher voices in research and their critical role in bridging theory and practice.
Veronica Walton, GSE ’23
Graduate student and child reading a book

Meet Our Alumni

  • Xiania Foster is a literacy staff developer for the organization, Teaching Matters. This article features her work with teachers to help them improve reading instruction. Read more >>
  • Shelby Brody is a certified literacy specialist who taught grade 5 humanities at Bank Street’s School for Children while earning their master’s degree. Shelby is currently a fourth-grade head teacher at Grace Church School. Watch her video >>