This IMP is for students who have not yet begun their Independent Study. Students continuing an Independent Study from a previous semester should contact their SSA for registration.

To register, please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

If your Program Director approves your request, you will be registered for this IMP by your SSA.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to be registered for an Independent Study (IS500) you must have already secured a faculty mentor who has reviewed your Independent Study (IS) proposal and has committed to serve as your IS mentor.

Title: Picture Books for The Ages

This IMP option invites writers to create a picture book for children of a specific age group of the writer's choice. In addition to the picture book, participants will write a rationale and a child development section, review other children's literature for the same age-level, share their picture book with a group of children, and write a reflective conclusion. The final picture book must include some form of visual illustration.

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This section will run onground.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Between the Branches: A Critical Need for Civics Education

In this group, graduate students will investigate the role of civics education in 21st century K-12 classrooms. Through collaboration with peers, we'll consider both opportunities and challenges for exploring civics with children. Then, graduate students will develop a mini-unit that supports children in forging connections between the past and present, helping them to craft a better future.

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This section will run hybrid. Students may attend in-person or via zoom.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Using Emotionally Responsive Practice (ERP) in the Classroom Setting

This IMP offers a unique opportunity to develop your understanding of the concepts and techniques that are the foundation of Emotionally Responsive Practice, as developed by Lesley Koplow, LCSW. The IMP is also practice-based, meaning that you will bring these concepts and techniques into your professional setting.

Contact erp@bankstreet.edu if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Teacher Leadership

Bank Street-educated teachers are invariably called on for leadership in their schools, yet their preparation programs do not often have room for learning to promote collaboration, peer coaching, and advocacy. This collaborative inquiry provides the opportunity for students to investigate and practice the skills to become teacher leaders and, in general, to inspire, support, and coach their colleagues in improving instructional practice and creating stronger cultures in their workplaces. Participants typically create case studies and/or descriptive analyses of teacher leadership in their own school sites (or, alternatively, a school to which they have ready access).

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Supporting Children with Disabilities in the Early Childhood and Childhood Classrooms

This faculty led inquiry group focuses on supporting students with disabilities in early childhood and childhood classrooms. Participants will share key readings from disability advocates and researchers in the field and create projects that incorporate those findings. All student projects should incorporate a social model of disability framework that understands disability as an aspect of identity and human diversity and not a condition to cure. Final projects can include a research paper, a training for your school communities, an individualized curriculum for a student and or a creative expression of their findings. There are four required virtual group meetings and two individual meetings to support participants in generating their projects. Participants must attend all meetings to successfully complete their IMP. Note: Students must have completed EDUC 803 and either EDUC 629, EDUC 525 or EDUC 807 as a prerequisite to join this collaborative faculty group.

Individual meetings will be scheduled between the 1st and 2nd group meeting as well as the 3rd and 4th group meeting.

Students will be asked to share a short version of their projects during the virtual IMP share which will be held during the January intersession. Exact dates will be available in September.

This IMP is for students in the Early and Childhood Special Education programs.

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

If your Program Director approves your request, you will be registered for this IMP by your SSA.

Students will receive the name of their faculty mentor no later than the end of the add/drop period. Students completing a Mentored Directed Essay (MDE) should find the essay for their program and become familiar with the project before meeting with their mentors. To access the MDE, log into myBSC and go to:
Resources > Integrative Master's Project (IMP).

Title: Courageous Conversations in Child Life Practice

This interactive inquiry will delve into the influence of race on the healthcare of pediatric patients and their families. Using the text 'Courageous Conversations by Glenn E. Singleton as our guide, participants will actively develop strategies to support health and resilience in inpatient and outpatient care settings. Furthermore, participants will reflect on the impact of race on their own lives and the experiences of others. The ultimate aim of this IMP is to isolate specific racial perspectives, unpack their implications, and engage with them meaningfully. This process will enrich our collective understanding and lead to tangible improvements in our professional practice. To provide culturally responsive care, we must understand how race has impacted our lived experience, the experiences of the multidisciplinary team, and the patients and families with whom we provide child life services.

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This section will run online. For Child Life Students only.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Between the Branches: A Critical Need for Civics Education

In this group, graduate students will investigate the role of civics education in 21st century K-12 classrooms. Through collaboration with peers, we'll consider both opportunities and challenges for exploring civics with children. Then, graduate students will develop a mini-unit that supports children in forging connections between the past and present, helping them to craft a better future.

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This section will run hybrid. Students may attend in-person or via zoom.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Using Emotionally Responsive Practice (ERP) in the Classroom Setting

This IMP offers a unique opportunity to develop your understanding of the concepts and techniques that are the foundation of Emotionally Responsive Practice, as developed by Lesley Koplow, LCSW. The IMP is also practice-based, meaning that you will bring these concepts and techniques into your professional setting.

Contact erp@bankstreet.edu if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Teacher Leadership

Bank Street-educated teachers are invariably called on for leadership in their schools, yet their preparation programs do not often have room for learning to promote collaboration, peer coaching, and advocacy. This collaborative inquiry provides the opportunity for students to investigate and practice the skills to become teacher leaders and, in general, to inspire, support, and coach their colleagues in improving instructional practice and creating stronger cultures in their workplaces. Participants typically create case studies and/or descriptive analyses of teacher leadership in their own school sites (or, alternatively, a school to which they have ready access).

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Supporting Children with Disabilities in the Early Childhood and Childhood Classrooms

This faculty led inquiry group focuses on supporting students with disabilities in early childhood and childhood classrooms. Participants will share key readings from disability advocates and researchers in the field and create projects that incorporate those findings. All student projects should incorporate a social model of disability framework that understands disability as an aspect of identity and human diversity and not a condition to cure. Final projects can include a research paper, a training for your school communities, an individualized curriculum for a student and or a creative expression of their findings. There are four required virtual group meetings and two individual meetings to support participants in generating their projects. Participants must attend all meetings to successfully complete their IMP. Note: Students must have completed EDUC 803 and either EDUC 629, EDUC 525 or EDUC 807 as a prerequisite to join this collaborative faculty group.

Individual meetings will be scheduled between the 1st and 2nd group meeting as well as the 3rd and 4th group meeting.

Students will be asked to share a short version of their projects during the virtual IMP share which will be held during the January intersession. Exact dates will be available in September.

This IMP is for students in the Early and Childhood Special Education programs.

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

This IMP is for students who have not yet begun their Independent Study. Students continuing an Independent Study from a previous semester should contact their SSA for registration.

To register, please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

If your Program Director approves your request, you will be registered for this IMP by your SSA.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to be registered for an Independent Study (IS500) you must have already secured a faculty mentor who has reviewed your Independent Study (IS) proposal and has committed to serve as your IS mentor.

Title: There Can Be No Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Without Disabled Teachers

As calls for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education came to a crescendo, including at Bank Street, a glaring absence in these conversations was the invisibility of disabled* teachers in teacher education. While the inclusion of intersectionally-disabled students has long been a focus in education, we think equitable education necessitates parallel commitments to going beyond "including" intersectionally-disabled teachers to viewing them as essential "mirrors in classrooms." Our collaborative inquiry will focus on questions of what these supports should look like and how rethinking inclusion in teacher education could translate into more welcoming schools for children. Our potential projects might include accessibility mapping, social story development, curricular analyses, critical personal narratives, or practical guidance on universal design for learning.

* We use this term in recognition of the ways ableist policies, procedures, and exclusionary spaces (built and social) disable folx.

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This section will run hybrid. Students may attend in-person or via zoom.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Indigenous Ways of Knowing within the Classroom

This joint exploration between students and faculty will center on cultivating Indigenous ways of knowing within the classroom and curriculum.

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Centering the strength of Black and Brown children in schools

Students will embark on a collaborative journey, exploring how children of color experience race in their classroom and its impact on their learning. Through this, they will work together to shape their educational environment, exploring current practices in their school and developing strategies to break down barriers and preconceived notions about the presence of black and brown children in academic spaces and learning communities. They will design a curriculum outlining experiences for a 3-4 week unit and develop 1 lesson plan, choosing the beginning, developing, or culminating phases. Lessons /experiences will build on one another to support their racial development.

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Gender and Sexualities in Education

In this IMP, we will focus on three inter-related aspects of gender and sexualities in the context of education:

1. In alignment with childhood and adolescent development, what might be important and relevant for students to understand about gender and/or sexualities through the developmental stages of K-8 education?

2. In what ways could students engage in critical gender studies and/or critical sexualities studies through these developmental stages? That is, in what ways could they examine gender and sexualities within larger societal contexts and in relation to issues of (in)justice and (in)equity?

3. What is the history of gender education and sexualities education in the US context, and what implications might our explorations of questions #1 and #2 have upon the future of gender and sexualities education?

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

To register, please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

If your Program Director approves your request, you will be registered for Portfolio by your SSA.

Title: Between the Branches: A Critical Need for Civics Education

In this group, graduate students will investigate the role of civics education in 21st century K-12 classrooms. Through collaboration with peers, we'll consider both opportunities and challenges for exploring civics with children. Then, graduate students will develop a mini-unit that supports children in forging connections between the past and present, helping them to craft a better future.

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This section will run hybrid. Students may attend in-person or via zoom.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Using Emotionally Responsive Practice (ERP) in the Classroom Setting

This IMP offers a unique opportunity to develop your understanding of the concepts and techniques that are the foundation of Emotionally Responsive Practice, as developed by Lesley Koplow, LCSW. The IMP is also practice-based, meaning that you will bring these concepts and techniques into your professional setting.

Contact erp@bankstreet.edu if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Teacher Leadership

Bank Street-educated teachers are invariably called on for leadership in their schools, yet their preparation programs do not often have room for learning to promote collaboration, peer coaching, and advocacy. This collaborative inquiry provides the opportunity for students to investigate and practice the skills to become teacher leaders and, in general, to inspire, support, and coach their colleagues in improving instructional practice and creating stronger cultures in their workplaces. Participants typically create case studies and/or descriptive analyses of teacher leadership in their own school sites (or, alternatively, a school to which they have ready access).

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Supporting Children with Disabilities in the Early Childhood and Childhood Classrooms

This faculty led inquiry group focuses on supporting students with disabilities in early childhood and childhood classrooms. Participants will share key readings from disability advocates and researchers in the field and create projects that incorporate those findings. All student projects should incorporate a social model of disability framework that understands disability as an aspect of identity and human diversity and not a condition to cure. Final projects can include a research paper, a training for your school communities, an individualized curriculum for a student and or a creative expression of their findings. There are four required virtual group meetings and two individual meetings to support participants in generating their projects. Participants must attend all meetings to successfully complete their IMP. Note: Students must have completed EDUC 803 and either EDUC 629, EDUC 525 or EDUC 807 as a prerequisite to join this collaborative faculty group.

Individual meetings will be scheduled between the 1st and 2nd group meeting as well as the 3rd and 4th group meeting.

Students will be asked to share a short version of their projects during the virtual IMP share which will be held during the January intersession. Exact dates will be available in September.

This IMP is for students in the Early and Childhood Special Education programs.

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

This IMP is for students who have not yet begun their Independent Study. Students continuing an Independent Study from a previous semester should contact their SSA for registration.

To register, please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

If your Program Director approves your request, you will be registered for this IMP by your SSA.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to be registered for an Independent Study (IS500) you must have already secured a faculty mentor who has reviewed your Independent Study (IS) proposal and has committed to serve as your IS mentor.

Title: There Can Be No Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Without Disabled Teachers

As calls for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education came to a crescendo, including at Bank Street, a glaring absence in these conversations was the invisibility of disabled* teachers in teacher education. While the inclusion of intersectionally-disabled students has long been a focus in education, we think equitable education necessitates parallel commitments to going beyond "including" intersectionally-disabled teachers to viewing them as essential "mirrors in classrooms." Our collaborative inquiry will focus on questions of what these supports should look like and how rethinking inclusion in teacher education could translate into more welcoming schools for children. Our potential projects might include accessibility mapping, social story development, curricular analyses, critical personal narratives, or practical guidance on universal design for learning.

* We use this term in recognition of the ways ableist policies, procedures, and exclusionary spaces (built and social) disable folx.

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This section will run hybrid. Students may attend in-person or via zoom.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Indigenous Ways of Knowing within the Classroom

This joint exploration between students and faculty will center on cultivating Indigenous ways of knowing within the classroom and curriculum.

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Centering the strength of Black and Brown children in schools

Students will embark on a collaborative journey, exploring how children of color experience race in their classroom and its impact on their learning. Through this, they will work together to shape their educational environment, exploring current practices in their school and developing strategies to break down barriers and preconceived notions about the presence of black and brown children in academic spaces and learning communities. They will design a curriculum outlining experiences for a 3-4 week unit and develop 1 lesson plan, choosing the beginning, developing, or culminating phases. Lessons /experiences will build on one another to support their racial development.

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

Title: Gender and Sexualities in Education

In this IMP, we will focus on three inter-related aspects of gender and sexualities in the context of education:

1. In alignment with childhood and adolescent development, what might be important and relevant for students to understand about gender and/or sexualities through the developmental stages of K-8 education?

2. In what ways could students engage in critical gender studies and/or critical sexualities studies through these developmental stages? That is, in what ways could they examine gender and sexualities within larger societal contexts and in relation to issues of (in)justice and (in)equity?

3. What is the history of gender education and sexualities education in the US context, and what implications might our explorations of questions #1 and #2 have upon the future of gender and sexualities education?

Contact the facilitator/instructor if there are questions about a specific inquiry. Registration is not allowed after the class has met.

This inquiry will meet online.

Please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

To register, please fill out this form to confirm your IMP request by August 1st:

IMP Request Form

If your Program Director approves your request, you will be registered for Portfolio by your SSA.