Bank Street College of Education

When you come to visit our campus, you will see classrooms alive with purpose. Through conversation, collaboration, and hands-on engagement with materials, ideas, and people, Bank Street students of all ages learn how to make meaning of the world around them, build the courage and confidence to think independently, and become thoughtful problem-solvers who work respectfully with others.

Now, more than ever, the job of teaching and learning is of vital importance in our society. New advances in neuroscience are showing that progressive approaches to education like Bank Street’s are critical to healthy development and learning. Our success is rooted in a deep understanding of how children and adults learn best, the strength of the relationships we form with each other, and the abiding commitment that this inspires across our community to help transform the lives of all young learners.

In the words of Bank Street founder Lucy Sprague Mitchell, “we see in education the opportunity to build a better society.”

The mission of Bank Street College is to improve the education of children and their teachers by applying to the education process all available knowledge about learning and growth and by connecting teaching and learning meaningfully to the outside world. In so doing, we seek to strengthen not only individuals, but the community as well, including family, school, and the larger society in which adults and children, in all their diversity, interact and learn. We see in education the opportunity to build a better society.

For more than a century, Bank Street College has led the charge to place students’ needs at the center of practice and policy in the field of education.Since our beginnings in 1916, Bank Street has been at the forefront of understanding how children learn and grow. From schools and museums to early childhood centers and hospital settings, Bank Street has built its reputation on the simple fact that our graduates, educators, and leaders know how to do the work that is right for children.

Today, Bank Street is an innovator in improving the quality of classroom practice and a national advocate for children, families, and the system and policy changes that bring effective and equitable teaching to all.

At the Graduate School of Education, our teacher and leader preparation programs combine the study of human development, learning theory, and sustained clinical practice to produce well-prepared educators ready to help students flourish. Our Children’s Programs for children from birth to high school graduation foster all facets of human intelligence—academic, social, and emotional—so students can thrive in school and succeed in life. In the Bank Street Education Center, we support and influence positive learning outcomes for students, educators, and communities every day nationwide through research, direct work with schools and communities, and strategic partnerships.

Bank Street’s approach to teaching and learning is widely recognized as the gold standard in progressive education.Bank Street’s rich historical and philosophical commitment to progressive education is evident in our approach to the teaching and learning of both children and adults.

The Bank Street approach, known as the developmental-interaction approach, recognizes that all individuals learn best when they are actively engaged with materials, ideas, and people, and that authentic growth requires diverse and nurturing opportunities for ongoing social, emotional, and cognitive development.

At Bank Street, we view teachers and leaders as facilitators of learning. Therefore, we believe it is the educator’s role to meet students “where they are” to help them develop and realize their unique potential. By combining a deep understanding of human development and educational theory with a disciplined approach to observation and reflection, Bank Street educators provide students with meaningful learning opportunities best suited for their learning and growth.

Through this approach, students develop in the broadest sense: They learn to understand themselves more deeply and to make meaning of the world around them; they build the courage and confidence to think independently and creatively; and they develop the skills to work respectfully and collaboratively with others. Our educators encourage students to be curious, love learning, be respectful, embrace human differences, and engage with the world around them to prepare them to lead lives of consequence. Through thoughtful engagement with teachers, peers, and their environments, Bank Street students build the strong critical thinking and the academic and professional skills they will need to thrive in school settings and in life.

As progressive educators, we are deeply committed to strengthening the learning of both the individual and the community, including schools, caregivers, families, and the larger society in which all adults and children interact and learn. Through our work, Bank Street partners with local communities to support strengths-based, learner-centered, and equitable education practices that help influence positive learning outcomes for all students and educators.

Bank Street’s progressive approach to education proudly provides students, educators, and communities with a foundation for transforming our world in large and small ways. Social justice, advocacy, and building an inclusive community are at the core of our work. Every day, we challenge ourselves and our students to grow from the opportunities and hurdles inherent in people working and learning together. In the words of Bank Street founder Lucy Sprague Mitchell, “we see in education the opportunity to build a better society.”