Why Bank Street
Preparing teachers and educators to be leaders in progressive education.
Founded more than a century ago, Bank Street has a long history as a leader in progressive education and a deep commitment to principles of social justice. We see in education the opportunity to build a better society.
Tell us about yourself.
Connect with our enrollment team and learn more about Bank Street’s online graduate programs.
Our approach to progressive education emphasizes and embraces
- A recognition that learning happens best through meaningful relationships developed in the context of intentional communities.
- A deep understanding of individual development, rooted in evidence about what works for learners at all ages.
- A commitment to building educational experiences upon the strengths of individuals.
- Social justice and principles of access and equity for all learners.
- Advocacy, action, and the fostering of democratic principles.
Bank Street Graduate School of Education offers online and on-campus degree programs leading to the Master of Science (MS), Master of Science in Education (MSEd), or the advanced Master of Education (EdM). All programs are registered with the New York State Education Department and most lead to eligibility for New York State Professional Certification.
Across our leadership, teacher, and educator preparation programs, Bank Street graduate students learn through active engagement with materials, ideas, people, and environments, and benefit from the deep expertise of our faculty. We develop thoughtful educators who make learning vital and creative and who seek to understand and develop the capacities of the children, adults, and communities they work with.
Message From Our President
I offer you a warm welcome to Bank Street College of Education. This year, in addition to my role as president, I also will be serving as the interim dean of our Graduate School of Education.
As the first Bank Street alum to serve as president, I am honored to say I speak from experience. My time as a student here was a turning point. I learned that when we connect teaching and learning meaningfully to the outside world, we can strengthen not only individuals, but our neighborhoods and communities at large.
Bank Street pioneered an approach over a century ago that celebrates the whole child, reveres the relationship between student and teacher, and honors each child’s unique journey. Our work is grounded in the belief that education is a process of constructing knowledge, and that when learners begin to question the world, they connect to their own sense of agency and engage in deeper learning.
Through mentored fieldwork and deep relationships with faculty, our graduate students learn how to transform educational theory and ideas from the abstract to the concrete, developing the skills necessary to thrive in real-world settings as impactful educators, community leaders, museum educators, and child life specialists.
If you, too, would like to start shaping the future through meaningful, developmentally appropriate learning opportunities for students of all ages, I encourage you to find out more about our many graduate programs, our amazing faculty and staff, and our passionate students and alums.
Bank Street is a powerful and well-respected educational institution—an engine of innovation and learning that strives to become more and more accessible to both educators and children. I hope you will join us—because together, we can transform the world through education.
Sincerely,
Shael Polakow-Suransky, GSE ’00
President, Bank Street College of Education
Why Bank Street?
100 years of developing educators and leaders who make a difference in the real world
A Bank Street education is a meaningful investment for you to develop the tools to truly engage children, provide a learning experience that pushes boundaries, and positively impact students, families, and their communities.
87% Stay in Education
Bank Street graduates enter and remain in the field of education at high rates, with 87% remaining in the field of education and 57% reporting that they are working as a P–12 classroom teacher (across a survey of one dozen years).
Program Effectiveness
87% of Bank Street graduates feel their teacher preparation program was “effective” or “very effective” vs. 66% of comparison teachers.
Graduate School Experience & Fieldwork
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.
- Students put knowledge into practice, learning from experienced mentors in the field.
- A core faculty advisor visits each advisee over time to support individualized professional learning goals.
- Advisors observe and mentor each advisee, meeting individually and with field mentors throughout the period of supervised fieldwork.
- Students participate in a regular conference group with their faculty advisor. These groups become professional learning communities where peers support each other with deep inquiry into their developing practice.
Explore All of Bank Street’s Graduate Programs
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Contact UsTell us about yourself.
Connect with our enrollment team and learn more about Bank Street’s online graduate programs.