Barbara Biber Convocation Welcomes Poet Kwame Alexander

On September 4, Bank Street Graduate School of Education welcomed prolific poet and award-winning children’s author Kwame Alexander to speak at the College’s annual Barbara Biber Convocation. The esteemed lecture, which is the centerpiece of the Graduate School’s welcome for incoming graduate students, creates a space for the College community to engage with seminal scholars on leading issues in education.

Alexander, 2015 Newbery Medalist for his book, The Crossover, has been a guest of honor at Bank Street events in years past and served as the School for Children’s inaugural Dorothy A. Carter Writer-in-Residence in the Spring of 2015. He was invited to return to the College as the speaker for this year’s Barbara Biber Convocation to share with Graduate School students the many lessons he has learned throughout his celebrated journey as a writer and educator.

word on the streetA N e w s l e t t e r f o r F a c u l t y & S t a f f | v o l u m e 3 | f a l l 2 0 1 8

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School for Children Students Make Change with Declaration of “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” at Bank Street College

By Jed Lippard

Once again this year, on the second Monday of October, Bank Street College was closed for business. For the first time in our history, however, all Bank Street calendars marked this holiday as “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” rather than the federally recognized “Columbus Day.”

While this change in nomenclature is not unique to Bank Street—in fact, four states, a growing number of municipalities, and various independent schools and public school districts in recent years have elected not to apotheosize Columbus—what is unique is how this change came to be in our community. Indeed, this is a Bank Street story.

For many years, through reading literature, facilitating class discussions, and examining current events, School for Children teachers have used the occasion of Columbus Day to problematize how our history has been narrated across generations, the role that power and privilege (in particular White, male Eurocentrism) play in shaping curriculum, and the stories of those whose voices continue to be systematically silenced.

Last year was no exception, as these conversations played out in developmentally appropriate ways across all age levels and divisions of the school. One group of children in the 9/10s, however, felt particularly compelled to turn their learning into action.

The 9/10s discuss their Indigenous Peoples’ Day proposal.

Bank Street Education Center Releases Framework Tool to Help Support School System Change at Scale

This Summer, Bank Street Education Center School System Partnerships & Programs released the “District-Wide Instructional Initiative Framework” tool to help educators and school leaders successfully implement comprehensive district reform at scale.

Educators explore tools to support teaching and learning.

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Happy Anniversary

Congratulations to faculty and staff celebrating important milestones! This section of Word on the Street will continue to recognize 10-year anniversaries and over that are divisible by five.

Tania Blair, GSE ’93, 15 years, Special Education Itinerant Teacher, Family Center

Janice Cox, 20 years, Housekeeper, School for Children

Lynne Einbender, 20 years, Program Director, Graduate School

Renee Greig, 10 years, Director of Budget, Business Office

José Guzman, 15 years, Math/Science Coordinator, School for Children

Diana Jensen, 10 years, Head Art Teacher, School for Children

Tarima Levine, GSE ’01, 20 years, Director of Content Development, Bank Street Education Center

David Mortimer, 10 years, Head Math/Science Teacher, School for Children

Evi Rivera-Williams, SFC ’88, GSE ’99, 10 years, Head Humanities Teacher, School for Children

Joanna Sly, GSE ’03, 15 years, Director, After School Program

Luis Toribio, 10 years, Dishwasher, Kitchen

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Bank Street Occasional Paper Series #40: “Am I Patriotic?” Launches

The new Bank Street Occasional Paper Series #40—“Am I Patriotic? Learning and Teaching the Complexities of Patriotism Here and Now”—launched this September to examine patriotism as it relates to teaching and learning in schools and classrooms. A complex and often polarizing term with no straightforward definition, patriotism is explored in this issue through the lens of prominent educational scholars.

An interview with guest editor Dr. Mark Kissling, Assistant Professor of Education at Penn State College of Education, provides additional insight into the teaching of patriotism in schools and how the way we define this sensitive term can play a key role in shaping our understanding of how educators can confront it and how students can digest it. A portion of the interview is shared below:

Q: You suggest that patriotism is “much more than a simple loyalty to a country or obedience to its leaders.” What do you think educators should keep in mind as they approach such a complex and sensitive issue in their teaching?

A: If they don’t already, educators need to recognize that patriotism is, indeed, complex and sensitive. Sure, wading into this complexity is going to be a messy and challenging endeavor, especially as patriotism is a politically charged topic about which people often have strong disagreements. Further, there are a number of cultural forces, inside and outside of schools, that frame patriotism as merely simplistic. But patriotism automatically raises some basic-but-difficult questions about who and where we are and what groups we belong to. Given our diverse ways of living, nothing simple can come out of many different people answering such questions. While most educators, I suspect, would agree that patriotism can be a highly controversial topic to take up in the classroom, I hope they see that this is a prime reason to teach inquisitively about patriotism, not avoid it.

Q: Do you think educators should have autonomy over how they talk about patriotism with their students or do you think schools and school systems should have basic guidelines in place for addressing patriotism in appropriate ways?

A: Both! Educators and their students need a good deal of autonomy in order to inquire authentically about patriotism. There cannot be a set curricular script that is merely followed (and this is true for so much of the teaching and learning that takes place in schools). Unfortunately, there exists a kind of educational inertia around patriotism in the United States that has used the teaching

Camille Stefani/The Daily Collegian

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Graduate School Releases “Snapshots of Practice” on Bank Street Education Center Coaching Model

This October, the Graduate School of Education’s “Snapshot of Practice” series partnered with the Bank Street Education Center to release “Coaching: How a Focus on Adult Development Leads to Improvements in Student Learning.” The new publication documents the professional learning processes, tools, and activities used by the Education Center in their coaching work with school districts across the country, including a large-scale partnership with the New York City Department of Education’s Pre-K for All initiative.

Established to help provide policymakers and practitioners with an in-depth look at Bank Street’s progressive practices, the “Snapshots of Practice” series researches and documents the many ways in which Bank Street educators engage with their peers, students, families, and communities to support high-quality teaching and learning for adults and children.

“This new snapshot provides educators and leaders with a closer look at how Bank Street Education Center coaches work to develop the capacity of teachers and leaders and brings to life what strengths-based, developmentally meaningful, and rigorous teaching and learning looks like for both children and adults,” said Jessica Charles, Director of Scholarship on Educator Practice, co-author of the publication along with Milenis Gonzalez, Project Director of the Pre-K Explore team at the Bank Street Education Center, and Emily Sharrock, Deputy Executive Director of Strategy & Systems at the Bank Street Education Center.

“The Education Center’s approach to coaching fuses a deep understanding of child development with careful observation of children and the design of learning experiences that include intentional, responsive teaching,” said Gonzalez. “Through our partnerships, we help educators build their knowledge of human development, sharpen their focus on individual students, and incorporate reflective teacher practices into their work to help shift student learning outcomes.”

“Coaching: How a Focus on Adult Development Leads to Improvements in Student Learning” includes four components:

• Coaching Adults to Improve Student Learning: Explores our reflective three-step coaching cycle and its stance, which is deeply rooted in Bank Street’s beliefs about the developmental-interaction approach, which recognizes that all individuals learn best when they are actively engaged with materials, ideas, and people.

• Professional Supports for Bank Street Coaches: Shows how coaches benefit from a lead coach who models reflective supervision and other professional supports.

• Professional Development Coaching Activities: Provides the protocol for case study activities that help coaching teams to work through problems of practice with coaches.

• Coach Formative Assessment Tool (FAST): Details what high-quality coaching looks like across multiple domains as an aid for building the capacity of coaches.

“Each of our coaching partnerships are tailored to meet the individual strengths and goals of program partners, but our adult learning approach always remains constant: our coaches draw from the Bank Street tradition of developmental-interaction and forward the center’s core principles of supporting large-scale instructional change to promote equitable teaching and learning for all,” said Sharrock.

Robin Hummel, Program Director in Math Leadership at the Bank Street Graduate School of Education, is looking to incorporate these examples of a Bank Street approach in action into the Math Leadership program. “We’re deeply focused on adult learning and I’m eager to explore these resources, including the FAST tool, as an additional way to ground our reflections about what good coaching looks like in practice.”

To view “Coaching: How a Focus on Adult Development Leads to Improvements in Student Learning,” visit bankstreet.edu/snapshots.

Adults coaching adults: Education Center staff and pre-K educators explore math instruction at a professional development session at Bank Street College.

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Prepared To Teach Launches Practice Makes Preparation: Teacher Stories Project

The United States has a fractured teacher preparation system and, as a result, many teachers arrive in the classroom with limited coursework, little real-world experience, and no practice in front of a full class.

As the movement towards advancing quality teacher preparation begins to pick up steam, it is more important than ever that teacher voices are brought to the forefront of our public discourse. Personal stories from teachers surface the challenges and trade-offs between different kinds of teacher preparation programs and help make the case for change so educators are empowered to meet the demands of 21st-century classrooms.

To address this challenge, Prepared To Teach, a Bank Street initiative dedicated to finding ways to support and sustain high-quality teacher preparation, launched the “Practice Makes Preparation: Teacher Stories” project.

The campaign, which launched in September, showcases multimedia interviews with teachers who have graduated from traditional, alternative, and residency programs. The perspectives shared are rich and diverse, offering a closer look at their motivations for becoming teachers, the choices and challenges of their preparation pathways, and their experiences during clinical practice and as teachers of record.

Katherine Baldwin, Project Director at the Bank Street Education Center, participated in the campaign’s launch by sharing her own teacher preparation story. In her interview, she recalls the strengths and challenges of her own five-week preparation program and reflects on the need for aspiring teachers to have meaningful learning opportunities to explore developmental and pedagogical content before entering the classroom as a teacher of record.

“Teachers spend a lot of time and money on their teacher preparation programs, and even when they are done there is still so much left to learn. I wanted to participate in this campaign because, in my own experience, I knew I needed practical support after completing my short preparation program, especially in terms of the skills and knowledge needed to be a strong reading and mathematics teacher in the early grades,” said Baldwin. “I believe that if we truly want to provide all children with high-quality, confident teachers, we need to make sure aspiring teachers are getting the right type of support during preparation.”

“Since the launch of the campaign, dozens more educators have reached out to tell us about their experiences with teacher preparation. We’ve had overwhelmingly positive feedback from teachers and others, including researchers, advocacy organizations, universities, and schools about the importance of continuing to share these teacher stories,” said Gretchen Mills, Manager of Communications and Engagement, Prepared To Teach.

Learn more about the campaign, explore teacher stories, or share your own teacher preparation experience at bankstreet.edu/practice-makes-preparation.

#Buzzworthy

Help spread the word about new work happening across Bank Street College with a post on your Twitter or Facebook feed.

• Kudos to #BankStreet @PreparedToTeach for bringing teacher voices into discussions around #teacherprep. Hear teacher stories or share your own as part of the #PracticeMakesPrep project #edpolicy #edupolicy bit.ly/2QHdosv

• New #BankStreet #OccasionalPaperSeries 40 explore how educators can approach teaching #patriotism in classrooms today bankstreet.edu/ops40

• Worth A Look: new #BankStreetEdCenter publication on coaching explores how a focus on adult development leads to improved student learning #BankStreet #progressiveeducation #edequity bit.ly/bseccoaching

Facebook @bankstreetcollege Twitter @bankstreetedu Instagram @bank.street

Gretchen Mills of Prepared To Teach interviewed the Education Center’s Katherine Baldwin on her teacher prep experience for the campaign.

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Bank Street Education Center Awarded Grant to Support Math Achievement of Yonkers Middle School Students

On August 28, the Bank Street Education Center received a Networks for School Improvement grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that will allow them to partner with Yonkers Public Schools to help more Black, Latino, and low-income students complete eighth-grade math. The project is a continuation of the Education Center’s successful New York Network project, which focused on improving instructional practice in Syracuse, Rochester, Utica, and Yonkers.

The $700,000 grant will cover 16 months of work with 10 middle schools in Yonkers. The Bank Street team will partner with the middle school teachers and school leaders responsible for math instruction in each school to focus on advancing the ways students learn math. These teams will work to identify existing challenges in instruction, collaborate on a strategy to address those challenges, set a target for improvement, and replicate the parts of the process that had a positive impact on student achievement. This will enable the Bank Street team and participating teachers and leaders to engage in a cycle of “continuous learning” in which they will consistently reflect on and evaluate what is working and what is not.

Tracy Fray-Oliver, Deputy Executive Director of Programs and Implementation at the Bank Street Education Center, is excited to focus more deeply on creating better math outcomes for low-income middle school students of color. She said, “We know that success in algebra is a gatekeeper for college and career readiness, and we are excited to partner

Doug Knecht and Tracy Fray-Oliver will spearhead the Education Center’s continued work in Yonkers.

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Karla Aguilar-Espinoza is a new 1:1 Aide for 3- and 4-year-olds in the Family Center. Karla has experience working with students in pre-K through fourth grade and holds a BS in Early Childhood Education.

Jessica Blum-DeStefano is a new Advisor/Instructor in the Graduate School. She previously served as an Adjunct Instructor in the Bank Street Graduate School’s Educational Leadership programs. Jessica has collaborated with Eleanor Drago-Severson on several books on adult development, including Leading Change Together. Jessica holds a BA in English from Emory University, an MA in English from Hofstra University, and a PhD in Education Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Shelby Brody is an Associate Teacher in the School for Children working with Chaylor in the 8/9s in Room 405. Previously, Shelby was the fourth-grade head teacher at Storefront Academy Harlem. They have a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing at Barnard College and are a current student in Bank Street’s dual certification program in General Childhood Education and Teaching Literacy. They expect to graduate in May 2020.

The Library welcomed Jenny Brown as the Interim Children’s Librarian, serving the School for Children and the Graduate School. Prior to this role, Jenny led the Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature until her departure in 2015 to work with Knopf Books for Young Readers. Jenny previously taught kindergarten to second-grade science and third-grade reading and writing at The Buckley School. She graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a BA in English and is pursuing her master’s degree in Library Science with Syracuse University.

The Development and External Relations Office welcomed Maggie Cely as the Grants Development Officer. In her role, Maggie provides support to the Institutional Giving team through proposal development, project management, and post-award reporting. Prior to Bank Street, Maggie held a variety of positions with focuses on financial equity for women, human rights, labor rights, and environmental stewardship. She holds a BS from Indiana University in Public Affairs.

Alice Chen, GSE ’11, has joined the Family Center as the lead teacher in Room 3, a preschool classroom. Prior to this role, she was a lead teacher in the 3s classroom at Roosevelt Island Day Nursery for seven years. She graduated from Bank Street with a degree in Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention and is certified in Early Childhood General Education and Special Education.

Welcome to Bank Street

Visit bankstreet.edu/in-the-news to see recent news coverage of Bank Street, our faculty and staff, and our programs and initiatives.

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Welcome to Bank Street

Alpha Conteh is the new Chief Financial Officer in the Business Office. With more than 20 years of non-profit accounting experience, Alpha was most recently the Controller at the Harlem Children’s Zone for six years. Previously, he spent seven years as Controller of Episcopal Church’s national office in New York City and 10 years as Controller of AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc. in New York. A native of Sierra Leone, Alpha has a BS in Accounting from Lehman College and an MBA from Baruch College, Zicklin School of Business.

Rhonda Cox is a 4/5s Associate Teacher with Anne Tobias in Room 206 in the School for Children. Rhonda is currently working toward her master’s degree in Early Childhood General Education at Bank Street.

Elhaj Malado Diallo (Malado) is the School for Children’s new Upper School French teacher. Of Senegalese descent and having grown up in France, Malado brings vast experience teaching French, English, and German in France, the UK, and the United States. Malado comes to Bank Street with strong pedagogical training in world languages and a deep commitment to progressive education.

After an 11-year hiatus, Ana Maria Estela returns to Bank Street as a Math/Science Teacher to the 12/13s in the School for Children, where she will be working with Humanities Teacher Margaret Silver. During her time away, Ana worked in math leadership roles at both Trinity and St. David’s.

The School for Children welcomed Preeti Fibiger as the new Middle School Division Head. Preeti was most recently the Assistant Principal of the Lower School at Ethical Culture Fieldston School. She also has significant experience teaching in progressive schools all over the country, specifically in kindergarten, first, second, fourth, and fifth grades. Her experience includes an impressive track record of supporting adult development as Assistant Principal, Advisor to Associate Teachers, and as a Math Specialist.

Geeta Fleck has joined Bank Street as a 1:1 Aide in the Family Center’s Room 4. Geeta holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Chicago with career-related experience at Turn 2 After School. She is currently a master’s student in special education at The City College of New York. Her daughter attends the Bank Street School for Children.

Jessica Freeman-Jeffries has joined the School for Children as an Associate Teacher to Jenel Giles in the 5/6s and will assume the role of Head Teacher in January when Jenel leaves for sabbatical. A veteran teacher of 16 years, Jessica most recently taught kindergarten in Harlem and holds a master’s degree from Bank Street.

Aditi Gang has joined the Family Center as the Associate Teacher in Room 2, an infant and toddler mixed-age classroom. Aditi has been teaching young children in New York City for two years and taught art to older adults and teenagers while pursuing her undergraduate degree. She is currently working toward her dual certification master’s degree in early childhood general and special education from Bank Street.

Naomi Genshaft is the Associate Teacher in Room 4 of the Family Center. Naomi previously taught special education in Brotherhood Synagogue and Yaldaynu Preschool. She holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Yeshiva University, has initial New York State teaching certification, and is currently in Bank Street’s Early Childhood Special Education master’s degree program.

The School for Children welcomed Wendy Goldsmith as an Associate Teacher to Danette Lipten in the 7/8s. Wendy is currently in the Reading and Literacy program at Bank Street and is expected to graduate in 2020. She attended the University of Vermont where she majored in Early Childhood Education and has taught in Vermont and New York as well as internationally in Nairobi, Kenya and Bangkok, Thailand.

Manny Howell is the new 3/4s Associate Teacher with Karyn Silsby de Pla in the School for Children. Last year, Manny was a midday teacher in Jenel Giles’s 5/6s classroom. He is working toward an MA in Early Childhood General and Special Education at Bank Street.

Avashti Jackson has joined the Family Center as a Teachers Aide and Administrative Assistant. She spends her time mostly in Room 2, an infant and toddler mixed-age classroom, but will fill in for Rooms 1, 3, and 4 when needed. Avashti enjoys all art forms. She has 13 years of ballet dance experience, enjoys painting, and hopes to incorporate her knowledge of the arts with teaching children and helping them express themselves. She is currently majoring in Early Childhood Education at LaGuardia Community College.

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Welcome to Bank StreetBank Street Prepares for Second Annual Alumni and Friends Giving Day

As part of its fundraising campaign for the 2018-19 school year, the Development and External Relations Office is preparing to launch the College’s second annual Bank Street Alumni and Friends Giving Day campaign on Tuesday, November 27. Part of the global Giving Tuesday movement to promote philanthropic giving around the world, the special day will encourage alumni and friends of Bank Street to support the College in its mission to provide high-quality, equitable education for all.

“Giving Tuesday encourages people to reflect and act on what matters to them the most. We hope our community will continue to show its support for equity in education and support this year’s campaign as we work towards improving learning not just for the few, but for all children and their teachers,” said Ashaki Charles, Associate Vice President of Development.

The Alumni and Friends Giving Day campaign will leverage social media and a series of videos that showcase the work of Bank Street faculty, staff, and students. Content will bring to life Bank Street’s creative approach to teaching and learning and highlight how our educators meet students where they are to support their cognitive and social-emotional growth and inspire a lifelong love of learning. Donations garnered from the campaign will help support students, faculty, and programs across the College and, ultimately, help Bank Street deepen its capacity to effect meaningful change through learning.

Meredith Steinmetz, Development Officer for Annual Funds, said, “This year’s campaign will recognize the College’s deep commitment to creating a more just and democratic world through education. We look forward to celebrating the College’s work and the many ways in which our collaborative mission unfolds across Bank Street’s programs and initiatives.”

Gifts can be made to support the School for Children, Family Center, Head Start, Graduate School of Education, Liberty LEADS, or President’s Fund.

“Last year was Bank Street’s first ever Alumni and Friends Giving Day and we were thrilled to surpass our fundraising goal, thanks to the ongoing support and kindness of the Bank Street community,” said Sonaliz Morel-Baker, Director of Individual Giving. “We look forward to kicking off this year’s campaign next month and engaging with the Bank Street community in support of the College’s mission to improve the education of all children.”

Giving Day, also known as #GivingTuesday on social media, is a 24-hour fund-raising event that brings together donors, volunteers, and communities to sup-port a common cause. Since its launch in 2012, Giving Day is observed annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.

For more information about Bank Street Alumni and Friends Giving Day and how to donate, visit bankstreet.edu/givingday. To participate in the campaign on social media, follow Bank Street on Twitter @bankstreetedu, on Instagram @bank.street, and on Facebook @bankstreetcollege and use the #WeAreBankStreet hashtag.

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GIVING TUES

DAY

Lisa Khakee, GSE ’02, joined the School for Children as the new Director of High School Placement and Exmissions. For the past five years, Lisa served as the School Advisory Coordinator and School Advisor at the Parents League of New York, an organization devoted to helping parents navigate the independent school admissions process. As such, Lisa brings extensive knowledge of and relationships with many schools throughout the city and she is looking forward to working closely with Bank Street students and families.

Sharon Leatherwood, GSE ’16, is the new 7/8s Head Teacher in Room 305 in the School for Children. Previously, Sharon served as a head teacher at both The Spence School and the Embankment School. Sharon received her master’s degree from Bank Street.

The Education Center welcomed back Pamela Lee as a Program & Data Manager on the School System Partnerships & Programs (SSPP) team under Tracy Fray-Oliver. She previously worked with the Education Center in a part-time capacity as a Program Associate while pursuing her MA in Economics & Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Pam taught grade 1 at Harlem Village Academies and received her BA in Elementary Education & Economics from Boston College.

The Graduate School welcomed Nicole Limperopulos as a new Program Director. Prior to Bank Street, Nicole was Associate Director of the Summer Principals Academy at Teachers College, Columbia University. She also served as an Adjunct Professor at Teachers College in its Education Leadership Program. Nicole holds a BA in History from Fordham University, an MA in History from the City University of New York, a Master of Education in Education Leadership from Columbia University, and a Doctor of Education in Interdisciplinary Studies in Education Leadership & History from Columbia University.

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Welcome to Bank Street

Elysia Lopez is a new coach for the NYC Pre-K Explore team in the Education Center. Prior to joining Bank Street, Elysia was a pre-K teacher for eight years. She has a master’s degree in early childhood education and works on weekends as a volunteer for children with autism.

The School for Children welcomed Ben Martin as its new Lower School and 6/7s Music Teacher. A teacher, teaching-artist, and performer, Ben spent the past four years as the Director of Music and Creative Movement at the Reformed Church Nursery School in Bronxville, NY where every year he taught more than 200 children ages 2 through 6. In 2015-16, Ben also worked as the Head Theater Counselor for the Bank Street Summer Camp, and he is eager to carry on the proud tradition of the Lower School Music Program.

Samantha Nadal joined the School for Children as the 8/9s Head Teacher in Room 402. Samantha is a graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University and most recently worked as a Head Teacher at PS 87.

Ro Peña is the new Associate Teacher to Sharon Leatherwood in the 7/8s. For the past two academic years, Ro was a midday teacher in Evi Rivera-Williams’ 6/7s classroom in the School for Children. Ro is currently working towards a master’s degree in Special and General Childhood Education at Bank Street.

Sabina Rowe, GSE ’03, is a new coach in the Education Center for the NYC Pre-K Explore Project. After having taught in the Nursery Division at Horace Mann School for nearly 16 years, Sabina yearned to continue serving a community of leaders and teachers. In her work, she has had the opportunity to shape the lives of many unique and diverse children and, in her new role, is excited to be an inspirational coach to others that hope to do the same. Sabina earned her master’s degree from Bank Street.

Rory Santaloci joined the School for Children as the Math/Science Teacher for the 9/10s. Rory is in his sixth year of teaching and has experience at public, charter, and independent schools. He also worked for two years as a qualitative researched for a New York-based educational research organization.

Emily Schottland, GSE ’07, is the new Literacy Specialist in the School for Children. Emily has been a first- , second- , and fourth-grade classroom teacher in New York City public schools and most recently was the Reading Specialist and Instructional Coach at Ramaz Lower School for grades 1–4. Emily earned her MSEd in Literacy and Elementary Education from Bank Street and also completed her Master’s in Teacher Leadership at Brandeis University.

Allison Tom-Yunger, GSE ’12, joined the Graduate School as a Supervised Fieldwork Advisor and Course Instructor in the Early Childhood Special Education and Infant & Family Development & Early Intervention programs. She has held various positions in home- and center-based programs and within early childhood mental health settings. Allison graduated from Bank Street with a dual degree in Early Childhood Special and General Education and also has a degree from Columbia’s School of Social Work.

Bharti Vural joined the School for Children as the 7/8s Head Teacher in Room 303. Bharti comes to Bank Street from Ethical Culture Fieldston School where she taught both second and fourth grade for the past six years. Bharti also taught third grade at Horace Mann and was a fourth-grade Assistant Teacher at Grace Church School.

The Graduate School welcomed Shaneka Wynter as the new Administrative Coordinator. Prior to joining Bank Street, Shaneka was a program manager at the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy and was involved in developing program policies and managing daily operations for the Trauma and Psychodynamic Training divisions. Shaneka holds a BA from the College of New Rochelle in Psychology and an MPA in Public Affairs and Administration from Metropolitan College of New York.

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Amazon SmileBank Street is participating in Amazon Smile, a fast and easy way for online shoppers to support Bank

Street without spending any additional money on items purchased. Simply shop through smile.amazon.com to

access the same Amazon you know and love, but with the added bonus of activating an automatic donation from Amazon to the charitable organization of your choice.

Bank Street Completes Summer Renovation Project

Bank Street has completed its third summer of renovations at the College’s West 112th Street building. Part of an extensive building-wide renovation plan launched in 2016, the work supports the College’s vision to enrich the shared and instructional spaces used by Children’s Programs, the Graduate School of Education, and Liberty LEADS.

Throughout the renovation project, the Facilities and Strategy & Operations teams have worked closely with faculty, staff, architects, and contractors to identify and prioritize the College’s needs and develop and execute a fiscally responsible and environmentally friendly renovation plan.

“Bank Street educators understand that students learn best when they are actively engaged with their surroundings, and we are excited to continue upgrades to our space that help further support student learning and community engagement,” said Reva Gorelick, Director of Strategic Initiatives.

Bank Street’s Facilities team has been instrumental in realizing the College’s strategy at every step of the renovation process. “Our physical space is important to our mission, and we are thankful for the support of our tireless and loyal Facilities staff, who dedicated their nights and weekends to making sure the College was ready to support high-quality, active learning at the start of the new school year,” said Justin Tyack, Chief Operating Officer.

Over the summer, the following renovations were completed:

• Upgrades to one of two elevators for a fresh and modern design aesthetic and improved safety. The second elevator is scheduled for an upgrade next summer.

• Placement of new flooring throughout the School for Children’s Lower School hallways and in classrooms on the second and third floors to match last year’s fourth- and seventh-floor enhancements.

• Installation of new awnings and signage at the Bookstore and Head Start to proudly display our school colors and enhanced logo.

• Repairs to the 112th Street façade to meet Department of Buildings regulations.

President Shael Polakow-Suransky, GSE ’00, and Tyack thanked the facilities staff with a luncheon to honor their hard work throughout the renovation and for the many other annual maintenance projects they completed, such as refinishing the gym floor and painting and refreshing offices and classrooms.

Plans for the next phase of the project, which include building a makerspace and upgrading the lobby’s design and functionality, are currently underway.

The Bank Street Bookstore’s new exterior.

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Mark your calendars for the following Bank Street events:

Language Series“Multiple Pathways to Learning in the Age of Accountability”Saturday, October 278:00 AM – 4:00 PMTabas Auditorium

The Niemeyer Series featuring Carla ShalabyThursday, November 85:30 PM – 8:15 PMTabas Auditorium

Library Salon: Launch of Occasional Paper Series #40Friday, November 165:30 PMBank Street Library

Bold & Brave Book Talk with Kirsten Gillibrand and Maira KalmanSaturday, November 1710:30 AMTabas Auditorium

From Surviving to Thriving: Success Strategies of African American Women in LeadershipMonday, November 195:30 PM – 7:30 PMTabas Auditorium

Safe and Sound Schools Conference“Why Children Go to the Nurse: The Search for a Safe Haven in School”Saturday, December 88:45 AM – 4:45 PMTabas Auditorium

Visit bankstreet.edu/events to learn more about each event, RSVP, or purchase tickets.

Save the Date

Under the skillful guidance of Chaylor Johnson and Becky Eisenberg—and for only the second time in recorded memory—these 20 students brought a well-researched and impassioned policy proposal to President Shael Polakow-Suransky, GSE ’00, and the Cabinet of Bank Street College. [The first such occurrence took place in the 1990s when a group of students successfully appealed to the then-President to forbid adults from smoking cigarettes in front of the building.]

With each student reciting a portion of the proposal, they addressed the historical inaccuracies of Columbus’ “discovery” of America, presciently emphasized the gravity of truth-telling, exhibited their understanding of and commitment to social justice, and channeled Lucy Sprague Mitchell’s call for us to demonstrate “flexibility when confronted with change and the ability to relinquish patterns that no longer fit the present.”

In essence, they proclaimed that as an institution committed to “gentleness combined with justice in passing judgment on other human beings,” we should no longer be calendrical homage-payers to an individual whose actions contributed to the genocide, enslavement, and cultural destruction of a nation of people.

While met with overwhelming approval from the Cabinet, the work of these students was not yet finished.

“Bank Street College is a progressive institution in which the broader community deserves a voice in the decisions that impact them,” said President Polakow-Suransky in a written response to the students. He stipulated that in order for their policy proposal to be ratified, these young changemakers would also need to go before the broader Bank Street faculty and staff community at an All College Meeting led by the College Advisory Council and, separately, present their idea at a School for Children faculty meeting. And so they did, each time with even more confidence and conviction than the prior.

Now, thanks to these committed students, October 8, 2018 and all subsequent second Mondays in October are now known throughout Bank Street College as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Not because a group of reform-minded grownups sat behind closed doors to make a politically correct policy decision. Not because of outside pressure or a desire to keep up with the Joneses. But rather because a group of children, informed and inspired, engaged in rigorous research, turned idea into action, looked deeply into the mirror of social justice, and ultimately did what they knew was the right thing to do.

Students Make Change with Declaration of “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” continued from page 1

If you are interested in writing publicly about a topic related to Bank Street, please reach out tocommunications@bankstreet.edu. We’d love to work with you to get your ideas published in the press or as an

article on the website or the next newsletter.

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The new tool outlines the fundamental components necessary to strategically plan supports that aid districts in producing positive change in teaching and learning across schools. It is grounded in research as well as over three years of observation during close collaboration with school districts across the country designed to create, strengthen, and monitor improved instructional practice across school systems. The elements that make up the framework are grounded in Bank Street’s commitment to strengths-based, learner-centered, and equitable education practices that help both adults and children thrive in school settings.

“Through our deep partnerships with schools and districts, we have learned that effective schools align their culture, structures, and instructional work. The District-Wide Instructional Initiative Framework allows leaders to see the importance of this coherence in their vision for instructional change at scale and, we hope, inspires them to take action that simplifies their efforts while simultaneously creating a greater impact,” said Emily Sharrock, Deputy Executive Director for Strategy & Systems at the Bank Street Education Center. “We are excited to compile our learnings and provide leaders, administrators, and educators with access to information that can help them successfully improve their school communities.”

The District-Wide Instructional Initiative Framework, which is accessible via eBook, positions schools at the center of change and empowers teachers to translate a collaborative instructional vision into concrete classroom results. The Framework identifies four key components that support this important work:

• Leadership vision and commitment. Successful change starts with research and district- and school-level data to inform a vision for instructional improvement. Policies, resources, and support are thoughtfully aligned and endorsed at all levels.

• Change management structures. Successful districts empower teachers and school leaders to envision and implement instructional change. Clear project planning, feedback loops, and opportunities for reflection support strategic change.

• Intentional adult learning experiences. Successful school districts carefully craft learning experiences for adults with a focus on content and skill development. Developmental goals, strategic objectives, and reflective supervision help ensure strong learning outcomes.

• Evidence-based and student-focused decision making. Successful school districts build a common language and use data to inform and describe instructional practice and student learning.

“The Framework is unique because it reflects an understanding of adult development. Learning requires purposeful experiences in which learners are able to negotiate meaning by reflecting, exploring, and building on what they have learned with others. That involves creating space for professional learning, for teachers to talk, and to have honest, constructive conversations across the learning community,” said Tracy Fray-Oliver, Deputy Executive Director for Programs and Implementation at the Bank Street Education Center.

By incorporating the framework into its work with schools and communities across the country, Bank Street Education Center School System Partnerships & Programs has served 6,800 educators to help create meaningful change at scale. The Center provides strategic guidance, implementation services, and professional development customized to meet the unique needs of each program partner. Inside the eBook are examples of how the District-Wide Instructional Initiative Framework has been used to serve all these purposes.

“Through our partnership, I recognized the importance of working with schools and teachers in helping them create connections between their instructional decisions and student learning,” said one school district leader.

“When you marry a coherent vision of the instructional core with thoughtful processes of stakeholder engagement and change management anchored in both how adults learn best and authentic evidence of student learning, the impact is much greater. Shared understandings and focused collaboration through the system ground the instructional improvement work with teacher teams and school leaders, the very people who must ultimately make change happen,” said Doug Knecht, Executive Director of the Bank Street Education Center.

Visit bit.ly/dii-framework to explore the District-Wide Instructional Initiative Framework eBook.

Education Center Releases Framework Toolcontinued from page 1

Please visit bankstreet.edu/jobs for new job opportunities across the College.

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Barbara Biber Convocationcontinued from page 1

During his talk, Alexander captured the audience with stories of people who have had the most profound impact on helping him become who he was meant to be, which has inspired him to do the same in his life and work. He began with his mother, whom he credits with helping him develop his “love of words” at an early age. According to Alexander, she regularly read him tales of poetry, African folklore, and books by Dr. Seuss that exposed him to the beauty of rhyme, repetition, and melody. “She was my first teacher,” said Alexander of his mother. “She made words dance off the page and into my imagination. She taught me the appreciation of language and literature.”

Alexander notes that it was both his parents who set him on the path toward finding his voice. He described how his father, Dr. E. Curtis Alexander, GSE ’70, helped him recognize what was most important to him. He recalled the day his father brought him to a march across the Brooklyn Bridge to protest police brutality. Frightened at the idea of crossing a bridge, Alexander arrived at the protest engulfed in fear. But when Dr. Alexander began chanting “We’re fired up, we can’t take no more!” with the other protestors, his son became inspired. “The shaking stopped,” he said. “And the tears dried. And in that moment, my voice lifted me up. I was okay. I was invincible.”

Alexander also told the ironic story of his turbulent relationship with black poet Nikki Giovanni, who taught his advanced poetry class at Virginia Tech. He expressed that Giovanni was deeply critical of his work, repeatedly marking his papers with C

grades. He mimicked her harsh words, “You’re a good poet, Kwame, and I can teach you the tools. But I cannot teach you how to be interesting.” Later in college, Alexander wrote a play about how terrible a professor she was, which was cast before a standing-room-only audience at Virginia Tech. What happened between the two down the line was nothing Alexander could have imagined.

“Two years later, I wrote my first book of poems,” Alexander recalled. “I was on a 30-day tour and a woman asked if she could buy two copies of my book. She said, ‘Please sign it to ‘Nikki.’”

Alexander was shocked. Another few years later, he was even more surprised to receive a letter in the mail from Giovanni, who asked him to submit a poem for a book she was writing for Henry Holt & Co. He obliged, and wrote a poem about his grandfather, Albert Alexander. “And all of a sudden, I’m a poet!” Alexander laughs. “And I feel legitimized, incredible.”

A recurring figure in Alexander’s lecture, Giovanni grew to become both a literary mentor and a close friend of the budding poet, teaching him unforgettable lessons along the way despite a rocky beginning. Alexander imitated her words on stage: “My job as your teacher was to help you become who you were meant to be. Children are apt to become what we expect them to become. You have the capacity to empower students or destroy them.”

Alexander went on to spotlight others who deeply influenced his life and work, like his daughter, whose experiences with love and heartbreak as a teenager inspired his book, Crush: Love Poems for Teenagers. He also shared a look at his program Bookinaday, which teaches students in a single day the fundamentals of creative writing and book publishing. The program has produced nearly 5,000 K–12 authors in 76 schools across the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.

Alexander wrapped up his talk with the humorous and moving tales of his experience teaching poetry to high school students who were incarcerated in the DC area, which he described as “one of the most difficult but probably the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.” He spent six months teaching them how to connect with poetry. Shortly after his work wrapped up, a student in the program named Sloan, who had been released from prison and was living in a halfway house, called on Alexander to help him publish a poetry book with his housemates. And so, Concrete Dreams was born.

Of Sloan, Alexander says, “He’s now working at Starbucks, and he’s still writing.” He goes on, “And there’s a smile on his face. He’s alive, he’s free, and he seems to be discovering his purpose and facing his challenges in a beautifully constructed way.”

And this is exactly what Alexander strives for in his work. What shone through his powerful talk was his desire to pay it forward—to help people find their voice in the same way that his “teachers” helped him along his journey. And this is what he implored incoming Bank Street graduate students to do with their students.

“Education is about learning, for sure. It’s about developing skill. It’s about asking questions and seeking answers. But more than any of that, it’s about preparing children, encouraging them to become who they are meant to be. And you have a huge role in shaping that, in molding that. Ultimately, it’s about becoming more human.”

Kwame Alexander, Dean Cecelia Traugh, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Wendi Williams, and President Shael Polakow-Suransky, GSE ’00

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with educators and their students in Yonkers Public Schools to create a unified vision that involves learning through the challenges of instructional improvement to impact schools and students at scale.”

“We are focused this year on improving mathematics outcomes for our middle grade students in order to prime them for success in high school and beyond; we see our partnership with Bank Street and our commitment to continuous improvement as key levers in this work,” said Dr. Andrea Coddett, Deputy Superintendent of Yonkers Public Schools.

The grant is part of the Networks for School Improvement portfolio, a new strategy by the Gates Foundation focused on supporting middle and high schools in their work to help students of color and low-income students succeed. After a competitive Request for Proposal process in January 2018 that saw submissions from a pool of around 530 applicants, the Education Center was selected to be a part of the first cohort of 19 organizations across 13 states. This project will enable the Education Center to continue its work in New York State to influence positive learning outcomes at scale and help students thrive in school settings and reach their full potential.

Occasional Paper Series #40 Launchescontinued from page 2

of patriotism as a standardizing force. This force is worrisome to me, but one of the ways to combat standardization is to create and work within standards that promote diverse ways of thinking and doing. A standard that I would like to see is that educators and students will explore different theories and enactments of patriotism from different times, places, and scales while considering what patriotism means to them and their communities. The end result is not one form of patriotic thought or action but a process of nuanced inquiry that serves the students’ and educators’ participation in their communities. So basic guidelines should not be eschewed; rather, guidelines need to account for authentic inquiry, unique lived experience, the presence of place, and other contextualizing factors. What is needed are good standards, not standardizing prescriptions.

Q: In her essay, Patricia Gándara, speaking from experience, explores patriotism as it relates to those who hold dual citizenship. How do you think we can continue to redefine the idea of patriotism so that it serves all Americans, including those who may have emotional or historical ties to other countries?

A: By talking and teaching about it openly. If we truly recognize and embrace that all people lead dynamic lives, and if we want to live in healthy, vibrant, democratic communities, then we must cultivate notions of patriotism that embrace diverse ways of living. I think it’s essential that we understand that patriotism is not solely fixed to one national community, let alone a national community at all. Toward this end, educators and students need to explore competing contemporary and historical patriotic ideas and actions in their places (at many different scales: local, regional, national, global) and in others’ places. In doing this, we can develop a broad commitment to the notion that we need to continue to redefine what patriotism is and might be. We’ll see that we’re constantly redefining and reinventing who we are (on all scales, not just the national). Importantly, this does not shirk tradition and ritual; it seeks to understand and, if necessary, better these things. There is always a continuity of what was, what is, and what will be.

With the launch of this issue, the Occasional Paper Series welcomes Gail Boldt, Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Penn State University, as its new Editor-in-Chief. She replaces Jonathan Silin, former Editor-in-Chief for 18 years. Silin will continue to contribute to the Occasional Paper Series on the Editorial Board.

To view the full Q&A with Dr, Kissling, visit bankstreet.edu/kissling-interview. To read the read Occasional Paper Series #40, visit bankstreet.edu/ops40.

Education Center Awarded Grant to Support Math Achievementcontinued from page 5

Interested in partnering with the Bank Street Education Center to help build strong teaching practice across school districts such as New York City, Newark, or New Haven? Please visit bit.ly/BSECsurvey to

learn more and share your contact information and area of interest.

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Word on the Street is produced quarterly by the Communications Team at Bank Street College Shara Benison, Rachel Reda, and Debra Rudick

Photography support provided by Cheryl SimonContact: communications@bankstreet.edu

(1-5) Faculty and staff mingle over light bites and refreshments at the Fall Spritzer on September 28, (6-11) After the launch of the new website, the Bank Street community celebrated with cocktails, snacks, games, and more!, (12) Robin Hancock, Rebecca Newman, Margie Brickley, GSE ’89, and Yakeisha Scott represented the Guttman Center at the Zero to Three Conference in Denver on October 2, (13) The Prepared To Teach team leads a kick off meeting at Bank Street for the New York Learning Network, (14) A fresh coat of face paint turns Jessica Anzelone’s daughter into a tiger at the School for Children Fall Fair, (15) The Website Advisory Committee is all smiles after leading an onboarding session for Bank Street website editors.

Distributed: October 2018

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