Welcome to Bank Street Graduate School (single page view)

to Bank Street Welcome Graduate School

Welcome to Bank Street. We’re So Happy

You’re Here.

Welcome to Bank Street Graduate School of Education! Congratulations on taking this next step in your career. You’re beginning a journey of personal and professional growth at an institution that has been making its mark in the field of education for well over 100 years.

As you prepare to start your studies, I encourage you to become familiar with the culture and resources of our vibrant community. This Welcome to Bank Street booklet is designed to help acquaint you with Bank Street, in addition to what we spoke about in our Getting Prepared to Start (GPS) session.

We pride ourselves on our personal attention to students. The entire staff of the Graduate School (often referred to as GSE) is here to partner with you to ensure you have the tools you need for success. Your dedicated Student Services Advisor (SSA) is your central point of contact for important information you’ll need and questions you may have.

Remember, you’re not in this alone—we’re here to help you be a successful graduate student!

Kristin A. Waters, EdD Chief Enrollment Officer and Registrar

A Message from the Dean Amy

Stuart Wells, PhD

Just like you, I am new to Bank Street Graduate School this September. I’m thrilled to have this wonderful opportunity to join a community that prioritizes applying researchbased knowledge to the training of educators and works to advance equity in education for all students.

Whether you are teaching children in a classroom setting, working as an educational leader, advocating for children and their families as a child life specialist, or developing programs in a museum or cultural institution, as a Bank Street educator, you will have the power to change lives.

I look forward to learning alongside you as we start on our respective paths at this incredible institution this fall. Whenever you’re on campus, please stop by the Graduate Suite on the 6th floor to say hello—we can welcome each other to Bank Street!

A Message from the President

Shael Polakow-Suransky, MSEd, GSE ’00

I offer you a warm welcome to Bank Street College of Education. Here, you will not only develop the skills necessary to create rich, challenging learning environments, but you will learn to inspire those you interact with daily.

For over a century, Bank Street’s programs have engaged the whole student and fostered a deep appreciation for lifelong learning. Our students learn to transform thoughts and ideas on education, from the abstract to the concrete, and thrive in real-world settings as impactful educators, community leaders, museum educators, and child life specialists.

As the first Bank Street College 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. 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. We believe the core relationship between student and teacher must be rooted in authentic dialogue, and that collaborative learning communities are the key to meeting the challenges of tomorrow.

You have joined a powerful educational institution— one that supports experiential learning, engages and supports your development, and offers you an opportunity to shape the future. Welcome to Bank Street.

Bank Street College of Education Credo

Lucy Sprague Mitchell, who founded Bank Street as the Bureau of Educational Experiments over a century ago, wrote a credo that continues to define the spirit of imaginative and critical inquiry that motivates and guides our work today.

What potentialities in human beings—children, teachers, and ourselves—do we want to see develop?

• A zest for living that comes from taking in the world with all five senses alert

• Lively intellectual curiosities that turn the world into an exciting laboratory and keep one ever a learner

• Flexibility when confronted with change and ability to relinquish patterns that no longer fit the present

• The courage to work, unafraid and efficiently, in a world of new needs, new problems, and new ideas

• Gentleness combined with justice in passing judgments on other human beings

• Sensitivity—not only to the external formal rights of the “other fellow,” but to him as another human being seeking a good life through his own standards

• A striving to live democratically, in and out of schools, as the best way to advance our concept of democracy

Our credo demands ethical standards as well as scientific attitudes. Our work is based on the faith that human beings can improve the society they have created. Note: This credo, which was originally published in the early 1950s, is a historical document and reflects the time period in which it was written. Given this, although it contains references to gender that we would not choose to use today at Bank Street, we have decided to preserve Mitchell’s original language.

Who’s Who in the Graduate School

Dean

Amy Stuart Wells aswells@bankstreet.edu

Associate Dean of Academic Affairs

Valentine Burr vburr@bankstreet.edu

Associate Dean of Research and Innovation Jessica Charles jcharles@bankstreet.edu

Certification

Ann Cox, Assistant Dean of Institutional Data, Assessment, and Certification acox@bankstreet.edu

Career Services

Beatrice Benavides, Director bbenavides@bankstreet.edu

Chief Enrollment Officer and Registrar Kristin A. Waters kwaters@bankstreet.edu

Graduate Admissions

Kevin B. Taylor, Director ktaylor3@bankstreet.edu

Jesse Nguyen, Senior Associate Director jnguyen@bankstreet.edu

LaVerne Pratt, Enrollment Coordinator lpratt@bankstreet.edu

Student Services Advisors Adrienne King aking@bankstreet.edu

Ali Piotrkowski apiotrkowski@bankstreet.edu

Bettina Tillman blt@bankstreet.edu

Mia S. Gillespie miag@bankstreet.edu

Niurka Jimenez-Jailall njimenezjailall@bankstreet.edu

Marketing & Communications

NOT SURE WHO TO CONTACT?

Email us at studentservices@bankstreet.edu and we will get back to you within 48 hours (business days) year round.

Pamela A. Frohne Guarrera, Director pguarrera@bankstreet.edu

*Please note, most members of the Graduate School administrative staff are working in a hybrid setting.

Did You Know?

Our student information system is called myBSC—short for myBankStreetConnect. Using myBSC, you will be able to check your student profile, courses, registration information, track tuition and bill payment options, and access important resources.

Bank Street’s online Learning Management System is Canvas, where you will find your class information, assignments, feedback, and syllabi. You’ll be able to connect directly with your faculty members here, as well as access important information you’ll need.

You’ll access these systems, and more, via single sign-on. Once you sign into our website using your @bankstreet.edu email, you will be able to select myBSC, Canvas, and the GSE Financial Aid Portal from the drop down menu.

Good to Know

Class registration typically opens two months earlier than the start of term. We’ll send reminders through emails and your SSA’s biweekly newsletter.

What’s the Difference?

SSAs, Program Directors, and Supervised Fieldwork Advisors

Student Services Advisors (SSAs)

Our Student Services Advisors (SSA) are here for you every step of the way, starting with answering any questions you have in registering for your first semester of classes. Your SSA will assist you in knowing when and how to register for classes, accessing and accepting your financial aid, understanding your bill and knowing when payments are due, and more! They’ll connect with you throughout the semester to check in and see how you are doing from the moment you start at Bank Street until you graduate. They’ll provide you with a biweekly newsletter chock full of resources like upcoming events, deadline reminders, and tips and tricks for student success.

Program Directors

Your program director is a member of our faculty who provides program leadership and oversees the academic requirements of your program. Program directors build your program plan, providing you with a roadmap of what classes to take each term as you move toward graduation. If you need to adjust your program plan, you should consult with your program director. They can also support you with possible transfer credits and course substitutions. Program directors provide guidance about field placements and are here to support you in meeting your professional development goals.

Supervised Fieldwork Advisors

As soon as you begin your supervised fieldwork experience, you will be matched with a faculty fieldwork advisor who has expertise in your area of study. All of our advisors have a depth of experience as practitioners themselves. Advisors will observe your practice in ongoing ways through site visits and/or video observation and meet with you regularly to support your professional growth and development. In addition, fieldwork advisors facilitate small communities of practice we call conference groups where you will have opportunities to learn from and with peers as you engage in your field experiences. Your advisor also provides programmatic guidance and supports your overall journey to graduation and beyond.

Student Learning Supports:

Disability Services Office and Academic Writing Support

Disability Services Office

Bank Street Graduate School of Education is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to otherwise qualified candidates who disclose a disability during the admissions process or their course of studies.

We’ll help you use your learning style to your advantage, and to provide strategies and resources designed to help you bypass any learning challenges you may have, and increase your overall ability to learn. We also want our students (with or without disabilities) to be informed of their rights and obligations under the law so that they know when and how to request academic or physical accommodations.

This information is a natural outgrowth of Bank Street College’s commitment to Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a set of guidelines that can be used to make classroom information accessible to all students. If you have a diagnosed disability or suspect that you may have a disability, we encourage you to contact Director of Student Learning Support, Kim McLeveighn. She will guide you through the process.

Academic Writing Support

Graduate students are expected to write in ways that enable them to think deeply about their studies. Some assignments ask students to reflect on an educational experience and make connections to course concepts and readings. Others may require them to research a topic to develop new insights. Students may be required to observe or work with students, teachers, or health professionals as they write professional notes and make connections to course readings.

Writing is one of the critical means through which grad students demonstrate their knowledge of processes and content taught in courses and fieldwork. Refining your writing as a graduate student provides you with a forum for developing the professional writing that you will engage in as a teacher, leader, or child life specialist.

Kim can support you in developing your academic writing with an individual consultation. During the consultation, it will be determined together if you are a good fit for the Writing Assistance Program. Current graduate students are offered the opportunity to take part in individual tutoring with a Bank Street alumni through this program. Tutoring is contingent on the resources and schedule availability of the program.

Learn About: Certification

You should not apply for certification until you complete your graduate program at Bank Street, but you should begin the necessary exams and fingerprinting components as early as possible so that you are able to become certified promptly after you graduate.

You are completing many of the requirements for New York State certification by completing your Bank Street program.

Initial or Professional? Which is the right certificate for me?

Initial certification is the entry-level certificate for classroom teachers (issued in specific subject/grade titles) and the entry-level certificate for the School Building Leader (SBL). You will have five years to get the experience required for professional certification.

Professional certification requires three years of paid, full-time head teaching experience, including a mentored experience in your workplace. (The mentor year cannot be your Bank Street fieldwork year.) If you do not have this, you should apply for initial certification.

More You can learn more about what’s needed for certification and what you can do starting now on our website. We are here to help navigate the NYS Certification process!

Planning ahead is key when it comes to New York State certification.

Ann Cox, Assistant Dean of Institutional Data, Assessment, and Certification

Learn About: Career Services

Bank Street Graduate School’s Career Services department is a resource and information center for current students and alumni. We encourage you to explore all we have to offer, including career fairs and events, job postings, résumé support, and more. You’ll find announcements and reminders in your SSA biweekly newsletter, as well as in your @bankstreet emails.

CareerConnect is our web-based job portal platform, where you are able to search education-related positions. We’ll provide you with instructions to you on how to set up your profile on CareerConnect.

Learn more on our website: > Career Services

It’s never too early to start thinking about your future!

Beatrice Benavides, Director of Career Services

Learn About: Continuing Professional Studies

Continuing Professional Studies (CPS) at Bank Street offers online and on site professional development for educators. Programs are short-format to meet the needs of working educators. Earn graduate credit or New York State required CTLE hours and Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

As a graduate student, you’ll be most interested in our certification support to support passage of the New York State Teacher Certification Exam.

CPS also offers professional development for teachers and leaders in formal and informal educational settings. Our in-service training and workshops are available in full-day and half-day formats online or onsite to suit the needs of your school district. We will consult with you about your objectives to tailor a program that best fits your needs.

Reach out to the CPS team to learn more!

Conferences

CPS also oversees Bank Street’s annual conferences and institutes and there are opportunities for you, as a student, to receive credit for attending.

• Our Teaching Kindergarten Conference provides an opportunity for educators to come together and address the challenges of kindergarten. (March)

• The Infancy Institute is designed specifically for infant and toddler caregivers, teachers, directors, trainers, home visitors, parents, early interventionists, developmental specialists, social workers, and family child care providers. (June)

• The Emotionally Responsive Schools Conference is collaboration and study of Emotionally Responsive Practice as part of the Community of Safe and Sound Schools Initiative. (November)

Learn more on our website:

> Continuing Professional Studies

> Conferences and Institutes

to Reach the CPS Team:

Infographic: Paying Your Bill

The Bursar is available for all student account inquiries.

The Bursar’s Office is located at: The Interchurch Center

475 Riverside Drive 14th Floor

New York, NY 10115

Mailing address: Bank Street College

Attn: Business Office, Bursar/Student Accounts

610 West 112th Street New York, NY 10025

PLEASE NOTE: AN APPOINTMENT IS REQUIRED FOR ANY IN PERSON TRANSACTIONS OR MEETINGS.

Questions? Ask your SSA!

Infographics: A Financial Aid Overview

As an enrolled graduate student at Bank Street, you’re one step closer to getting your master’s degree, and we want to make sure there are no bumps along the way.

If you’re in need of financial aid for the next academic year, there are steps to follow so we can work with you to determine your financial package.

Once you receive your financial aid offer letter, follow the steps on the right to accept, reduce, or decline your individual offers as soon as possible.

For Your Reference

> Financial Aid Glossary

Questions?

> Ask your Student Services Advisor

(Not So) Fun Fact:

A reminder you must complete the FAFSA for every year you wish to be considered for financial aid.

Resources: The Bank Street Library

Our library, located at 610 West 112th Street on the 5th floor, is home to a children’s collection, a graduate school collection, electronic resources (databases and computers), and the College archives. We offer spaces for patrons to enjoy books, and work on assignments.

Hours

The Library is open to graduate students and faculty Monday to Thursday, 9:00 AM–7:30 PM, and Friday 9:00–5:00 PM. Please visit Library Hours & Events for more details.

Register with the Library

As a new Bank Street graduate student, we ask that you please register with us. Registering will allow you to log in to the catalog, place holds on books, and take them home to read.

You can find more information about the library on our website.

Who to Ask for Help:

• Agatha Forrester | Circulation Assistant

• Alex Iwachiw | Technical Services Librarian

• Audrey Pryce | Technical Services Assistant

Part-time Children’s Librarian

• Cindy Weill | Director, Center for Children’s Literature

• Debbie McLaurin | Acquisitions Assistant

• Kharissa Kenner | Children’s Librarian

• Kristin Freda | Director, Library Services

• Peter Hare | Reference Librarian

How to Reach the Circulation Desk:

> library@bankstreet.edu | 212-875-4455

Important Links

Academic Calendars

Academic Catalog

Student Handbook

Learn How to: Get Involved!

Council of Students

Council of Students (COS) is an open-membership graduate student organization at Bank Street College. All students enrolled in academic programs at Bank Street College are members of COS. The primary mission of COS is to provide a vehicle for students to participate in shaping and strengthening the Bank Street Graduate School community. Over the years, the focus of COS has shifted based on the priorities of its members. COS has organized social events, provided peer-to-peer workshops, and pushed for more explicit focus on racial equity in the curriculum. Stay tuned for more information about how to get involved.

Students of Color Affinity Group (SOCAG)

The Student of Color (SOC) Affinity Group was created out of the need for students of color to have a safe space where they can share their experiences at Bank Street as individuals and collectively as a group. In this space, peers support each other in any issues around race that students may grapple with and celebrate accomplishments. This group generally meets monthly.

White Students Affinity Group (WSAG)

The White Students Affinity Group meetings are scheduled monthly throughout the academic year. The work of developing racial awareness can’t be done in isolation. Reflecting on whiteness is critical. How does whiteness show up in our experience in the micro and macro systems we work within? Join the White Student Affinity Group to process what is happening in the world around us, deepen your understanding of our Whiteness, and reflect on ways to reduce harm to BIPOC folx.

White Students Affinity Group (WSAG)

Important Information for You to Know

Emergency Notifications

In the event of a weather, building, city or national emergency that impacts the building hours, we will send you a text message through our alert system. We will also send alerts to your @bankstreet email and post on our main college and graduate school website pages. It’s important we have your updated cell phone on file for this very reason.

Getting Here

We are conveniently located near many MTA bus stops (M60, M104, M5, M4) and subway stops (the #1 subway line is the closest—you’ll get off at either Cathedral Parkway/110th Street or Columbia University at 116th Street). If you’re a driver, you can generally find parking at the following nearby garages:

> GGMC| The Lionsgate | 512 West 112th Street

> SP + Parking | 511 West 114th Street

> MPG | Manhattan Parking 110 | 543 West 110th Street

Health and Safety

We continue to prioritize the health and safety of our community. All students should be familiar with the health and safety policies linked below.

> Healthy and Safety policies

Help Desk

Our IT staff members are here to help you with any of your technology needs! If you have technology-related questions, ask our Bank Street IT Help Desk:

> 212-875-4642

> helpdesk@bankstreet.edu

> Live help (5th floor, 610 West 112th Street) is available:

Monday – Thursday, 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM | Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Saturday, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Mental Health

Your mental health is important to us. If you’re ever struggling, we encourage you to speak up. Talk to your SSA, program director, or supervised fieldwork advisor and we’ll help you get the help you need. You’ll see we provide mental health resources along with every SSA Newsletter we send, which includes phone numbers and therapists that you can connect with. Bank Street will reimburse your first session of therapy. You can choose any licensed professional for your mental health treatment. Students should tell this professional to send an invoice for the first session to our Director of Student Learning Support, Kim McLeveighn, at dso@bankstreet.edu. It’s important to remember that you are not alone—we’re here to help you.

Questions?

Ask your SSA!

The Bank Street Neighborhood

Situated on New York City’s Upper West Side, Bank Street is part of a bustling family and student-oriented neighborhood near the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the largest Gothic cathedral in North America. Our main building, located at 610 West 112 Street, is just a few steps off Broadway, a busy avenue lined with shops and restaurants, and just a short bus or subway ride to Times Square and all that New York City’s many communities have to offer.

You might not think of rivers and trees when you imagine life in New York City, but Bank Street is situated between two beautiful urban green spaces. We call it urban nature! Riverside Park along the Hudson River is one block from our campus and the city’s iconic Central Park is just a short walk east.

Visit the American Museum of Natural History or the New York Historical Society and then cross the park to “Museum Mile,” where you’ll experience some of the world’s best art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and El Museo Del Barrio, among others. With your student ID, you can secure discounted tickets to Broadway shows and world-class symphony, ballet, and opera performances at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Carnegie Hall.

A walk around the neighborhood will result in you finding so many options for food and beverages. No matter what you’re looking for—at every price point, for dining in, or taking out—there is no shortage of great food in the Morningside Heights neighborhood!

The General Grant National Memorial is located a few blocks north of Bank Street.