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Strategic Plan

A plan tells the institution’s story—where it is today and where it is heading. Like a good story, as Lucy Sprague Mitchell said in 1916, a plan begins with the familiar, but it does not rest there. It points out, away from the immediate toward the future.

In today’s competitive and global world, strategic plans provide both direction and vision.  Imagining the future of Bank Street—our Children’s Programs, the Graduate School, and the emerging new initiatives—require looking back and looking forward.

Three priorities—which I describe as challenges — define our agenda for the future.

Bank Street College of Education believes in the lively interaction of its three core elements:  early childhood learning, preparing the very best teachers, and developing creative leaders for neighborhood schools and learning centers.  In the years ahead, fresh ideas will come from all corners of our community—including not only our faculty, but our trustees, students, existing partners, and new allies.

We are fortunate to have a Bank Street when so much work is needed to protect children and learning that lasts.

An Invitation

Bank Street College of Education is a passionate assembly of learners—not only children and graduate students who love learning, but parents, faculty and staff, alumni, trustees, funders, and friends in New York City and beyond. We commit ourselves to creating the best possible environment in which children learn and develop as whole persons. At Bank Street, "It's always about the child."

We know who we are. The progressive ideas and values that Lucy Sprague Mitchell and her colleagues brought to life in 1916 enrich today's work with children, adolescents, young teachers, and families. Our philosophy has always emphasized curiosity and social engagement as well as inclusion and respect for others.

We are devoted to developing and implementing the best ways for educators to work effectively with children from every neighborhood and nation. The challenges in educational policy and practice we face in the 21st century are significant, and Bank Street is always open to new ideas about how to better serve children and their families. To those challenges, we bring immense energy and a resilient mix of idealism and realism.

I am very proud to be at Bank Street as we approach the second 100 years. I issue this challenge—a call to action— to our courageous community, confident that we have the passion and the intelligence to respond creatively and successfully.

Elizabeth D. Dickey, President