NYU Steinhardt’s new master of arts in teaching in secondary education embeds prospective teachers full time in high-need urban schools. The teacher education program combines an immersive teaching residency with a technology-enhanced curriculum developed by NYU Steinhardt faculty. The program will prepare students to become secondary school teachers in English, math, social studies, or science.
The initial partner networks for the 2016-2017 school year – Great Oaks Charter Schools and Brooklyn Prospect Charter School (now Prospect Schools) – are committed to preparing teachers for urban classroom settings. At each partner school, residents will learn together in cohorts of no more than 15, building bonds and creating learning communities devoted to ensuring every middle or high school student receives a high-quality education.
“We’re very excited to work with Great Oaks and Brooklyn Prospect for the first school year of the Teacher Residency. And, because the curriculum was designed to work with all types of urban schools, we look forward to partnering with additional school districts and networks in the coming years to reach all learners,” said Dominic Brewer, the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of NYU Steinhardt.
Residents Will Make an Impact in High-Need Communities
Teaching residents will spend an entire school year learning core teaching skills and gradually assuming classroom responsibility, under the guidance of an on-site teaching mentor. The Teacher Residency program is tailored to meet the vision and mission of each individual partner network.
Great Oaks
Michael Duffy, president of Great Oaks Foundation, an urban school network on the front lines of education reform, believes the apprentice model leads to high-quality teacher preparation.
“There are several components to Great Oaks’ mission. First and foremost, we are preparing inner-city students for success in college,” Duffy said, noting Great Oaks provides individualized tutoring to every student daily through its on-site Tutor Corps.
“However, another important role that Great Oaks plays is to help train effective classroom teachers. In that way, our schools are like teaching hospitals which provide outstanding patient care at the same time that they are mentoring the next generation of medical professionals. Great teachers, like great doctors, develop their skills through practice and reflection in a residency. The NYU Teacher Residency program provides Great Oaks with the means to mentor and credential the next generation of urban educators,” he said.
Duffy listed three things he’d want teacher residents – who will be embedded in Great Oaks schools in Bridgeport, Connecticut; Newark, New Jersey; New York City; and Wilmington, Delaware – to take away from their experience:
- Emerge from the program ready to take on the rigors of teaching in an urban classroom and to be effective from the very first day on the job
- Be knowledgeable about the research and substance that forms the foundation of being a well-trained educator
- Know themselves, and whether they are up for the challenge of being a teacher, having seen firsthand what is involved in doing so
Brooklyn Prospect
Daniel Kikuji Rubenstein, executive director and co-founder of Brooklyn Prospect, an International Baccalaureate world school, set out to create a collaborative learning community that would provide a modern, world-class, academic experience for a diverse population.
“As a school that fosters excellent teaching as part of its mission, we are excited to partner with Steinhardt in giving future teachers the perfect marriage of theory and practice. This partnership leverages Steinhardt’s expertise and resources in teacher preparation with Brooklyn Prospect’s experience in bringing a world-class International Baccalaureate education to an extraordinarily diverse student body,” he said. “Through the Teacher Residency program, we expect to create a long-term sustainable pipeline of excellent teachers who are deeply rooted in Brooklyn Prospect teaching techniques and collaborative philosophy.”
Rubenstein wants teaching residents to learn the following from their experience:
- Teaching is a collaborative job for “pit crews” rather than lone wolves. Today’s high-performing schools recognize that communities of educators centered on a common mission have the greatest impact on teachers and students.
- Teaching is a lifetime pursuit. Today’s high-performing teachers are long-term professionals who continue to find gratification and purpose in their chosen vocation.
- Teaching is fundamentally not about the teacher, but about the students. Today’s students come from an extraordinarily diverse set of backgrounds. Learning how to reach them all, great teachers understand that what the teacher is doing is less important than what the student is learning. With this understanding, they continuously examine their own assumptions, beliefs, and practices and use reflections to grow in their practice.
Learn to Teach by Teaching, and Earn an MAT from NYU Steinhardt
The Teacher Residency program will be completed in 13 months. The course work and fieldwork lead to eligibility for initial teaching certification in New York State. The program, consisting of 10 modules, is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
Classes begin in July 2016.
For more information, please visit the Teacher Residency program page.