Teachers College, Columbia University

The official Tumblr of Teachers College, Columbia University, the first and largest graduate school of education in the United States.

[teacherscollege]

Yupha Udomsakdi (M.A., ’60) served as Thailand’s first female Minister of Education, founded the nation’s first health education program, and helped draft the Thailand’s most democratic constitution in 1997 as the Vice Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Assembly. . . After her education was derailed by the outbreak of World War II, Udomsakdi earned a Fulbright Scholarship and her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing Education at Washington Missionary College in Washington D.C. A scholarship subsequently brought her to Teachers College, which in 2016 presented her with its Distinguished Alumni Award. During her four terms in Thailand’s Parliament, she also consulted for UNICEF on policies to support women's and children's health. . . #WomensHistoryMonth https://www.instagram.com/p/BvRpj8xg8E2/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=e47or89wkphy

[teacherscollege]

“One of the most important education philosophers of the past 50 years” and “an idol to thousands of educators” as described by The New York Times, the late Maxine Greene served on the TC faculty beginning in 1965. She was an ardent feminist, a crusader against anti-Semitism and a critic of capitalism who disdained her own privileged background. With work too far-ranging and diverse to lend itself to easy labeling, the @barnardcollege alumnus is perhaps best known for her exhortation to “look at things as if they could be otherwise” and for her passion for the arts as a catalyst to “wide-awakeness.” . . Greene founded her own foundation in 2003 that seeks to “generate inquiry, imagination, and the creation of art works by diverse people.” Before her death in 2014, she had also served as Philosopher-in-Residence of the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education (LCI) for nearly 40 years. In addition her numerous honors, Greene was recognized with a Teachers College Medal of Honor and creation of the Maxine Greene Chair for Distinguished Contributions to Education. #WomensHistoryMonth https://www.instagram.com/p/BvH2xCbD9vV/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ztaof3xddven

[teacherscollege]

Elected to the House of Representatives last November, former TC faculty member Donna Shalala is among just the 24 percent of women currently serving in Congress and is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Described by the White House in 2008 as “one of our nation’s most distinguished educators and public officials” who has “worked tirelessly to ensure that all Americans can enjoy lives of hope, promise and dignity,” Shalala also served as U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services and as president of two major universities. #WomensHistoryMonth https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu9B2CcjvFU/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1fry4ha857m7n

[teacherscollege]

Perhaps the most significant driving force in the creation of Teachers College, Grace Hoadley Dodge established a Greenwich Village “kitchen garden” school to teach practical arts like cooking, sewing and more to impoverished immigrant women in 1880. Just seven years later, the school moved to West 120th Street and evolved into something much greater: TC, the nation’s first institution devoted to teacher education, for which Dodge served as trustee and the school’s first treasurer. . . Beyond her work at Teachers College, Dodge helped organize one of the first societies for working women; brought two opposing young women’s groups together to form the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of the United States; and led the international movement to protect migrants and immigrant women by creating the New York Traveler’s Aid Society and helping form the National Traveler’s Aid Society. . . Dodge is remembered as having “the 100-year look—that is, she looked ahead a century and made her plans accordingly,” as The New York Tribune wrote in a 1915 obituary of the philanthropist. As just one example: a scholarship she created is still supporting TC students today. . . Strong traditions have shaped the College, and enduring values have guided TC since its founding. Grace Dodge's nephew, Cleveland E. Dodge, served on TC’s board for 67 years and as chair of the board for 30 years. Her great grand nephew William D. Rueckert now serves as Chair of TC's Board of Trustees and once reflected: “Grace Dodge believed that education was the critical pathway through which human beings could lead happier, healthier more productive lives.” . . #WomensHistoryMonth https://www.instagram.com/p/Buq6ZwhDn9J/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1x880p3kjp0ml

[teacherscollege]

Shirley Chisholm (M.A. ‘52) was the first African-American woman elected to Congress. She served seven terms representing New York's 12th congressional district and in 1972, became the first African-American woman to seek a major party’s nomination for the presidency. Chisholm, who famously said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,” has become an icon in contemporary intersectional feminism and for women of color seeking representation in historically discriminatory fields like politics. . . Chisholm began her career as a nursery school teacher, receiving her Master's degree from TC in Curriculum and Teaching. She helped found the Congressional Black Caucus, played a critical role in the creation of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, fought to improve minority education and employment, opposed the Vietnam War and eventually served as Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus. She was honored with Teachers College's Distinguished Achievement medal in 1985. . . #WomensHistoryMonth #IntersectionalFeminism https://www.instagram.com/p/Bud7QNxjN_a/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jz5xr6rekqxm

[teacherscollege]

Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2013, David Johns (M.A. ‘06) served as the first Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. His position was the first dedicated to coordinating efforts among federal agencies, community leaders and corporate partners on a national scale to produce a more effective continuum of education for African Americans. . . Johns began his career as a teacher, but became interested in education policy while studying at TC. After graduating, he went to Washington to “make a more systemic impact” as a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Fellow; the Senior Policy Advisor to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions; and as the Obama campaign’s policy and research director during the 2012 presidential election. . . Since 2017, Johns has led the National Black Justice Coalition, a racial justice and LGBTQ rights organization, and is currently earning his Ph.D. in sociology and education at TC. . . In his work, Johns is particularly interested in reframing the narrative around educational excellence, especially for African-American boys, whom he says are too often stereotyped as disinterested in academic achievement. “Black masculinity and black masculine identity are social constructs.” . . #BlackHistoryMonth https://www.instagram.com/p/BuOyggsjdh7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1al7tmby840au

[teacherscollege]

TC’s Institute for Urban & Minority Education was one of the first university programs of its kind when established in 1974 with a mission to “improve the quality of life chances of communities of color through education in urban contexts” through advocacy, research and more. . . Founded by pioneering TC psychologist Edmund W. Gordon, the institute’s current research initiatives span STEM education in public elementary schools, hip hop and spoken word as curricular social justice tools, and the Harlem Education History Project — a collaborative community exploration of the history of education in the neighborhood. . . “IUME has a rich tradition of inviting people from multiple disciplines to work together to solve problems,” said the institute’s Director Erica Walker, whose scholarship includes extensive work on improving outcomes in mathematics in urban high schools and who was recently named to TC’s Upton Professorship. . . For Walker, the impact of IUME’s work reaches beyond urban schools themselves. “How we see cities as landscapes for learning and as contested sites of democracy and power is central to educational questions today.” . . #BlackHistoryMonth https://www.instagram.com/p/BuHKJYgjdg-/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1csniyhwioh4y

[teacherscollege]

“A tireless voice for justice and equality” in the words of President Barack Obama, the late Olivia Hooker (M.A. ’47) was the last survivor of the infamous Tulsa race massacre of 1921, the first-active duty African-American woman to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard and an educator. Hooker served as Professor of Psychology at Fordham University, where she founded a division of the American Psychological Association focused on individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities, her areas of specialization. While Hooker’s influence spanned generations, her reflections on one of her most critical mentors at TC, psychologist Nicholas Hobbs, are reminiscent of her own impact: “Once in a while you find somebody that’s spent their lives trying to make things better for all of us, and that is a pleasure.” The Coast Guard recognized Hooker in 2015 by christening a Sector New York Galley on Staten Island with her name. She received TC’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. Hooker died at the age of 103 in November of last year. To read more about Hooker and her legacy, visit our link in bio or https://bit.ly/2Bv899i. #BlackHistoryMonth #TCAlumni https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt6Ng14jT-3/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1cu8izhxilds3

[teacherscollege]

View this post on Instagram

How did a year with cancer patients and families impact TC student Deyrha Mills’ plans? “It was my responsibility to change people’s lives.” Learn more about her journey to improving patients lives through research with our link in bio or https://bit.ly/2TML6Oj . . #TCStudents #TCWay (at Teachers College, Columbia University) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt1V9rAgEGW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=onhez51mcrdd

[teacherscollege]

An influential painter during the Harlem Renaissance, Charles Alston (M.A. ‘31) led the creation of the historic murals at Harlem Hospital as the first African American supervisor for the Works Progress Administration. Alston’s illustrations appeared in magazines like The New Yorker and Fortune, and he helped establish the Harlem Arts Guild in 1935. . . A friend of influential figures like Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday, Alston was also the first African American to teach at the Art Students League and the Museum of Modern Art, and to have been appointed the painter member of the Art Commission of the City of New York. . . Alston is among a group of renowned artists — like Georgia and Ida O’Keefe, Ad Reinhardt, Agnes Martin, William Dale, Alma Thomas, Elaine Sturtevant and Raphael Montañez Ortiz — who studied in TC’s Art & Art Education program, which became prominent at the beginning of the 20th century under Arthur Wesley Dow. . . The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Detroit Institute of Arts hold Alston’s work in their permanent collections. His paintings were also recently featured in an exhibit at the @columbia @wallachartgallery. . . TC recognized Alston with the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1975. To read more about his life and impact, visit our link in bio or https://bit.ly/2Pqxsyf. #BlackHistoryMonth . . 📷 - Archives of American Art https://www.instagram.com/p/BtybBb5j4yJ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1v3olzwd6zrp4

[teacherscollege]

View this post on Instagram

A first-generation American, TC master’s student Sapna Chemplavil’s mission is to “work with students who don’t have easy access to institutional power” because “I believe their voices need to be heard most.” . . Learn more about Chemplavil and the journeys of other TC students seeking to create a better world at our link in bio or https://bit.ly/2Gtu7gk . . #TCWay (at Teachers College, Columbia University) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtwC0JYBa6w/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=19oa2utfd99wz

[teacherscollege]

Last spring, high school students in Brooklyn and Alabama embarked on a pilot of the first-ever AP course on the African Diaspora, designed in great part at TC’s Institute for Urban & Minority Education (IUME). The diaspora — the forced dispersal worldwide of African people, who, taken together, would constitute the world’s third most populous country — is a critically important part of global history often obscured by the Eurocentric worldview of most textbooks. . . In addition to providing historical context for current issues of race and privilege, the course is designed to increase enrollment of young people of color in advanced placement courses and reassure them that they indeed have a “place in the educational panorama,” says TC’s Henry Levin, William H. Kilpatrick Professor of Economics and Education, who serves as Vice Chair of the African Diaspora Consortium (ADC) Planning and Advisory Committee and a member of ADC’s Board. The curriculum was developed under the auspices of the ADC. . . “It fills a huge gap,” says Marcia Stuart, Assistant Principal at Medgar Evers Preparatory High School, which is led by TC alumnus Michael Wiltshire (Ph.D. ’94). “I wanted [students] to see Africa as they’ve never seen it before. An Africa that is beautiful and an Africa that is rich. They’ve never heard those two words used to describe Africa. They’ve only heard of Africa in terms of poverty and disease and violence.” . . To read more on the African Diaspora curriculum and the contributions of TC faculty, alums and students, visit our link in bio or https://bit.ly/2DUjDVz. . . #BlackHistoryMonth https://www.instagram.com/p/BtoI3bVjL0K/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1j8llvj0hhvtw

[teacherscollege]

Repost via @columbia — "Before you’re a painter, you’re a human being and you’re involved in what happens.” — Charles Alston, CC '1929, TC ’1931. @columbiacollege1754 * You can see Alston's work in "Posing Modernity: The Black Model from Manet and Matisse to Today" at @WallachArtGallery until Feb 10. Check out this groundbreaking exhibition. It's free! #BlackHistoryMonth * Exhibition details are available at the link in bio or at https://bit.ly/2Pqxsyf. https://www.instagram.com/p/BtlfhxpjsCz/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=dnyvsufxhh6g

[teacherscollege]

For nearly 50 years, Anne Richardson Gayles-Felton (M.A. ’47) inspired students at Florida A&M University, a public, historically black university in Tallahassee where she taught as an Undergraduate and Graduate Professor of Secondary Education and Foundations in addition to serving in a variety of other roles. .

From a family of educators, Gayles-Felton began her teaching career at a Marshallville, Georgia school founded in 1886 by her grandmother — the daughter of freed slaves who wanted each black child to have access to education. In the summers, Gayles-Felton accompanied her aunt to New York City, where the latter took courses at Teachers College – “as many Southern blacks of that era did,” Gayles-Felton noted, because they were denied admission by schools of education in their home states. .

Gayles-Felton earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgia’s Fort Valley State College and later returned to Teachers College to embark on her own graduate studies, which shifted her focus to teaching educators and influenced her own approach to engaging with students. She also holds an Ed.D. from Indiana University. . “The biggest challenge facing our education system now is how to produce relevant learning experiences for the students of today, who are so different than those of yesterday,” said Gayles-Felton in 2015. “Are you really getting to the core of what life is about for them? If not, you’re leaving them behind.” .

Among the numerous honors Gayles-Felton has received since her retirement in 2003 are a lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Teacher Educators and TC’s Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2016, Gayles-Felton endowed the Anne Richardson Gayles-Felton Scholarship at TC, one of several institutions where she has continued to make an impact with her commitment to education.

#BlackHistoryMonth https://www.instagram.com/p/BtiqjltD55y/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=hv8h7ll6ol71

[teacherscollege]

Wishing a happy and prosperous Lunar New Year from Teachers College! #yearofthepig #LunarNewYear https://www.instagram.com/p/BtgcGPzD_Ve/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16wtyuusyy7vs

[teacherscollege]

“The premier black psychologist of his generation” according to The New York Times, Edmund W. Gordon, Jr. – TC’s Richard March Hoe Professor Emeritus of Psychology & Education, and an alumnus of the College – is also an educator, researcher and community activist whose influence reaches far beyond TC, where, in 1974, he founded the Institute for Urban and Minority Education. . Gordon, a former minister and zoologist, pioneered the street youth worker model in Harlem in response to gang wars. He was among the first analysts of the Coleman Report, the landmark educational study that introduced powerful new evidence that schools alone could not overcome the obstacles by students living in poverty. With his wife, the pediatrician Susan Gordon, he founded one of the first comprehensive clinics serving underprivileged children. . Gordon served as the first research director for the federal Head Start program under President Johnson, and helped write the first Elementary and Secondary Education Act. And at Teachers College, he also served as the College’s Vice President for Academic Affairs and Interim Dean. . Yet Gordon is perhaps best known for his theory of supplementary education, which he developed and an elaborated upon in more than 175 articles and a dozen books: the notion that, to close the nation’s achievement gap, underprivileged students must be exposed to museums, libraries, concerts, after-school programs and all the other enriching experiences that their wealthier peers experience as a matter of course. . In 2005, TC named its 125th campus in Gordon’s honor, and he has also received the Medal for Distinguished Service – the highest honor the College bestows. Today, at age 97, Gordon continues to actively engage in research while the Institute for Urban and Minority Education – under the direction of Gordon’s protégé, Erica N. Walker, Professor of Mathematics & Education – continues to build upon his vision and develop new approaches to improving the lives and life chances of underserved populations. . For more on Gordon and the scholarship in his name, please visit our link in bio or https://bit.ly/2G9QHu4. #BlackHistoryMonth https://www.instagram.com/p/BtVylKtDtVb/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1nhlqrr5zz8ma

[teacherscollege]

A little 🌤 after the 🌨 this afternoon on #TCWay. Stay warm as it promises to be a cold evening ahead! 🌬#WinterWonderland #TeachersCollege #ColumbiaUniversity #CUatTC #TakenAtTC #AroundTC #Uptown #Columbia #GradSchoolLife (at Teachers College, Columbia University) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtRnf3VBOyb/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=bh7tzvsgoqhd