Curriculum: Educational Philosophy

Diversity at Bank Street

The School for Children makes a major effort to recruit and retain children, families, and faculty from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in order to reflect the diversity inherent in our multicultural society. This effort is consistent with the progressive idea that schools should represent the demographics of the society in which they exist. At the same time, our school needs to be a place in which children, faculty, and families are actively engaged with the conflicting and changing ideas and values about what democracy and schooling means for each individual and group and how this affects teaching and learning in the School for Children.

At Bank Street, we strive to acknowledge, support, and educate a community of children and adults to be sensitive, as well as respectful of the diversity among ourselves-such as race, ethnicity, class, religion, gender, sexual orientation, family structure, physical ability, and learning styles. Our philosophical beliefs and scholarly practice in our children's classrooms have a prominent anti-bias foundation, as well as a social justice and equity driven curriculum that is reflected in all subject areas.