Teachers College has received a gift of $1 million from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund in support of the College’s Office of School and Community Partnerships (OSCP) and its Teachers College Partnership Schools Network. Tisch is Vice Chair of the Teachers College Board of Trustees.

The Network will comprise up to 12 public elementary, middle and high schools in Harlem that serve students most at risk of dropping out and underachieving. It focuses primarily on a geographic region that extends from West 110th Street to West 155th Street, chiefly serving schools in Community School Districts 3, 5 and 6.

 

“For our country to continue to be a world leader, we need to ensure that children—all children—are afforded the opportunity for a quality education. This means that every child must have access to a rich learning experience and that includes a full complement of classroom, enrichment and support services,” said Tisch, in announcing the gift. “The Teacher’s College effort and strong partnership with local public schools really advances this vision. I’m heartened by the scope and reach of the Office of School and Community Partnerships and its Partnership Schools Network, the resources that are being made available to participating schools and especially by TC’s plans to share accountability for results with partner schools.”

 

President Susan Fuhrman said the College was “delighted to receive this timely gift in support of our efforts in the surrounding community, which we regard as both our responsibility as a good neighbor and a major opportunity to better understand and address the needs of urban schools.”

 

The Illumination Fund gift will be used for special programs that include:

 

raising students’ academic expectations and performance;

 

meeting students’ social development needs and increasing family involvement in their education;

 

developing and retaining outstanding teachers.

 

The gift will support a cadre of committed Teachers College doctoral and master’s Fellows to work in the Teachers College Network schools as interns, coaches and onsite mentors. Projects that Fellows will undertake include curriculum enrichment, professional development and college awareness activities.

 

The OSCP, led by Associate Vice President Nancy Streim, was created in 2007 to coordinate and increase TC’s already substantial engagement with New York City public schools—part of a major institutional initiative to apply and leverage TC’s knowledge, experience and resources for schools’ benefit.

 

The TC Partnership Schools Network offers a program of comprehensive and customized support across all areas of learning, school culture and age groups. The gift from Tisch brings total funding secured by OSCP to $9.5 million.

 

For more information, visit www.tc.edu/oscp.