“Our ultimate goal is for students to view themselves as critically thinking, active citizens. ”
VISION
TLI’s vision is to create educators who are community leaders committed to progressive change and social justice.
MISSION
TLI’s mission is to provide students with a cooperative, democratic learning environment where they are empowered to lead and educate others.
FOCUS
To promote standards of excellence in academics and
civic behavior
To create an awareness of social justice issues in the
community and empower students to lead and take action.
To prepare students for success in college and beyond.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Our students graduate empowered to enact progressive change in the community. To promote social justice and to become success- ful professionals, our students learn how to be critical thinkers and how to work together with people from diverse backgrounds.
Classroom lessons are presented in a cooperative learning environment where students not only learn the content subject matter, but also how to work together successfully. Students are taught to set goals as a group, to divide the labor for a project, to hold one another accountable and ultimately they are graded on the quality of the final product, as well as how they performed as a team.
The Teaching and Learning Institute employs a democratic pedagogy where students are involved in each level of decision making for the program. We believe students must practice democracy in the classroom in order to practice democracy in society. From choosing topics for study and debate, to facilitating classroom ac- tivities and discussions, to planning events for the program which promote its family-like atmosphere, students are encouraged to take an active role in the creation of their learning environment.
Our ultimate goal is for students to view themselves as critically thinking, active citizens.
OUR ROOTS
The TLI program was conceived in 1995, after the Rochester City School District implemented its policy of school choice for high school students. With students able to apply to any of the 7 high schools in the district, each of the schools was encouraged to inno- vate new academic programs to attract applicants from throughout the city of Rochester. The Teaching and Learning Institute was one such innovation. Its aim was to help the Rochester City School District grow its own teachers.
A partnership of educational institutions created the TLI pro- gram. Educators and administrators from the Rochester City School District, the University of Rochester, SUNY Geneseo, and Monroe Community College applied for and received a Ford Founda- tion grant to fund the first five years of the program. After its in- itial success, the Rochester City School District went on to cover the program’s entire cost.
Teachers, professors, administrators and graduate students, led by Professor David Hursh of the University of Rochester, Mark LaSalle Peterson from SUNY Geneseo and educators Rosa Crane, Ken Wilson, and Frank Rossi of East High School, created an academic curriculum based on a college model that had students participating in educational seminars and field placements at elementary schools. They also designed the program to be small in nature so as to create a family-like atmosphere that fostered nurturing relation- ships to motivate students and develop their identity in a large com- prehensive high school.
Since its inception in 1995, the program has graduated over 250 students, many who have continued their teaching careers in Rochester and around the country. As of 2013, there were 15 TLI graduates working in the Rochester City School District and many more teaching in other areas of the United States. Several graduates of the program have gone on to pursue other careers, attending medical school, law school, and studying the field of business. These students have commented on the fact that, though they did not pursue teaching, the TLI program helped them develop the leadership and citizenship skills necessary for the careers they chose.