Planting Seeds.
Growing Rochester’s
Own Teachers.
✦ 30th Anniversary · 1995–2025
For 30 years, the Teaching and Learning Institute at East High has developed Rochester students into dedicated, community-raised educators and leaders — who know and love this city.
30
Years of Impact
350+
TLI Graduates
15+
Teaching in RCSD
Est. 1995
East High School
OUR MISSION
A community that grows its own teachers
Founded with a Ford Foundation Grant in 1995, TLI was created to help the Rochester City School District develop its own educators — people raised in the city, committed to its future.
Friends of TLI, established in 2014, is a foundation of community leaders, educators, parents, and alumni who advocate for and sustain the Institute's mission of social justice, critical thinking, and democratic learning.
Three decades of impact
30-YEAR TIMELINE
1995
TLI founded at East High with a Ford Foundation Grant to grow local Rochester teachers
2003
RCSD takes over full funding — proof of TLI’s proven value to the district
2013
15 graduates teaching in RCSD; many more in medicine, law & business across the U.S.
2014
Friends of TLI established as a community advocacy and fundraising foundation
2015
TLI Makes History — milestone graduation recognized citywide
2025
350+ graduates & an apple tree planted at East High to mark 30 years
BE PART OF THE STORY
TLI shaped you.
Now shape what's next.
Whether you're a TLI graduate, a Rochester educator, or a community member who believes in what this program stands for, there's a place for you in the Friends of TLI community.
“I look back on my years in T.L.I and I can honestly say that without it I would not be in college. The program made me a better communicator, learner and community activist.”
SUPPORT THE NEXT 30 YEARS
Make a gift today
Your gift funds scholarships, TLI jackets, leadership experiences, and the celebrations that make TLI a family.