ADAPT Community Network is committed to providing comprehensive education for children and adults with disabilities. To ensure this in our school-age programs, Gabriela Hernandez, Vice President of Education, initiated a partnership with The Bank Street Education Center, a New York City university that offers early childhood teaching programs.
Special education continues to face nationwide challenges: a shortage of teachers and high turnover rates. According to the Learning Disabilities Association of America, approximately 15% of special education teachers leave their schools each year, affecting students’ learning and access to needed support.
“Teachers need the opportunity to plan, meet in person with other teachers, and collaborate and share their experiences,” Gabriela explains, recognizing the importance of retaining strong educators. Through this partnership, The Teacher Institute provides training for ADAPT’s school-age teachers, all of whom are pursuing master’s degrees in early childhood education.
The Teacher Institute provides professional development that helps teachers strengthen their skills, collaborate across ADAPT schools, and learn best practices together. Ongoing sessions throughout the year give teachers the opportunity to bring new strategies back into their classrooms.
Carol Chen, a special education teacher at ADAPT’s Bayridge program, describes the sessions as meaningful, well-structured, and reflective. “We don’t often get opportunities to sit and walk in the shoes of the children we work with. To be able to do that is humbling and allows room for growth as teachers” she shares.
Gabriela hopes the Institute not only strengthens teachers’ skills but also equips them with the necessary tools to support their planning and instruction. Ultimately, Gabriela hopes to cultivate a supportive peer network, so teachers are not working in isolation. “Our goal to support new teachers is a success and we will continue to see more new teachers go through this partnership with Bank Street College Teacher Institute.”
