Changing Suburbs Institute®

Our communities and schools are changing. They’re more diverse than ever — culturally, linguistically, and economically — and the ways we need to educate our children are changing as a result.

How can we better educate students who are culturally and linguistically diverse? How can their parents get a better understanding of the U.S. educational system and become more involved in their children's academic careers? How can schools gain access to the information they need to make informed decisions about their changing student populations, and work together to respond to the challenges they face?

For more than a decade, Manhattanville’s Changing Suburbs Institute^® has led this charge. Our focus on teacher and school-leadership development, parent education, and community collaboration has helped school districts respond to these demographic shifts. Through partnerships with 14 schools in eight local school districts, our Changing Suburbs Institute^® is preparing teacher candidates, providing faculty development, and giving students the best chance to succeed by helping their parents to become better advocates for their children’s education.

In 2016, the Changing Suburbs Institute^® was recognized as a Bright Spot in Hispanic Education by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. Bright Spots in Hispanic Education are programs, models, organizations, or initiatives that are involved in ongoing efforts to support Latinx educational attainment and excellence and help close the achievement gap.