Teachers College, Columbia University

Teachers College was founded in 1887 to address the issues of education during a period of profound social, economic, and cultural change in the United States. The purpose of the institution was to educate teachers, in all grades, in the knowledge and skills basic to teaching. Through the fundraising efforts of Grace Hoadley Dodge, the treasurer of the college; the intellectual vision of Nicholas Murray Butler, president of the Industrial Education Society; and the leadership of the first dean, James Earl Russell, the dream of an institution focused specifically on the education of teachers was realized after fourteen years in the making.

Although the curriculum of the college expanded over the past century, there have remained two constants. One is the dynamic affiliation with Columbia [Page ...