Enduring Values in Teacher Preparation at Pratt Institute – Pratt Institute

Report on the Historical Contribution of Pratt Institute’s Art Education Program to Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 4: Quality Education

Pratt Institute’s Art and Design Education program has historically aligned with the principles of Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. This commitment is evidenced by several long-standing institutional practices.

• Teacher Preparation: Since the late 1880s, the Institute has focused on preparing qualified art teachers for public schools, directly supporting SDG Target 4.c to substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers.
• Pedagogical Focus: The program’s foundational philosophy, articulated in 1903, called for an “applied art” that was “genuine and educational,” ensuring that instruction in public schools is relevant and of high quality.
• Experiential Learning: A core component of the teacher preparation curriculum is hands-on, studio-based learning, which equips educators with practical skills to deliver effective instruction.

Enduring Curricular Requirement for Practical Training

1. Establishment of Practice Teaching: In 1894, the Institute mandated that all “normal art students” (teacher trainees) must engage in practice teaching.
2. Implementation via Community Engagement: This requirement has been fulfilled through student-led instruction in Saturday morning art classes for local children.
3. Sustained Impact: This model of mandatory, practical teacher training has been a continuous curricular requirement for over 125 years, ensuring a consistent contribution of skilled educators to the public school system.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities & SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The program’s focus on public education inherently addresses goals related to reducing inequality and fostering sustainable communities.

• Equitable Access: By training educators specifically for the public school system, the Institute contributes to providing quality arts education to all children, regardless of socioeconomic background, thereby supporting SDG 10.
• Community Enrichment: The Saturday morning classes for children function as a sustained community engagement program, enhancing access to cultural education and contributing to the development of an inclusive and resilient community, in line with SDG 11.
• Institutional Partnership: The enduring relationship between the Institute and the city’s public schools represents a long-term partnership for achieving educational and community development goals.

Exhibition Summary

An exhibition utilizing archival materials will examine the historical context of these institutional values. The display will analyze the program’s consistent dedication to quality public education and its alignment with the principles now encapsulated in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of SDGs in the Provided Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The article is centered entirely on the theme of education. It discusses the history and philosophy of Pratt Institute’s art and design education programs, specifically their role in preparing teachers for public schools. The focus on “genuine and educational” drawing, “hands-on, studio based learning,” and the long-standing commitment to teacher preparation directly aligns with the core mission of SDG 4, which is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.

   • The article’s emphasis on preparing “art teachers for the public schools” directly relates to improving the quality of primary and secondary education. The quote from Walter Scott Perry, advocating that “Drawing in the public schools must be genuine and educational,” speaks to the goal of achieving relevant and effective learning outcomes within the arts curriculum.

2. Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

   • The article highlights the need for an “applied art” and “manual training in the public schools.” This focus on practical, hands-on skills and the “fitting adaptation of art to materials” aligns with providing students with technical and vocational skills that are valuable for future employment.

3. Target 4.c: By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States.

   • This is the most directly addressed target. The article’s entire narrative is about Pratt Institute’s role in increasing the supply of qualified teachers. It explicitly mentions the “Normal’ classes (teacher preparation classes)” since the late 1880s and the current “undergraduate and graduate degrees in art and design education” as a means to “prepare art teachers for the public schools.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicator: Number of qualified teachers trained.

   • The article implies this indicator by describing Pratt Institute’s long-standing programs, from the first “‘Normal’ classes” to today’s “undergraduate and graduate degrees in art and design education.” The existence and continuation of these teacher preparation programs are a direct measure of the supply of qualified art teachers.

2. Indicator: Existence of practical training components in teacher education curricula.

   • A specific, measurable indicator is mentioned: the “curricular requirement that has endured for more than 125 years” for art students to “practice teaching in the Saturday morning classes for children.” This represents a qualitative measure of teacher training programs, ensuring that new teachers have hands-on experience.

3. Indicator: Integration of applied and vocational arts into school curricula.

   • The article implies this as a measure of educational quality through the 1903 quote calling for “an applied art” and “manual training in the public schools.” The presence and quality of such programs in public schools would be an indicator of progress towards providing students with relevant technical skills as envisioned in Target 4.4.

Summary of Findings

Source: pratt.edu