More than 25 years after opening the Harriet Tubman Clinic for Children in Harlem, Dr. Edmund Gordon is spreading his vision of "supplementary education" through a 65-block radius in TC's backyard.  Gordon believes enriching poor and minority children's educational experiences outside of school can stimulate intellectual development that, as a result, may help close the achievement gap.  "I'm convinced that we know enough now to educate most of the people we're worried about," he said. "Yet, even if we were to do that perfectly, I don't think it would reduce the achievement gap."

The College responded to Gordon's long-term desire to move the Institute for Urban and Minority Education (IUME), which he founded in 1973, closer to Harlem when it launched the Teachers College Education Zone last year.  Through the project, TC has committed to active involvement in New York City public schools in regions 9 and 10 which represent Harlem, upper Manhattan, some of the south Bronx.  In addition to being part of this TC initiative, IUME has also partnered with the Harlem Children's Zone which has operated since the 1990s.

The article, entitled "A Cultural Odyssey," appeared in the March 23 edition of Education Week.

Published Monday, Mar. 28, 2005