The Institute for Learning and Teaching (ILT) is a unit of the College of Education and Human Development (GCE) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. ILT specializes in university, school, and community-based collaborations, with a particular emphasis on urban education and multicultural concerns. Throughout the state, the ILT works with teachers, administrators, students, and families to improve the teaching and learning of students at all levels. ILT conducts many direct-service programs for K-12 urban students, partners with individual schools, offers activities for UMass Boston students, and conducts professional development programs. Its primary purpose is to conduct programming that focuses on whole-school improvement, narrowing the Achievement Gap, and dropout prevention. The ILT accomplishes this by providing professional development programs statewide and direct-service programs for urban students. The ILT offers courses for UMass Boston students as well.
The ILT was founded in 1970 as an expression of the University's commitment to the public service mission of an explicitly urban campus. With the financial support of the Ford Foundation and under the leadership of a respected educator, Gregory Anrig, the Institute was created to focus on in-service education and to foster innovative approaches to educational change.
A unique and important feature of the Institute has been the collaborative model that underpins its programs. The Institute's approach emphasizes educational improvement through strong collaborations forged between academicians and practitioners. A real measure of the success of these collaborations is in the long-term impact of this work. The Institute has a well-established reputation for this type of success.