What are COMMUTER INSTITUTES?
Commuter Institutes are an initiative started in 1999 and funded by the Foundation for Microbiology, the Josephine Bay Paul and C. Michael Paul Foundation, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The Institutes rely on collaborations among universities, non-traditional education entities, and public school districts in major cities. Teachers who are unable to be away from home for extended periods of time take advantage of this program and enjoy two weeks of local professional development. Participants meet during the day Monday through Friday and take part in carefully coordinated activities that engage them in new perspectives and research in their teaching fields. A successful model is the collaborative among Pace University, the American Museum of Natural History, and New York City Public Schools.
