The Department of Teaching and Learning in the Steinhardt School of Education established the Center for Research on Teaching and Learning (CRTL) in February of 2002. The CRTL was created to support the School of Education's Teacher Education Programs in fulfilling their commitment to develop professional educators who have a broad and deep understanding of their practice, and a moral commitment to equity and social justice. The CRTL works with NYU faculty and staff to design and implement studies to assess the efficacy of pre-service and in-service teacher education programs, and to identify best practices and strategies that will enhance teaching and learning. The CRTL provides a structure and process for coordinating the Department's existing and proposed research and serves as a forum for faculty and staff to share ideas, discuss critical issues in urban education, and develop a common research agenda.
In all research endeavors, the CRTL focuses on the processes and causes that underlie the ultimate goal of the work of education-effective teaching resulting in high student achievement. Quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches are combined to provide the multiple perspectives essential to understanding complex educational issues. The CRTL's research agenda is grounded in the issues that challenge urban school systems, chief among which are policies and methods that show promise for reducing the achievement gap.