LEAP to Teacher

The Murphy Institute’s LEAP to Teacher (LTT) is a collaborative program between the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU) and our participating City University of New York (CUNY) colleges. LTT provides a set of free, specialized support services for paraprofessionals and teachers employed by the New York City Department of Education (DOE) who are pursuing higher education and advancing their career in teaching or any other field of study. Our services are currently offered across seven different CUNY campuses: BMCC, Brooklyn College, College of Staten Island, the CUNY School of Labor & Urban Studies (non-teaching degrees), Lehman College , Medgar Evers College, and Queens College

College Entrance Support

• Pre-college preparation classes
• Pre-admission advisement

College and Career Support

• Academic advisement from admission to graduation
• Tutoring, writing support, workshops
• Career advisement

Funding College

• SLU LEAP to Teacher  Scholarship: This scholarship is created to help full-paraprofessionals or teaching assistants employed with the NYC Department of Education. Applicants must be admitted and enrolled graduate students in a teacher shortage area at LTTS collaborating campuses. The fall 2021 application and  LTT scholarship FAQ can be found here.
• Assistance with financial aid and grant opportunities
• Information on DOE vouchers and reimbursement program

NY State Teacher Certification Exam Prep Workshops 

• Educating All Students (EAS)
• Combined Early Childhood and Childhood Multi-Subject (CST) grades K-6^th
• edTPA Teacher Performance Assessment
• Elementary ATS-W Prep Workshop

LTT was created in the mid-nineties to meet the needs of UFT para-educators attending Queens College. It was housed under the umbrella of the Queens College Worker Education Labor Education and Advancement Project (LEAP), established in 1984 to create a space within CUNY dedicated to addressing labor issues from an academic perspective and preparing future labor leaders.

In 2006, The Queens College Worker Education program joined forces with the Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies to better reach and serve union members throughout all of CUNY. In 2018, the Institute underwent an exciting expansion and became its own entity, now called the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU). Throughout all of these transitions, the LTT program has remained true to its original mandate of providing an adult-friendly environment catered to the specific needs of evening students and union members.

For more information, please attend one of our monthly open house events (button on the left), or contact one of our site coordinators to schedule an appointment at the college of your choice.