2025

The Long Trip was revived in 1996 by Fern Khan, then Dean of Continuing Education, and Carol Hillman, a Bank Street alumna and former Board of Trustees member. Attendees to these "new" Long Trips include students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of Bank Street. The 23rd of these trips took participant to Puerto Rico in 2025.

The 2025 Long Trip Mission Statement read as follows:

Somos un grupo de educadores del Bank Street College en la ciudad de Nueva York que viaja a Puerto Rico como parte de nuestro viaje anual, conocido como el “Long Trip.” Nuestro grupo está compuesto por 14 educadores con trayectorias diversas: algunos trabajamos en escuelas preescolares y primarias, mientras que otros son educadores comunitarios, administradores escolares, docentes universitarios y educadores jubilados.

Como parte de nuestra labor educativa, buscamos profundizar nuestra comprensión de los contextos históricos y contemporáneos que moldean las identidades y experiencias de vida de los estudiantes puertorriqueños y sus familias.

Nuestra fundadora, Lucy Sprague Mitchell, impulsó estos viajes de aprendizaje inmersivo con el fin de enriquecer la práctica docente—tanto de educadores en formación como en ejercicio—a través de experiencias significativas que nos permitan conocer un lugar de manera cercana: interactuando con su gente, explorando su geografía y aprendiendo de su historia y cultura.

Tenemos un gran interés en conocer más sobre el pueblo puertorriqueño—su historia, cultura, economía y política—ya que este conocimiento fortalece nuestra práctica educativa y mejora nuestra capacidad para apoyar a los estudiantes y familias con raíces en Puerto Rico.

We are a group of educators from Bank Street College in New York City, traveling to Puerto Rico as part of our annual trip, the “Long Trip.” Our group is made up of 14 educators with diverse backgrounds: some of us work in preschool and elementary schools, while others are community educators, school administrators, university faculty, and retired educators.

As part of our educational work, we seek to deepen our understanding of the historical and contemporary contexts that shape the identities and lived experiences of Puerto Rican students and their families.

Our founder, Lucy Sprague Mitchell, promoted these immersive learning trips with the goal of enriching teaching practice—both for pre-service and in-service educators—through meaningful experiences that allow us to engage with a place in an intimate and personal way: interacting with its people, exploring its geography, and learning about its history and culture.

We are eager to learn more about the Puerto Rican people—their history, culture, economy, and politics—as this knowledge strengthens our educational practice and enhances our ability to support students and families with roots in Puerto Rico.

To view a timeline and map of the newer Long Trips, visit the Bank Street Continuing Professional Studies site.