Networking > Communities Of Practice > Diverse Learners Community of Practice

The Diverse Learners CoP was sponsored by PEJE from September 2006 to June 2009 and facilitated by Donna Lupatkin. Its goal was to improve practice in educating diverse learners in Jewish day school settings. It brought together administrators, special educators, and teachers through regularly scheduled conference calls and ongoing online discussions. Over these years, PEJE deeply appreciated the generous support of Hidden Sparks for their sponsorship of the Diverse Learners CoP. Below is a list of the monthly CoP conference calls with the PointPoint slides for each call. Feel free to access and share any of these materials.

The Diverse Learners CoP is now a collaborative effort between Hidden Sparks and Hebrew College, Newton, Massachusetts. For more information, please contact Sandy Miller-Jacobs at cop.dl.smj@gmail.com or dknider@hiddensparks.org. They welcome your continued participation.

Conference Call PowerPoint Presentations

• Building Schoolwide Systems of Positive Behavior Support: Part II: Secondary Prevention
  June 1, 2009, Howard S. Muscott, Ed.D., NH Center for Effective Behavioral Interventions and Supports (Guests)
• Co-teaching
  May 18, 2009, Anna McTigue & Emily Fagan from Education Development Center (Guests)
• Effective Professional Development that Supports Inclusive Practices for all Students
  March 16, 2009, Jane Taubenfeld Cohen, SASSDS, Debbie Niderberg, Hidden Sparks and Sarah Birkeland, Mandel Center (Guests)
• Preventing and Responding to Bullying in Your School
  February 23, 2009, Leslie F. Hergert, Ed. D., Education Development Center, Inc. (Guests)
• Building Schoolwide Systems of Positive Behavior Support
  January 12, 2009, Howard S. Muscott, Ed.D. NH Center for Effective Behavioral Interventions and Supports (Guests)
• Inclusion of Children with Diverse Learning Needs in Israel Experiences in our Schools
  December 8, 2008, Dr. David Ackerman, Chana Zweiter (Respondents), Howard Blas, Eli Meiri (Guests), Dr. Sandy Miller-Jacobs (Moderator)
• Putting the Puzzle Together: Components of an Effective Reading Program for Struggling Readers
  November 3, 2008, Cindy Mata-Aguilar, Andrea Kotula, Cerelle Morrow, Education Development Center(Guest)
  Table D1:Assessment and Support for Struggling Adolescent Readers
  Table C1 and C2: Sample Standardized and Non-Standardized Diagnostic Tests
• Response to Intervention
  September 22, 2008, Dr. Shana Erenberg, Hebrew Theological College(Guest)
• Envisioning our Future: Putting our Community into Practice
  June 16, 2008, CoP Members and Tracy Gray, Center for Implementing Technology into Education (CITEd)(Guests)
• Linked For Learning
  May 19, 2008, Rivka Stein Hebrew Academy Community School-Margate, Fl & Rabbi Moishe Rodman Desert Torah Academy Ohel Menachem-Las Vegas(Guest)
• Curriculum-Based Measurements and its Applications to Second Language (Hebrew) Literacy
  March 17, 2008, Scott Goldberg, Ph.D. Yeshiva University, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration (Guest)
• Positive Behavioral Support
  February 11, 2008, Rona Novick, PhD Hidden Sparks (Guest)
• Integrating Occupational Therapy Services into a Day School Setting
  January 14, 2008, Sue Schweber, Ilene Greenwald, Marcie Lipsey Gateways: Access to Jewish Education Boston, MA (Guest)
• Servicing the Autistic Child in the Jewish Day School Setting
  December 3, 2007, Dot Lucci, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston MA (Guest)
• The Change Process: A Necessary Ingredient in Moving Towards Differentiating Instruction
  November 12, 2007, Dr. Sandy Miller-Jacobs, Hebrew College (Guest)
• Understanding the Value of Differentiated Instruction: Administrative Perspective
  October 15, 2007, Kristen Herbert, Associate Head of School from the Rashi School in Boston (Guest)

Summaries of Conference Calls

• Communicating with Parents
  March 12, 2007, Mollie Warner, Hidden Sparks (Guest)
• Universal Design for Learning
  January 8, 2007, Dr. David Rose, Founding Director/Chief Scientist of Cognition & Learning, CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) (Guest)
• Special Education Curriculum Development and Fee Structure
  November 13, 2006, Rabbi Simcha Dessler, Beverly Bernstein, Helen Siegel, Arlene Remz and Sue Schweber (Guests)
• The IDEA: Its Impact on Day School Education
  October 16, 2006, Dr. David Riley (Guest)

Relevant Reading

• Jane Taubenfeld Cohen's 2006 Covenant Award acceptance speech

Voices from the Field: Finding Value in the Diverse Learners CoP