Biographical Info

Areas We Address

A day school would engage with us if they are looking to develop or enhance:

• The habits of wonder, empathy and responsibility toward others and Torah.
• The use of concrete tools to improve students’ communication and interpretive skills
• Student collaboration and engagement
• Students’ havruta skills across a wide array of content and subject areas
• Teachers’ professional development in building such learning environments
• The growth of teachers’ skills and aptitudes in building relationships between students, and the relationship of students to content
• Teaching practices across almost any subject matter or category
• The role of instructional leaders in impacting student learning and teacher growth
• A powerful Jewish framework from which to educate and learn

Expected Outcomes

Working with us, a school should expect to accomplish:

• A flourishing implementation of havruta learning, where students’ interactions reflect the central PoP stance: “I have something to teach, I have something to learn.”
• Improved quality of group work: havruta, literature circles, projects, and classroom discussions
• Inspired and empowered student-generated wondering and connection with content
• The growth of students’ meta-cognition and responsibility around their own learning
• The creation of a culture of respectful challenging
• Increased confidence, skill, and enthusiasm of teachers for their work
• The establishment of peer cohorts and leadership opportunities for teachers
• The growth of schoolwide community and culture
• Long term and ongoing development of the school’s cohort of PoP teachers

Key Activities

We help schools achieve their goals by implementing the following:

• Institutes: We run a comprehensive, three day online Introductory Institute for educators each June. Our Introductory Institute is a transformative opportunity for educators to learn PoP teaching tools that promote students’ growth. In August, we run a two day Institute for Experienced PoP Educators. Educators return to this Institute for collaborative planning time, PoP electives, and PoP learning.
• Coaching: PoP coaches are expert educators who meet with their coachees monthly. In co-planning, reviewing classroom video, reflection, and collaboration, coaches help educators to identify their goals and to achieve them. Coaches work with classroom teachers and school leaders to impact student learning and school culture.
• Webinars and communities of practice: Our first-year PoP educators are offered six Foundational Webinars during the school year to support their implementation of PoP techniques and strategies. We run three Experienced PoP Educator webinars to deepen and extend PoP skills for this cohort. We offer regular Communities of Practice for school leaders and coaches.
• Alumni programming: We implement a number of programs (such as Coaching Collabs and Educational Havruta) to build connections and offer support to our PoP alumni.

Setting Expectations

To ensure the impact of our support, we expect schools to:

• Support administrators and teachers in creating goals for working with PoP
• Meet the financial obligations of supporting PoP’s work in the school

To ensure the impact of our support, we expect administrators to:

• Create schedules that allow teachers the time and space to meet regularly with their coachees
• Encourage their PoP teachers to attend PoP institutes and webinars and to participate in additional PoP offerings
• Convey the value of PoP approaches and strategies to stakeholders in the school, including parents, board members, and faculty
• Work collaboratively with the PoP team to identify a PoP school leader and to expand the PoP cohort within the school
• Convene regular PoP cohort meetings
• Engage in thought partnership with PoP staff and coaches to identify and work towards the shared vision and goals of the school

To ensure the impact of our support, we expect classroom teachers to:

• Commit to making the time for working with PoP
• Participate thoughtfully in PoP Institutes, webinars, and other PoP offerings
• Use PoP materials and techniques to help meet their instructional goals
• Connect with colleagues in their school and in the PoP community
• Take on PoP learning stances for themselves so that they can try new techniques and think deeply about them
• Engage in reflection with their PoP coach and PoP school leader
• Share their PoP work and experience with colleagues, parents, and other stakeholders