Professional Development Opportunities
| "I feel I will use the professional development stipend to further my ability to teach and learn as a Jewish educator. I realized it is up to all of us to raise the bar of excellence in Jewish education and to continually innovate and reinvigorate all levels of the process." |
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–2005 Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards Winner |
Each teacher has access to his/her stipend for three years, after which time the local agency may take control of these funds.
There are many possible ways for Awards Winners to utilize their $1500 professional development stipend. Awards Winners should discuss the opportunities with their local agencies as they will need their approval in order to access the funds.
Below is a list of possible opportunities. Many of these professional development opportunities have been used by past Awards Winners.
Kivunim (Israel trip)
Higher Education Classes
Conferences
Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE)
Other Uses Among Past Winners
Kivunim (Israel trip)
Kivunim, the Hebrew word for “directions,” contains within it the deeper meaning of Kavanah, “intention.” The Kivunim Summer Institute is an intensive two-week program aimed at dramatically raising the level of intellectual, aesthetic, and creative discourse in Jewish Day Schools across North America. The program has been a dynamic success, receiving laudatory reviews from seven years of participants. Teachers report being “transformed,” connecting with Judaism and the Jewish People in ways that they had not experienced before—even those who had been to Israel before or those who were native born.
For more information, click here.
Higher Education Classes
Many of our past Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards Winners have chosen to use their stipends towards higher education classes. There are many schools that offer classes in Judaics and Education; the following are some of the past Awards Winners’ most popular choices:
COLLEGES:
Levinsky College of Education
Loyola: Jewish Education Leadership Program
Nova Southeastern University
Segal College
Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
Touro College
Yeshiva University: Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education
OTHER JEWISH EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Pardes
Nishmat Summer Program
In addition, some teachers choose to take a Hebrew-intensive seminar, or Ulpan. These are offered throughout North America, as well as in Israel.
Conferences
Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards Winners may also choose to use their stipends towards attending conferences. If you are an English teacher, you might be interested in the NATE Conference; if you work with Holocaust education, you might want to look at Conferences in conjunction with Yad Vashem. Below are some of the most popular conferences that past Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards Winners attended:
Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE)
CAJE is the largest North American Jewish educators' organization, bringing together all who are engaged in the transmission of the Jewish heritage, across the ideological spectrum and at all levels of the career ladder. By enhancing the dignity and professional development of the Jewish teacher, CAJE works to elevate the status of Jewish education on the Jewish communal agenda.
For more information about CAJE, including how to become a member as well as how to sign up for the CAJE Conference and other professional development opportunities, click here.
Other Uses Among Past Winners
The above opportunities are just some of the ways Awards Winners have spent their Professional Development Stipends. The choices are really endless. If Awards Winners would like to discuss additional ways to use their stipends, they should contact their local agencies.
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