What Mainstream Schools Can Learn From a School Like Mine
Rafi Cashman is the Head of School at Yeshiva Prep (Brooklyn, NY), an Orthodox day school for children with language learning disabilities. Previously, Rabbi Dr. Cashman was the Head of School at Netivot HaTorah Day School (Toronto). He was a mentor in Prizmah’s Day School Leadership Training Institute, where he is also an alumni, and was a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar.
I recently had a conversation with a faculty member at a school of education which is part of a local university. He teaches a course titled “Learning and Cognition” and finds himself under pressure from students every year not to teach it. The students, as they enter the classroom, understandably want practical tools, and do not see the connection between how people learn and what they do in a classroom. Their objection to the course is somewhat ironic, yet given the pressure of wanting to know “what to do” when standing in front of a classroom of 20+ students, their need is understandable.
I work in a school for students with language learning disabilities. Our classes never have more than eleven students with a teacher and an assistant, and there is often a reading or math specialist, as well as therapists. It’s true there’s a level of personalization that’s possible with our low ratio teacher-to-student environment that’s not possible in a large school. And yet, while such ratios may be enviable from a mainstream perspective, I think that at the core, knowing how children learn and how best to support that learning are core for all students and all learning. In my environment, where each student has a complex learning profile and individual challenges to their learning, understanding how this child learns is not a beneficial luxury but an absolute necessity, along with knowing how to translate that knowledge into practice; absent that, the child will not learn. While this extensive, singular knowledge about a student may not be directly transferable into a mainstream context, knowing how children in general learn best so interventions can be tailored to groups of students responsively and proactively, is. And for certain students, it can be life-changing. Absent this knowledge, interventions operate based exclusively on instinct and experience, which are certainly valuable—but are also slow—and this negatively affects the potential benefit for the students.
What are some of the opportunities to capitalize on and strategies that mainstream schools can learn from a school like mine? Given my previous experience leading mainstream schools, I offer some suggestions which may be valuable.
Data
: Most schools collect data (MAP tests, IXL, or Acadience as common examples), though the purpose of collecting those data or their use isn’t always clear. Sometimes schools use it to show progress of a program in general or general achievement, perhaps even only to a board of directors, and at best to create groupings in class. Separate from asking the critical question of whether they are the right data, what’s often more common is whether the data are used for student learning at all. Does the teacher sit with a member of the leadership team, a learning specialist, or a special education teacher to talk about the individual student and their learning needs based on the data? Do they look at an individual student over time to track progress and his or her needs? Underlying this are two fundamental questions: 1) Do data already being collected inform instruction? and 2) Is there time and opportunity for members of the staff to work together to answer this question? How a school addresses these questions and allocates the time and other resources to deal with them can be deciding factors in how well the school is able to facilitate the successful learning of the range of students it has.
Behavior:
Even with a high degree of support and attention, students struggle, not just academically but behaviorally. I’ve worked with some amazing social workers and special education teachers in a mainstream context who deeply understand children and embody the approach I see in my work now. Yet I also know that one of the most common responses to behavior challenges from teachers is the desire to control student behavior, usually through a carrot and a stick approach. One step often missing is to see misbehavior as a symptom to explore, understand, and make sense of, not just a behavior to correct (even if that’s part of the change that ultimately needs to happen). The curiosity, and the time and willingness to explore this curiosity, is what’s different. The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s notion of a “longer-shorter way” rings true in this context. Social workers, like the ones I referenced above from my past mainstream environments, may have the time. Teachers often do not. It takes time, which, besides curiosity, is a limited commodity.
Ratios:
In many ways our student-to-teacher ratios are enviable, and yet there are ways I think schools can think creatively about how to create smaller group opportunities that are often overlooked. The first question to ask is why children are taken out of a class to a resource room to support their learning. Is it for remediation of content or development of skills? To teach them the same curriculum differently, or help them develop a learning skill that will allow them to function better in class in the future? Answering these questions can help lead toward complementarity rather than duplication of learning. I’ve often seen learning or resource room supports used in a pull-out fashion to support a small group of the weakest students. Occupational, speech, and other therapists, when available, are also generally one-to-one. An alternative would be to think about a push-in model that supports the diversity and groupings of the class as a whole, with expertise and relationships allocated thoughtfully. This requires planning and preparation between a specialist and a teacher—again, potentially a time challenge. Another is to align learning blocks (literacy, math) so that groups of teachers and specialists could form homogeneous groupings across classes. This means that the two exceptional children in one class can join with the two exceptional children in a second class, saving school resources on the one hand when the supports are only offered by classroom, and freeing students up for more grouping opportunities on the other. The core question around ratios is, I believe, less about the overall standing ratios than how the staff and their time are allocated and how the schedule can support this work.
Working in a school for children with language-based learning disabilities has only deepened my passion to understand how people learn, so we can help each child learn. Living this learning takes time, curiosity, and creativity. And that’s true no matter the size or orientation of the school.
Rafi Cashman is the Head of School at Yeshiva Prep (Brooklyn, NY), an Orthodox day school for children with language learning disabilities. Previously, Rabbi Dr. Cashman was the Head of School at Netivot HaTorah Day School (Toronto). He was a mentor in Prizmah’s Day School Leadership Training Institute, where he is also an alumnus, and he was a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar.
From The Editor: Winter 2026
For many years I believed that I was a good educator. Students, alumni, and parents told me so. I was mostly effective at exciting my students to learn, drawing them in, and teaching them content and skills they remembered for a long time. Students thought that I was fair and sensitive and really committed to their success. Hey, I even learned how to admit my mistakes and learn from them.
And then I got married and started raising children.
From Scaffolding to Independence
I run a progressive N-8 Jewish day school (Luria Academy of Brooklyn) committed to inclusion of children with a broad range of abilities and needs and backgrounds. One of the questions I get asked frequently by parents is when we are going to build a high school. Truthfully, it’s not currently part of our plan and we are blessed to be in New York City where Jewish high school options abound. What prompts the parental requests for a high school is their very reasonable concern for how their child will transition from our student-centered, individualized, supportive classroom to a more traditional, less flexible environment.
Choice in the Middle School Beit Midrash
In a small Jewish day school, differentiation is a fact of life. Some of our students have diagnoses which explain why they have challenges in learning and some do not; some need lots of repetition of material in order to synthesize ideas and others seem to understand and be prepared to explain the content the first time they read or hear an idea. In our small community, some are able to thrive in a Hebrew immersion class while others begin to shut down in this environment. A typical curricular model in middle schools at small Jewish day schools is to offer grade-specific Jewish studies courses; this has the advantage of all students being exposed to the same content, and building upon past learning is an easier task. At Oakland Hebrew Day School (Oakland, CA), a K-8 school, we, too, had this model until ten years ago, when we found ourselves grappling with the following issues:
Traditional Text Study for neurodivergent Students
During our time in school together, Jewish studies classes were streamed based purely on Hebrew language skills. This approach, with its exclusive focus on Hebrew facility, prevented us—and we suspect many other neurodivergent students—from accessing and engaging in the depth and richness of Jewish texts and traditions. Furthermore, by focusing solely on translation and basic comprehension, it denied us the opportunity to apply our own strengths of analytical and creative thinking, which are often reserved for advanced streams.
Trauma Awareness In Jewish Day Schools
A painful reality for Jewish educators is that, despite our most valiant efforts, a significant population of young people who go through the Jewish day school system feels distanced and removed from their education, as if they are perpetually outsiders to their community. Who are these young people? What causes this sense of distance? What can we do to help them? While every case is different, often these children are dealing with some sort of trauma that educators are not always equipped to support, and sometimes can inadvertently inflict. However, proper awareness and appropriate responses can go a long way in helping these young people feel welcome and understood.
The Unique Opportunities for Personalization in Jewish Studies
My experience at Jewish summer camp played an important role in forging my identity, first as a Jew, and then as a Jewish educator. When I made the jump from Director of Education at the camp I grew up at to the Jewish day school classroom, I would often reflect on what made camp so impactful and how I could bring aspects of experiential education into the formal classroom. I soon realized that it is not just about what camp has that the classroom does not, it’s just as much about the aspects of formal education that camps are unburdened by.
Forty Ways to Learn Navi
One of the most powerful sources of professional reflection for me has always been hevruta—the back-and-forth of honest, challenging dialogue. Several years ago, a teacher with whom I shared a classroom told me that my teaching was “too frontal” and that I needed to give students more “voice and choice.”
Being naturally competitive and reflective, I took the critique to heart. During winter break, I spent two solid days redesigning my Navi curriculum for my sixth graders. My goal was simple: to create a system where students could take genuine ownership of their learning while still meeting our academic expectations.
Differentiated Instruction in the Judaic Studies Classroom
Judaic studies is a high-stakes undertaking for teachers who aspire to cultivate in their students not only deep knowledge of texts and traditions that shape Jewish identity, but also a personal relationship with the Torah and with God. Either of those objectives without the other misses an opportunity to foster in children a love of their heritage and the desire to keep it vital in their lives.
Making Tefilah More Student-Centered
Every student enters tefilah with a different story. Some find comfort in familiar words and melodies; others feel unsure, disconnected, or skeptical. Yet tefilah in schools often assumes uniformity—everyone doing the same thing, in the same way, at the same pace. When we shift our focus to the people in the room, new possibilities for meaning can open up.
Differentiation, Relationships, and Planning with an AI Partner
Jewish Studies teachers have long known the importance of meeting students’ individual needs, yet differentiation in practice has remained elusive. Judaic Studies teachers often lack ready-made resources or formal training in differentiation models. In this article, we share our experience using AI to help Jewish studies teachers overcome those challenges.
Unlocking Every Learner: An Instructional Reflection For 1-5 Grade Judaic Educators
Educate the child according to their path (Proverbs 22:6).
This well-known verse beautifully captures the essence of differentiated and personalized learning: each child enters the classroom with a unique constellation of strengths, challenges, interests, and ways of understanding the world.
Blended and Personalized Learning in Jewish Studies
Blended and Personalized Learning (BPL) has become a valuable approach for Jewish studies classrooms seeking to meet wide-ranging student needs without overwhelming teachers. BPL provides structures that allow educators to teach more precisely, differentiate more naturally, and build student independence and choice. When implemented with clear routines, consistent expectations, and thoughtful planning, BPL transforms classrooms into dynamic spaces where learners move at an appropriate pace, engage more deeply, and take increasing ownership of their learning. Educators also benefit from having a mentor/coach guide them through the different steps. The following overview outlines the core principles of effective BPL and illustrates how these principles come to life in real 1st–8th grade classrooms.
Hevruta as a Tool for Differentiation and Personalization
Meeting the needs of every learner in the room is one of the most complex tasks a teacher faces. No two students process text in the same way. Some absorb information quickly, while others need more time. Some think visually, others verbally. Some feel confident sharing ideas in front of the class, while others shut down the moment they feel unsure. Even highly motivated learners approach Torah with very different strengths and needs. Teachers want to support every student, yet it is difficult to personalize instruction when the class is moving through the same pasuk or section of Gemara at the same pace.
From Teaching the Class to Teaching Each Student
Walk down the hallways of many schools today or step into a teacher’s lounge, and the shift in conversation is unmistakable. Instead of talking about plans for a trip, Shabbat, or the newest and most exciting curriculum, the conversation frequently has shifted towards struggling students, classroom behaviors, and the plight of supporting an ever-growing diverse Jewish student population. These discussions reflect a new reality: Teaching at a Jewish day school now requires an expanding skill set to meet the evolving needs of students and the growing challenges teachers face.
Differentiating Jewish Education – Not If But How
In the early 1970s, my mother sat in her 9th grade halakha class cowering in fear. Her teacher loudly berated the class as not one student volunteered to translate the words of the Rosh Hashana prayers. Her pulse racing, my mother suddenly realized she had an advantage. As the daughter of Holocaust survivors who came from two different countries, my mother’s first language was Yiddish and the mahzor she had pulled from her parents’ bookshelf the night before was a Hebrew-Yiddish one. She timidly raised her hand, provided the translation, thus saving her class from incurring further wrath from the teacher. Jewish education is unique in that each student brings their own personalized version of Judaism with them into the classroom. For my mother that day, it looked like a mahzor with a Yiddish translation.
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