This week's Jewish Standard article focuses on Yeshivat He'Atid. We'd like to clarify that Yeshivat He'Atid's educational model leverages technology with the ability to personalize the learning experience. We are NOT replacing teachers with computers -- we strongly believe that teachers are our most important asset. This technology, along with project-based learning and peer-to-peer learning, will make it easier for teachers to facilitate the application of learning. Our cost-savings are three-fold: 1. No baked-in scholarships, 2. we're able to reach more children inside the classroom, and 3. less administrative overhead.

You can read the entire article here. A related sidebar about educational technology can be read here.

Excerpts:
"Yeshivat He’atid, meaning school of the future, plans to open in Bergenfield next fall with a tuition substantially below those of other area day schools. The savings derives from the school relying on fewer teachers and more computers for instruction.

Gralla is currently director of special services at Davis Renov Stahler Yeshiva High School for Boys in Woodmere, N.Y., where he also teaches.

Last year, he served as head counselor of Camp Kaylie in the Catskills, which brought together children with developmental disabilities and those with regular abilities in an integrated camp setting.

Gralla points to two aspects of this work relevant to the new school.

“It was an integrated camp not only in the level of abilities, but on the religious spectrum, as well,” he said at a school open house held at Congregation Rinat Yisrael in Teaneck earlier this month. The Orthodox camp had counselors with knitted yarmulkes, suede yarmulkes, black hats, and even one counselor with chasidic garb, said Gralla.

Gralla said this proves the possibility of creating a school that does not need to pigeonhole itself to one variety of modern Orthodoxy, but that stresses unity as well as love of Torah, character development, generosity, and a love of the State of Israel.
It is the inclusion of a variety of abilities in the program, however, that may be most influential.

While Yeshivat He’atid is not targeted at special education students, Gralla and the schools other leaders believe that educational technology will enable it to offer a personalized, tailor-made curriculum.

“That’s advantageous for every student, regardless of whether it would be appropriate for them to be in a resource room, in an enrichment room, or in a regular room,” he said.

The Yeshivat He’atid model envisions students rotating between individualized computer-based instruction; interaction with teachers individually or in small groups; and small groups of students working together.

“This is not a no-frills version of education,” Gralla said. “This is not a design to cut corners and save a few bucks. This is creating 21st century thinkers, empowering them to succeed in life as collaborative learners, critical thinkers, and problem solvers.”

Because computer lessons will replace classroom lectures, teachers will have time to directly engage small groups of students. “Enrichment and remedial work gets done inside the classroom. It requires much, much fewer teachers than in the traditional model,” he said.

The school plans to have 20 students in each kindergarten and pre-kindergarten classroom, and 22 to 26 students in the first and second grade classrooms. Despite the larger class sizes, there will be fewer assistant teachers helping out.

At the open house, the school announced that its tuition will be $7,990 for pre-kindergarten, and $8,990 for the higher classes, inclusive of all fees and charges. The combination of tuition and extra fees can be nearly double that at some established area day schools.

Gralla looks to his seven children, ranging in age from three to 14, for insights to the world of early childhood education and the world of technology. Their experience in the world of computer learning, smart phones, and video bar mitzvah presentations has had a profound impact on the 39-year-old educator.

He tells of being in Manhattan with his teenaged twins, and them instantly locating nearby activities on their smartphones.

He tells of his eight-year-old asking, “What does Hashem do all day?” [Hashem is an indirect reference to God.] As Gralla reached for an answer, the boy said, “That’s okay, Daddy. I’ll Google it.” (Not in fact a good idea: Google’s top result on the query is an apparently Christian web site. On some questions, father really does know best.)

He also tells of one of his first-grade twins saying that the most fun she has is in computer class — where, in fact, “she is having interactive fun, but engaging in meaningful, significant learning,” he said.

Gralla entered the world of education as a Talmud scholar and rabbinic student at Yeshiva University.

“I really enjoy learning Torah very much,” he said. “I found I enjoyed teaching others. I liked preparing, giving over the material, and people’s questioning.”

When an opportunity arose at a special education program at YU’s MTA high school — his own alma mater — “I interviewed, got in, and didn’t look back,” he said.

What excites him about Yeshiva He’atid?

“Here we can easily pesonalize the curriculum for every single student,” he said. “They can go home and continue the work. Parents can follow their kid’s strengths and weaknesses.”

“In a traditional classroom, you have to make a test, have to mark the test, you have to enter all the grades, you have to tweak the lesson plan on a daily basis. The online learning model eliminates everything and allows teachers to do what they want to do, what they’re supposed to do, which is to facilitate learning.”

Gary Rosenblatt, editor and publisher of The Jewish Week, writes about Yeshivat He'Atid in his column this week. Read the story in its entirety here.

Nearly 400 young parents attended an open house this week for a Modern Orthodox yeshiva, planning to open in Bergenfield, N.J., next fall, that will not only offer a bargain-rate tuition but promises to be a model for Jewish education in the 21st century.

And the still-to-be-opened school, called Yeshivat He’atid (Hebrew for “Yeshiva of the Future”) has apparently already inspired one still-anonymous donor, representing several wealthy businessmen interested in the effort, to form AJE, Affordable Jewish Education, a fund with the goal of starting schools like Yeshivat He’Atid around the country.

Gershon Distenfeld, He’atid’s executive vice president (a lay position) told the enthusiastic, overflow audience at the Teaneck shul hosting the open house, “We are not here to discuss the tuition crisis; we’re here to talk about the solution.”

The school, which is expected to open with up to 150 children in pre-kindergarten through second grades, will offer a “blended learning” model, featuring individualized, “project-based” education that combines computers and face-to-face instruction.

He’atid’s model comes as many schools, public and private, are stepping up their use of technology in the classroom, both as a cost-cutting measure and a way of individualizing instruction.

A new low-cost and high-tech Jewish day high school, the Pre-Collegiate Learning Center of New Jersey, just opened this fall in East Brunswick, with 20 students and a $5,000 tuition. That school, which like He’atid has received funding from the Avi Chai Foundation, combines online classes with face-to-face instruction, in-person mentoring and courses taught via videoconference.

However, some observers have noted there is only minimal evidence so far demonstrating the effectiveness of new, high-tech approaches, and have expressed reservations about small children spending too much time in front of a computer screen.

Having already achieved more than half of its planned enrollment, He’atid is offering a $7,990 tuition for pre-K, and $8,990 for K-2, with none of the additional charges like registration fee, building fund or dinner obligation, that are common in other day schools.

Rabbi Netanel Gralla, the newly hired principal of the school, told The Jewish Week that “savings come from the efficiencies of the educational model,” where teachers will have some administrational responsibilities, and will deal with remediation and enrichment in the classroom.

“Our educational model can personalize and customize so that students can learn at their own pace,” said Rabbi Gralla, who is currently director of special services at a yeshiva high school for boys in Woodmere, L.I. He also served as head counselor this past summer at Camp Kaylie in Woodsboro, N.Y., said to be “the first integrated camp with equal numbers of typical campers and those with developmental disabilities,” according to his bio on the He’atid website.

He emphasized that his operative word is “achdut,” or unity.

The new principal said he was excited by the prospects of putting into practice a new model school that can make full use of the fast-paced advances in technology and educational content.

“The key point is that we are not offering a no-frills institution,” Rabbi Gralla said. “We are not cutting corners. Our goal is to create analytical thinkers while maintaining a sense of community and personal responsibility.”

Distenfeld said there was “a sizable amount of money” set aside for the Bergenfield school, which will rent space in an existing school with a playground, and will have a separate scholarship fund so that those parents paying tuition will not be burdened by extra dollars to subsidize those in financial need.

He said students would be fluent in Hebrew by the end of the eighth grade.

A small group of young professionals are the backbone of the new school, volunteering their services in recent months to plan the educational and financial components necessary to launch. One member of the board said small meetings with young Bergen County families concerned about the high, and sometimes prohibitive cost of Jewish day schools, created interest in the new model.

More than $100,000 was raised from “typical” families over the summer, enough to convince a wealthy, anonymous donor that there was a real interest and need for an affordable but high-quality day school.

Distenfeld said that while he and the board initially thought the strongest asset of the new school would be its affordable rates, they now believe it is, instead, the blended learning model of combining face-to-face learning and interactive technology.

“We discovered that you can have your cake and eat it, too,” he said, asserting that the new model of education offered the added benefit of significant cost saving.

With the help of a grant from the Avi Chai Foundation, a proponent of incorporating new technology advances in day schools, Yeshivat He’Atid commissioned Rebecca Tomasini, CEO of The Alvo Institute, active in the education reform movement, and Randolph Ross, general studies principal of the North Shore Hebrew Academy in Great Neck, as educational consultants.

The Alvo Institute is a think tank specializing in individualized learning.

One innovation for the new school is to have key data collected and analyzed so that each child can be given individualized assignments to strengthen skills needing extra attention.

Acknowledging that other day schools in the area have expressed concern about competition from the new yeshiva, Distenfeld said, “our goal is not to hurt any of the existing schools. We’d be happy” if they all followed the new model.

“At the end of the day,” he said, “if we as a community can’t lower tuition, community growth will slow. There will be fewer children in day schools,” and families will be having “fewer children.”

Associate Editor Julie Wiener contributed to this report.

The Board of Directors of Yeshivat He’Atid is thrilled to announce the hiring of Rabbi Netanel Gralla as our head of school.

Rabbi Gralla is well regarded in the broader Jewish educational community for his strong leadership, extraordinary vision, and warm connection with students and parents alike. Rabbi Gralla currently serves as Director of Special Services at Davis Renov Stahler Yeshiva High School for Boys (DRS) in Woodmere, NY. During his nine years at DRS, he has worked hands-on with students while also developing interactive and engaging curricula, as well as mentoring teachers on the best strategies to use when working with students with learning disabilities. He previously worked as a rebbi at MTA and Central (Yeshiva University High School for Girls). Rabbi Gralla brings to Yeshivat He’Atid technological savvy and a deep understanding of how each individual student learns best, along with the heart, soul, and personal touch that is so critical to a 21st Century School.

In addition, Rabbi Gralla has extensive experience launching new start-ups. As Head Counselor at Camp Kaylie in Woodsboro, N.Y. – the first of its kind fully integrated camp with an equal number of typical campers along with campers with developmental disabilities – Rabbi Gralla was instrumental in designing the new and innovative camp, as well as supervising and mentoring staff. He oversaw more than 100 campers and implemented leadership training for staff. Rabbi Gralla is a trained crisis intervention counselor (a volunteer position) for Chai Lifeline’s Project Chai and over the past six years, he has been called on to speak with families, schools, and camps dealing with emotionally charged “crisis situations.” He gives a variety of shiurim in the Five Towns Jewish community including an early morning Daf Yomi shiur. Rabbi Gralla holds Master’s degrees in both Administration and in Leadership of Educational Institutions, with a specialization in curriculum design. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Yeshiva University where he studied Speech and Business Administration, and he is a graduate of YU’s RIETS Kollel. Rabbi Gralla resides in Cedarhurst, N.Y. with his wife, Batsheva, and their seven children.

Registration will open on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 8:30 p.m. for the 2012-2013 academic year. We plan to open with pre-K through 2nd grade, based upon demand. Space is limited and priority will be given to earlier applications. We will send more detailed information on the evening of Nov. 1, along with the link to register your child(ren).

We look forward to welcoming you at our Open House on Monday evening, November 14 at 8 p.m. at Congregation Rinat Yisrael, 389 West Englewood Avenue. If you haven’t already registered, please do so today by clicking here. Feel free to share the link with family and friends.


Best Wishes,


The Board of Directors, Yeshivat He’Atid

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