(Courtesy of Touro University) Recognizing a national shortage of qualified teachers in Jewish and special education, SINAI schools and Touro University have partnered to create the SINAI Teacher Fellowship Program, which will begin this fall. This trailblazing collaboration offers current and prospective SINAI faculty the unique opportunity to earn a graduate degree at a greatly discounted tuition, while also receiving full compensation as an assistant teacher at SINAI and hands-on training and mentorship from experienced SINAI educators.
SINAI Teacher Fellowship Program participants will study for Touro University’s master’s degree in Jewish education and special education, a two-year program that prepares its students for careers in special education. Anyone who has not yet earned a master’s degree in education (whether or not they are a current SINAI faculty member) is eligible to apply to SINAI to join this program, while also applying to Touro’s Graduate School of Education.
“This collaboration with Touro University, an educational powerhouse with a strong reputation in Jewish and special education, will produce a new cadre of highly trained special education teachers,” said Rabbi Yisrael Rothwachs, the Leo Brandstatter z”l Dean of SINAI Schools. “We are so delighted to partner with Touro in this endeavor.”
Fellows will receive significant scholarship incentives toward their master’s degree, and will work concurrently at SINAI as assistant teachers with full compensation. Graduates are eligible for dual licensure in education and special education from the New York and New Jersey departments of education.
“We are so excited about our new relationship with SINAI. This partnership reflects the foresight of Rabbi Rothwachs and the SINAI School leadership in focusing and committing to furthering the professional development of their teachers and staff,” said Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, the Lucille Weidman Director of Graduate Jewish Education/Special Education at Touro University.
“This relationship brings together SINAI, a leader in special education throughout the New York metropolitan area, and throughout the Jewish world, with Touro’s Graduate Jewish Education/Special Education Center, a leader in training teachers, and the only institution offering teacher training in Limudei Kodesh/Jewish Studies instruction within graduate special education.
“We hope that this partnership inspires new creative ideas to bring more dedicated individuals into Jewish Education/Special Education, and provide them with the guidance and education necessary to be able to develop highly trained and caring teachers, rebbeim and morahs for the children in our communities,” Lichtman added.
Rothwachs concurred. “The fellowship is also an opportunity to identify and engage early career ‘stars’ in the field of Jewish special education, and they will benefit from receiving hands-on supervision from experienced SINAI educators,” he said.
Applications for the SINAI Teacher Fellowship Program are open now for the fall semester. For more information on the program, email [email protected].
