PDF Downloads
New HS Brochure
HS Without Walls Brochure
Hidden Sparks is a non-profit fund whose purpose is to help children with learning differences reach their full potential in school and life. Hidden Sparks develops and supports professional development programs for Jewish day schools to help increase understanding and support for teaching to diverse learners.
Hidden Sparks Without Walls Successful Launch!
We are proud and pleased to announce the completion of the first year of Hidden Sparks Without Walls, our innovative distance learning program for educators in Jewish day schools. During this inaugural year there were 265 total participants in our classes, from 59 Jewish day schools in 35 cities across the United States and Canada.

These free, short-term classes allow educators to participate from home in interactive professional development by phone and/or through the internet with leading educational experts. They provide teachers with concepts, strategies and tools to deepen understanding of the ways in which students learn and behave.

We thank our presenters and salute all of the educators who logged in in the evenings for classes in: Language, Learning and Literacy: Foundations of Academic Success; The Role of Memory in School Success; Communicating with Parents; Social Cognition: The Science of Relating; Attention; De-escalating Intense Behavior; An Overview of How We Learn; Analyzing a Lesson; Analyzing Your Teaching Style; Analyzing Student Work; Strategies for Peak Performance: Effective Tools for Organizing Your Students; and Exploring Learning Processes in a Judaic Studies Curriculum.

We hope you enjoyed them! For those who have yet to enjoy them, follow this link to our archived webinars to hear the presentations and view the slideshows.

Please check back during the summer for our Fall course offerings, and see for yourself what all the excitement over HS-WoW is about!
Click here to access the spring session.
About Hidden Sparks Professional Development Programs
The External Coach Program offers school-based training, coaching, and mentoring in understanding and teaching to diverse learners.
The Internal Coach Program trains a member of the school faculty to become a resident expert in diverse learning styles.
The School Change Administrative Leadership Endeavor (SCALE) provides an overview of the Hidden Sparks professional training to principals from participating Hidden Sparks schools.
Hidden Sparks without Walls makes available short-term classes on differentiated learning to teachers in Jewish day schools and yeshivas across North America.
 
Coach Retreat, December 16, 2008 in Great Neck
Hidden Sparks coaches and leadership gathered for a day-long workshop and training session. 40 coaches from 28 participating Hidden Sparks schools in New York, New Jersey and Boston spent an invigorating day together, led by Hidden Sparks Educational Directors Claire Wurtzel and Dr. Rona Novick.
View Participating Schools
   
Hidden Sparks’ Impact Spreads
Spring, 2008. The PEJE National Assembly in Boston offers Hidden Sparks an opportunity to reach out nationally with a session on “Deepening Your School's Capacity To Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners.”
   
Summer, 2008. Hidden Sparks educators and coaches presented a stimulating all day Curriculum Institute on Literacy for Hidden Sparks schools.
   
Fall, 2008. Hidden Sparks' ICP Coordinator and Mentor Esther Kramer presents "Looking at Student Work" at the BJE Professional Day.
What People Are Saying About Hidden Sparks Programs...
I used to think that struggling students have a hard time in a mainstream classroom because it was too demanding. Until Hidden Sparks, I did not fully appreciate how each component of learning needed to be analyzed.
Because of Hidden Sparks, I now understand the importance of collaboration between principal, teachers, parents, and students to help students succeed.
I used to focus on the student’s major weakness without looking enough at the whole student. The constructs allow me to check and look at the whole student. (They) also taught me to focus more on students’ affinity and strengths.
Hidden Sparks showed me that the more students understand their own learning issues the more able they will be to help themselves develop strategies even after they leave school.
I used to feel helpless in the face of learning issues. Now I feel I have tools and resources for helping my students.
I thought that I had a good understanding of how to approach teaching children with learning differences. Now I have been given a toolkit, which has more precise tools that will help me use my prior knowledge and the “best” key to open the door for more of my students.
  Photos: Summer 2008
Hidden Sparks was recently featured at the PEJE National Assembly in Boston on Deepening Your School's Capacity To Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners. Pictured from left to right: Arlene Remz, Executive Director Gateways, Boston; Dr. Rona Novick, Educational Director Hidden Sparks, Debbie Niderberg, Executive Director Hidden Sparks, Rabbi Gary Menchel, Menahel Yeshiva Har Torah, Claire Wurtzel, Educational Director Hidden Sparks, Ethel Salomon, Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva.
Hidden Sparks schools recently enjoyed a stimulating all day Curriculum Institute on Literacy with Claire Wurtzel and co-facilitated by Marilyn Meltzer, Curriculum Coordinator, General Studies at the Ramaz Lower School and Hidden Sparks Internal Coach and Minky Bin-Nun, Hidden Sparks Internal Coach at Yeshiva Tiffereth Moshe.
 
© 2008 The Hidden Sparks Fund