With popular teacher and tutor Karen Bialik assuming the role of math department head at JEC, the program has never looked better. Utilizing cutting-edge research in educational best practices, Bialik has revolutionized how math is taught and learned in the high school. Blending the learning with online videos and in-school application, students are working together in classrooms, with teachers visiting student groups to assist in their progress and skills development. Piloting in the ninth grade, this initiative has and will continue to become a staple of the educational system in JEC. “Everything in our school revolves around the idea of student-centered learning,” said Rabbi Ami Neuman, JEC principal. “From Gemara to science, and from Chumash to math, we want our students to take ownership of their processes in all areas of their own personal development.”

With work rooms and quiet rooms, the program is geared towards meeting the needs of each student who walks in the door. In Bialik’s own words, “The benefit of such a setup is that there are no longer three or four tracks of math in any given grade. We’ve now created multiple levels of teaching and learning to match the needs of every student in the room.”