A Special School : A Conversation with Alana Weinberg

The stores are hosting their annual school supplies’ sales; the children are (hopefully) finishing up their summer work. Last-day-of-camp parties are complete, final vacation plans are settled, and preparation for a month of Yamim Tovim has begun. This year, Baltimore will be joined by a new school, Binyan Yisroel. Meet Alana Weinberg, the founder and executive director of this new, revolutionary school.

Meira Levi: Let’s start at the top – what is Binyan Yisroel?

Alana Weinberg: Binyan Yisroel serves students with language-based learning differences, who have average to above average intelligence and have not yet reached their potential levels of success in traditional classroom settings.

ML: On average, how many students have a language-based difference?

AW: Dyslexia affects 20 percent of the population and represents 80 to 90 percent of all those with learning disabilities. It is the most common of all neuro-cognitive disorders per the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. I tell educators and parents, if you take an average class of 16 students in our schools here in Baltimore, two children per class should be in a school like Binyan. 

ML: Where did the idea for Binyan come from?

AW: About seven years ago, my husband and I moved to town with our four children. Two of our children have dyslexia. We were advised to call Shemesh and ask about the best school for our dyslexic children. The hotline wired us directly to Dr. Aviva Weisboard’s home phone. Dr. Weisbord, a”h, was amazing, and she promised to help us figure out what schools would best fit our children. We realized that at least one of my children could not attend a Jewish school, so we made the difficult decision to send him to Jemicy. That is when Dr. Weisbord told me that, one day, iy”H, I would create a school because Jewish children with learning differences deserve to experience an excellent education among their Jewish peers, al pi derech Hatorah. For too long, parents like me have had to make the agonizing choice between addressing the individual needs of their child in a non-Jewish school or keeping their child in a Jewish school without sufficient opportunity for academic growth. And now, b”H, they can have the best of both worlds. 

ML: What is Jemicy?

AW: Jemicy is a school in Baltimore that serves children with language-based learning differences. Jemicy is a leading institution internationally and just celebrated their 50^th year. They are helping educationally support Binyan through their outreach department with training, mentorships, educational resources, and much more. Binyan is so incredibly grateful for their partnership. 

ML: So what happened when you sent your son to Jemicy?

AW: Although he received an education tailored to his needs, it was very challenging. Nowadays, when the divide in cultures and technology policies are so great, the challenges have only become greater. Thankfully, he was very successful at Jemicy, but then the question is – how does he come back to the yeshiva world? What yeshiva can he go to? It’s very difficult, even if you do a lot of out-of-school learning. Together with Dr. Weisboard, I began to create a vision for a school that would support children with language-based differences but keep them within the yeshiva system. 

ML:  Why can’t these children go to a special education school, such as Tiferes Golda or Jewels?

AW: Children with different types of learning differences need to be taught in different ways. There is a tremendous amount of research on how best to teach children with language-based learning differences. These include “structured based literacy,” which includes “direct explicit instruction.” Children who do not have dyslexia but rather have a different learning challenge do not need the same approach, and so they need to be educated differently. 

ML:  How is Binyan structured?

AW: There are many years of research in this field, b”H, as well as many other non-Jewish schools that serve the same population. We know that children with language-based differences need direct explicit instruction, and we have based our schedule on best practices for children with these learning profiles. Every student at Binyan receives 60 minutes of highly intensive reading instruction and 60 minutes of kriah (Hebrew reading) instruction, five days a week, with a special trained educator. During these sessions, the educators use different forms of modalities and hands-on experience learning in small groups – two students to one educator. We have small groups (four students for one educator and one assistant) five days a week for Chumash and math.  Mishnayos, Gemara, yedios klalios, social studies, science, and language arts are taught with the students together in a group of eight. Additionally, speech and language pathologists come in twice weekly and work in small groups with the students. We do a tremendous number of assessments, formal and informal, as well as create goals and track data and the progress of each student. 

ML:  What makes your educators unique?

AW: We have 15 educators for 16 children. Our educators have over 60 hours of training just this summer alone. We can’t stress enough the importance of professional development and ongoing mentorship. As well, we as an educational team collaborate with each other, community specialists, and outside resources. We believe in using many different modalities and pathways into the brain than the standard frontal teaching methods alone. Our educators are specialists with degrees in special education along with special training in their specific fields.  

ML:  How come the schools and/or resource rooms can’t provide this for the students?

AW: Imagine for a moment – a student leaving their class every day for 120 minutes just to work on reading. How would that work within the school schedule?  But that is what these children need, along with support in other subject areas because reading is the foundation of every class. The whole day of Binyan is crafted for these learners, based on research and understanding of how children with language-based differences learn best. I will give you one example. For a lot of these children, davening is very hard. The fluency of reading is not there. Yet davening is an essential part of our day as Jews! We need to know how to daven. Parents of these children have told me the sad truth: Their children only pretend to daven. These children have learned how to hide the fact that they cannot fluently read from a siddur. They will look around them, watching to see when their neighbor turns pages, and follow his or her lead. They will go through the motions of Shemonah Esrei without actually reading any of the words. These children need a fully comprehensive day, where all of their learning is under the same umbrella, where every second of the day is purposeful and meaningful to their learning profile. 

ML:  Where are the classes of Binyan taking place?

AW: We are incredibly grateful to our host schools! TA is hosting our boys class and Bais Yaakov is hosting our girls. There are eight spots in each class. The Binyan classes will be a part of our host schools for inclusion opportunities, such as assemblies, trips, celebrations, lunch, and recess. 

ML:  When do language-based differences start showing in children?

AW: They can be identified as early as pre-A. The earlier, the better, because there can be great social and emotional damage if it is discovered later. Think about what happens in school. By the time a student reaches third grade, we assume the child can read. This student with the language-based difference starts to wonder – why can’t I do what all my friends can do? What’s my problem? If we wait until fifth or sixth grade, we’ve already lost these students because they’ve already had so many failures. That is why many of these students suffer from a lot of anxiety and depression. These students are often called lazy or unmotivated. But if we can catch it earlier and give the intervention, it would be so meaningful for these students.

ML:  Would the students be in Binyan until graduation? At what age does Binyan begin and end?

AW: Our goal is to give the intervention and help these children at a young age so they can be mainstreamed as soon as possible. Children who have severe dyslexia will struggle their whole lives, but with our current technology and ongoing support from a specialized resource room (which Binyan will provide), we hope to mainstream our classes by seventh grade. 

ML:  What is the application process for Binyan? How does one qualify?

AW: We have a pretty extensive application process. We require the following materials for an application to be reviewed: Binyan’s application, full neuropsychological or psycho-educational testing report (within the last 12-18 months), two years of recent school report cards and progress reports, IEP (if applicable) , Provider Information, and consent form. We have two interviews that include an interview with a psychologist and an educator.  After the application process is complete. Binyan has an anonymous acceptance committee that is composed of a therapist, rav, special educator, and neuropsychological evaluator. 

ML:  What is the tuition for Binyan like?

AW: Our tuition is $25,000, and we also offer very generous scholarships. We have no government assistance. Over the past three years, we fund-raised start-up costs. The community has been amazing in helping us be able to open. Our goal is to grow each year, iy”H, and eventually be able to serve children from second to seventh grade. 

ML: Is there a specific rav who has backed Binyan?

AW: Binyan is under the auspices of Rabbi Hopfer. There have been many times along this journey that I gave up on creating this school. Rabbi Hopfer has always given me chizuk and told me to keep going. Additionally, I met many of the rabbanim in town asking for guidance and for their haskama. 

ML: Have you received any feedback from parents?

AW: Yes, b”H! Parents feel as though we are saving lives. Jews are considered to be a “people of the book.” But if your child can’t read – where is he or she as a learner? Without these types of services, our children would be lost. Believe it or not, there are a few rabbanim in town who have Hebrew reading support groups for grown men because these men just never learned the skills in school. And you would never know because language-based differences are so easy to hide. It’s an invisible learning difference. The Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Israel told me the following story: He had a chavrusa who was a brilliant man. Once, they went traveling together and came to a shul that had a different nusach; the shul davened Arizal. The shul asked the Rosh Yeshiva to daven for the amud. The Rosh Yeshiva refused but told his chavrusa to go daven. The chavrusa said, “No, I can’t.” This chavrusa only knew nusach Ashkenaz – he had memorized everything. He couldn’t actually read from a siddur. 

ML:  This sounds like a national issue.

AW: It definitely is. This isn’t just Baltimore; it’s a national issue. I have received calls from other communities such as L.A., Cleveland, Denver, and Chicago. We have had children apply from other communities to Binyan as well. Intervention is key, and intervention begins with identifying the need. We have frum organizations in town that offer screenings, such as Let’s Chat therapy. If a parent/school notices a child struggling, it is important that the child be screened, and in some situations, receive educational testing. 

ML: Does a school such as Binyan exist elsewhere?

AW: No. This school does not exist anywhere else in the world. There is no other school for language-based differences within a yeshiva system. 

ML:  Where did the name Binyan Yisroel come from? 

AW: Binyan Yisroel translates to “building Yisroel.” Dr Weisbord taught me that, in Brachos 64a, it says: “And all your children (banayich) shall be taught [E1] of Hashem, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Yeshayahu 54:13). The Sages interpreted this verse homiletically: Do not read your children (banayich) but your builders (bonayich) (Brachos 64a). We understand this to mean that our children are the builders! Students come to Binyan with many strengths and abilities. The goal of Binyan is to build upon these strengths and abilities, helping each student reach his or her full potential. Children who attend Binyan will, im yirtzeh Hashem, grow to be the builders of our future, carrying the flame of Torah and mitzvos.

ML: May Binyan Yisroel help build a brighter future for these children for many years to come! Thank you for taking this on for the community and for the good of these children.

For questions or inquiries please contact Alana Weinberg at office@binyanyisroel.org or call 443-272-1208.