Edu-Together Academy, a fully accredited virtual school with a full Secular and Jewish Studies curriculum, is currently accepting students in grades 3-12 for the 2024-2025 school year.
Arie Eisenberg, an educator and founder of Edu-Together, moved to Israel from Highland Park 16 years ago after helping create school-wide technology programs in two New Jersey schools, where she knew she wanted to continue teaching but “really saw a need to provide opportunities for teachers who were trained in education, like me.” [Anglo countries] “People who could not transition to the Israeli system for various reasons: salary, qualifications, difficulties adapting to the language and culture.” Furthermore, their experiences at school allowed them to understand that not all students have the same educational needs.
With these educational realities in mind, Edu-Together was founded in 2012 as a program that connects English-speaking educators with U.S. students in real time to provide support beyond what mainstream schools offer. Edu-Together launched with two schools and now partners with over 300 schools.
In 2020, Edu-Together received accreditation from Cognia and opened as its own online education program, going beyond the original Edu-Together program already implemented in mainstream schools. Since then, Eisenberg says, “We've really been able to create a niche market, fill a need, and provide a great supportive learning environment for students who, for whatever reason, aren't succeeding in a mainstream school environment.” Those reasons include high academic achievement, learning disabilities, health and other issues that mainstream schools can't address. With electives, AP courses, dual enrollment courses, foreign languages, and more, “we really offer an individualized, customized learning program that takes into account each student's strengths and needs. We then create an education plan that meets those needs.”
Edu-Together Academy connects students with more than 50 educators in Israel in real time. “Because it’s online and we have resources around the world, it offers virtually limitless educational possibilities,” Eisenberg explains. The platform offers a wide range of courses at all levels from third to 12th grade, including college-level and AP courses. In addition to general subjects like English and history, Edu-Together also offers classes in areas such as foreign language, computer science, music, and design. Edu-Together’s Jewish studies courses include Gemara, Tanakh, the Holocaust, Jewish History, Tanya, and Zionism.
“We view every student as the center of their educational community, and we get to know them and their families to understand exactly what they need to succeed,” Eisenberg noted. Chana Locksin Bobb, the school's director of education, who moved from Teaneck in 2009, works with families to create schedules that fit students' academic and logistical needs. Classes are limited to five students and students have at least one class with a teacher, making each student's individual needs a top priority.
Edu-Together Academy's rigorous classes, individualized instruction, and outstanding teachers provide an environment where students can thrive. Students who attend Edu-Together achieve an average grade increase of 30%, and many of our graduates go on to attend prestigious universities.
Robin Freeman, a mother of an EduTogether Academy graduate, said her son spent his junior and senior years of high school at EduTogether and is now a student at Brandeis University. Her son has severe hearing loss and cannot communicate with people who have masks covering their lips, so she considered online school. Freeman explained that her son does not have to do chores and teachers focus on his learning speed.
“The faculty here are amazing, and the educational experience is very individualized and personalized,” she said, noting that her son did very well on his AP Biology exam with the help of his teachers, despite learning entirely virtually. Despite a rigorous course load full of AP classes, Freeman said her son was never overwhelmed with homework because such an individualized, focused environment doesn't require a ton of it. She said that in contrast to many online schools, which are asynchronous and leave little time for in-person student-teacher interaction, Edu-Together students spend almost all their time with their teachers.
Eisenberg clarified, “EduTogether Academy does not exist to compete with brick-and-mortar schools. We exist to ensure that all students have a place where they can succeed. That is really what we are here for and what we have been focused on.”
Edu-Together is still enrolling students for the new school year. For more information about Edu-Together Academy, visit www.edutogether.org or call 732-572-6575.
Eliana Berman is the assistant digital editor at The Jewish Link. She is a student at Barnard College and lives in Teaneck.