A New Chapter for The DEEP Consortium and for High-Quality Professional Development in Jewish Day Schools

Representatives from DEEP Consortium member organizations Prizmah, Hidden Sparks, The Shefa Center, Gateways, and REACH that created the “together we thrive”: conference

The DEEP Consortium has entered a new chapter, recently transitioning from a project of the Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC) to a standalone organization under the IEJI umbrella. After six years of operation, this shift — prompted by JEIC's own evolving approach to making Jewish day school education inspiring, meaningful, and powerful — positions DEEP to chart its own course with greater autonomy. "Becoming an independent organization gives us the opportunity to more fully refine and own our mission," said David Farbman, DEEP's director. "It opens the door to new funding partnerships and lets us raise the bar for what professional development can look like across the Jewish day school field." The Mayberg Foundation, which has supported DEEP since its founding in 2019, shares the belief that teachers are the primary lever for school improvement, and DEEP's work championing high-quality professional development (HQPD) sits squarely at the heart of that mission. DEEP is also grateful for the partnership of Arnee R. and Walter A. Winshall and UnitEd, whose support over the last four years has helped fuel the consortium's growth.

This independence comes at a point of real momentum. In a milestone event this spring, DEEP celebrated the inaugural "Together We Thrive" national conference, a collaboration among five DEEP member organizations that brought together educators from more than 60 day schools. The gathering focused on expanding the field's capacity to support a more diverse population of learners — a sign of the kind of ambitious, field-wide initiatives DEEP is increasingly well-positioned to lead. For a closer look at the conference through the eyes of participating DEEP members, read the latest issue of The DEEP Dive.

DEEP will close out the school year with its annual member convening on June 8–9 in New York City, hosted by The Shefa School. "This is a chance for all of our members to come together in person — to share, to learn from each other, and to think seriously about what success looks like in our work with schools and educators," said Farbman. Members will examine how their organizations measure impact, draw on the experience of host school The Shefa School, and collaborate on setting strategic goals for the year ahead.