Sign up for professional development tracks
As an administrator or faculty member (upper or middle school) at a participating cohort school, you’re invited to join our PD tracks for the upcoming school year. Your school’s membership includes unlimited seats — sign up for as many tracks as you’d like.
- 5 tracks available
- 4 virtual sessions per track
- 1 in-person conference session
The five PD tracks
An in-depth exploration of the historical roots, multiple narratives, and enduring complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — equipping educators with the knowledge, nuance, and confidence to teach this history responsibly.
- Tues, Sept. 29 · Origins of Conflict and Statehood
- Tues, Dec 1 · Dual Narrative Session of 1948
- Tues, Feb 2 · History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- Tues, Apr 6 · History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Part 2) / Current Events: Big Questions and Perspectives
About Dr. Jonathan Golden
Dr. Jonathan Golden is the Founder of HeartStance Education Consulting. He teaches at Hebrew College in Boston and for the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. Previously, he served as the Israel Curriculum Coordinator and a history teacher at Gann Academy, a pluralistic Jewish high school in Waltham, MA. A graduate of Princeton University, Jonathan received his M.J.Ed. from Hebrew College and Ph.D. from Brandeis University, where he studied American Jewish history. At ConnectED, Jonathan leads professional development for educators and schools, helping teachers at all grade levels and subject areas approach the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with confidence and nuance.
Practical frameworks and guiding principles for turning polarizing moments into educational opportunities — helping students engage thoughtfully with breaking news and sensitive events while grounding discussion in historical context and multiple perspectives.
- Thurs, Sept. 24 · Building core content knowledge and context
- Thurs, Dec. 10 · Centering diverse perspectives
- Feb. 11 · Crafting essential questions
- April 15 · Applying these principles in the classroom
About Avi Posen
Avi Posen is the VP of ConnectED, where he oversees curriculum development, content creation, and manages our team of speakers and educators. Over the past seven years, Avi has led Unpacked for Educators, a curriculum platform with over 15,000 users. A former classroom teacher, campus educator, and camp director, Avi has trained educators and spoken to audiences worldwide on Jewish history, Israel, and antisemitism. He holds a Master’s degree in Jewish Education from Yeshiva University and has been published in various educational journals along with Ynet and The Times of Israel.
Innovative and pedagogically grounded strategies for teaching the Holocaust and antisemitism in ways that foster historical understanding, moral reflection, and meaningful student engagement.
- Tues, Sept. 22 · Antisemitism Then and Now
- Tues, Dec. 8 · Approaches to Teaching the Holocaust
- Tues, Feb. 9 · The Holocaust and American History
- Tues, April 13 · Faces of the Holocaust: Rescue, Resistance, and Complicity
About Kelly Fives
Kelly Fives is a Senior Educator at ConnectED. A passionate educator, Kelly spent nine years as an upper school English teacher at The Churchill School and four years as a learning specialist and English teacher at Dwight New York. Kelly specializes in curriculum design and Holocaust and genocide education, and has participated in several prestigious professional development programs, including the Spector Warren Fellowship (2011), the Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Teachers Program (2016), Defiant Requiem (2024), and the Sousa Mendes Foundation’s Educator Institute (2025). She holds a B.A. and M.S. from Syracuse University and is currently pursuing graduate studies in Holocaust education at Yeshiva University.
A skills-based approach to cultivating respectful dialogue, intellectual humility, and constructive disagreement in classrooms and school communities.
- Discussing Unit 1: Foundations of Dialogue
- Discussing Units 2–3: Skills in Action
- Discussing Unit 4: Capstone Dialogues
- Open check-ins and real-time classroom reflection
Enrollment is managed by your school administrator
This track is for teachers facilitating the Dialogue Across Difference Certificate Course. The course is designed for high school students but can also be adapted for middle school. To enroll, have your school administrator visit the course page below.
About Yoni Romick
Yoni Romick is a Senior Educator at ConnectED, leading student sessions and professional development for both private and public independent schools. Yoni has been instrumental in designing interdisciplinary curricula and spearheading educational initiatives for schools and organizations across the country. He is committed to lifelong learning and dedicated to cultivating curiosity, creating inclusive learning environments, and integrating meaningful content into the education landscape.
Tools and strategies to help students analyze and evaluate information, assess source credibility, and become empowered, responsible consumers of AI and media.
- Wed, Sept. 30 · Core principles of media and AI literacy
- Wed, Dec. 2 · Understanding the attention economy
- Mon, Feb. 8 · Cognitive biases and conspiratorial thinking
- Wed, April 7 · Digital wellness and balanced media use
About Michelle Ciulla Lipkin
Michelle Ciulla Lipkin is a globally recognized leader in media literacy education. She serves as a senior advisor for the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) and is an Adjunct Lecturer at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Media Literacy. Michelle served as Executive Director of NAMLE from 2012 – 2025, helping grow it into the preeminent media literacy education association in the U.S. She was the recipient of the 2020 Global Media and Information Literacy Award from UNESCO and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from New York University.
Annual ConnectED Conference
November 11–12, 2026 | New York City
Each track includes one in-person session at the ConnectED Conference. Your school’s cohort membership includes five complimentary conference passes. To attend, speak with your administrator — registration opens in September.
Register for PD tracks
Select the track(s) you’d like to join and your preferred session time. All virtual track sessions are offered at two times: 3:30 – 4:30 pm ET / 12:30 – 1:30 pm PT and 6:30 – 7:30 pm ET / 3:30 – 4:30 pm PT — except the Dialogue Across Difference track, which is offered at 3:30 – 4:15 pm ET only and requires school-level enrollment (see above).
To get the most out of each track, we encourage you to attend all four virtual sessions.
Questions? Contact Megan Nevels, Program & Partnerships Manager.
