Federation Hires Jewish Education Inclusion Coordinator
December 12, 2024 – The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston is growing its work in academic inclusion in response to community feedback during the 2022-2023 Hineni Houston listening journey. In November, the Federation welcomed Amy Schraier into the role of coordinator for Jewish Education Inclusion, with the goal of increasing access to Jewish education.
This position enables the Federation to address disability inclusion in all aspects of Jewish education in the Greater Houston area. Schraier aims to work with Houston’s Jewish schools and parents to create and support a sense of belonging for children with diverse learning profiles and their families.
“I am excited to partner with schools and their dedicated professionals,” said Schraier. “Already, so many of our campuses have a variety of services in place for students with diverse learning needs. Additionally, I look forward to being a resource for parents in the community to help navigate educational programming and support for their children.”
After hearing the need in Hineni Houston, the Federation worked with Matan, a disability education-consulting firm, to conduct a full community assessment.
Matan built on the information gathered in Hineni by interviewing 90 people. These included school administrators, counselors and learning support professionals from day schools, early childhood schools and congregational schools, as well as rabbis, families, lay leaders and community partners, including Alexander Jewish Family Service.
The 2023 Matan report shared community challenges and a five- to seven-year plan of strategies, one of which was the creation of the Jewish Education Inclusion coordinator position.
“We are thrilled to have an Inclusion coordinator to help parents and families navigate the resources available and to partner with schools and organizations to make sure disability inclusion is prioritized and incorporated at every level of education,” said Lisa Klein, Federation managing director of Jewish Education.
Schraier will interface with Jewish schools and their student support professionals, building a support system that fosters collaboration, connection and best practices across schools. These professionals will be invited to participate in the Federation’s Student Support Specialists network.
Schraier is a speech-language pathologist with a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from The University of Texas at Austin and a master’s in speech-language pathology from George Washington University.
In addition to her work at the Federation, Schraier is in private practice for Schraier Speaks, LLC, and Therapy Connections. She has previous classroom experience at The Parish School and in Plano ISD.