Michele Spitulnik

Julia Morgan School for Girls

Collaborator

Michele Spitulnik is the Head of School at the Julia Morgan School for Girls. She is passionate educator who strives to build authentic learning environments that support inquiry, investigation, and building a better world, both for students and teachers. Michele was a high school science teacher in the 1990’s, and soon became curious about the decline of middle school girls’ interest in math and science, as this research was just published. She pursued a PhD in science education to create meaningful and accessible science programs that would interest and encourage girls to dig into science and find connection between science concepts and real world issues. Michele created tools for students to build and analyze models of global climate change. This model building process engaged students in science in new ways, and provided opportunities to ask meaningful questions, make predictions, and build awareness of a looming global problem and it was especially motivating for girls. Since then, Michele conducted research and taught in the Schools of Education at both University of Michigan and UC Berkeley. When a new independent school, The Contra Costa Jewish Day School (CCJDS), opened in 2001, the opportunity to create a k-8th grade science program was intriguing! Michele jumped onboard, to first lead the school’s science program and next to lead the whole school’s curriculum and faculty development. Michele held many positions at the school including middle school science teacher, Director of Science, Director of Professional Learning, Interim Head of School and Dean of Faculty. Michele is a lifelong learner and continues to seek opportunities for growth and improvement. During her tenure at CCJDS, she pursued a Masters in Counseling and had a private therapy practice focusing on middle and high school girls and their families.