by Dr. Ezra Kopelowitz Recently, Hal M. Lewis, posted on eJewish Philanthropy an article about the need to place the issue of workplace happiness at the top of the Jewish Community’s efforts to retain quality personnel. He argues that non-financial factors, having to do with the quality of the work experience are critical in retaining personnel in the non-profit world. In responding to Lewis’s article, Deborah Fishman argues that in the context of Day School education, networks are the way to retain quality teachers. In one area, namely day school teaching there is research that points to not one factor, such as work place happiness or networks, but a compilation of factors that lead to retention of quality personnel. Understanding how these factors come together enables concrete and … Continue Reading
iPads in Jewish Day Schools
from RabbiJason.com: iPads in Jewish Day Schools Bill Gates paid a visit to Steve Jobs toward to the end of the Apple visionary’s life. The two technology giants talked about the future of education. According to Walter Isaacson’s biography of Jobs, both men agreed that computers had made surprisingly little impact on schools. Gates said, “Computers and mobile devices would have to focus on delivering more personalized lessons and providing motivational feedback.” One of the many projects Jobs had hoped to develop before his life was cut short, Isaacson explained, was “to disrupt the textbook industry and save the spines of spavined students by creating electronic texts and curriculum material for the iPad.” Rabbi Joshua Spodek regularly studies the Talmud at home with his son, … Continue Reading
North American Jewish Day School Conference Opens Today
Over 600 educators and lay leaders will convene today for the third annual North American Jewish Day School Conference taking place in Atlanta, GA. Jointly planned by RAVSAK: The Jewish Community Day School Network; the Institute for University-School Partnership at Yeshiva University; the Schechter Day School Network; PARDeS: The Progressive Association of Reform Day Schools; and PEJE, the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education, the conference advances the field of Jewish education through collaboration and by convening people and networks with a shared purpose. This year's conference theme, “Current Landscapes - Changing Horizons,” will focus on key issues affecting institutions across the denominational spectrum. Workshops and conversations will address topics such as 21st century … Continue Reading
How to Solve Crises in Day School Education
How to Solve Crises in Day School Education (Hint: It's All About Networks) by Deborah Fishman Affordability: How do you ensure day school education is financially accessible to all Jewish children during times of economic recession? Governance: How can day schools adopt best practices, particularly in finance? Education: How do you increase its quality, adjust the balance between Judaic and general studies, and improve the integration of technology in the classroom? Personnel: How do you train qualified teachers and administrators who will serve as inspirational role models for the next generation of young Jews - and how do you grow and retain them? These are all complex and serious issues for day schools today. Yet there is one that stands out to me as the most compelling cause for … Continue Reading
Network-Weaving with Peter Eckstein
Deborah Fishman sits with Peter Eckstein. This interview is part of the Network-Weaver Series. [Peter Eckstein is the Director of Congregational Learning at Temple Beth David in Palm Beach Gardens. In the past he has served in national leadership roles in CAJE (Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education) and is currently involved in other initiatives. He holds a master’s in Jewish education from Hebrew College.] What is the difference between a network and a community? A network is the connections people have with one another, whether face to face or virtual. A community is qualitatively deeper. It’s a group of people, however they’re connected, sharing information and moving with each other in the same direction. A community is a kehillah - there’s an emotional connection … Continue Reading
Jewish Agency Launches International Network to Twin Schools
The Jewish Agency is establishing a new international twinning network connecting hundreds of Diaspora schools with schools in Israel. Formally launched during a Chanukah candle-lighting ceremony yesterday, the goal is to create real ties between students and teachers on both sides, strengthen the image of Israel among students abroad and allow them to experience Israel in a very real way - not as depicted in the media. At the same time, the program will allow Israeli students to become more familiar with the Diaspora. The program will contain both virtual and in-person components. The first phase will include 200 schools from Israel and 200 schools from around the world, including schools from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, South Africa, Switzerland, Mexico, England, Russia, Hungary, … Continue Reading
Middle Income Day School Affordability out on the Western Frontier
by Sandy Edwards and Miriam Prum Hess Day school affordability for middle income families is critical to the ability of day schools to grow their enrollment and to attain financial sustainability. Day schools and communities are beginning to develop donor-funded programs and tuition strategies as Dan Perla explored in Middle Income Affordability Programs: A Promising Frontier in Day School Affordability, (eJewish Philanthropy December 16, 2011). Another venture in this landscape is Los Angeles Day School Affordability Initiative, a demonstration model in five Jewish high schools (Milken, New Community Jewish High School, Shalhavet, and YULA Boys and Girls High Schools) that not only is designed to stabilize and to incrementally increase the enrollment of students from middle income families … Continue Reading
Middle Income Affordability Programs: A Promising Frontier in Day School Affordability
by Dan Perla If you ask a large group of parents whose children attend a Jewish day school to name the most pressing school issue on their mind, they will almost certainly utter the same word - AFFORDABILITY. Simply put, for a large group of parents, a day school education in the U.S. and Canada has become unaffordable. The average day school tuition nationally is approximately $14,000 and has increased at a 3%-6% percent annualized rate over the past decade. By comparison, wage growth over the same period of time (particularly the last 3-4 years) has been virtually flat. So for many families it really is more costly to send a child to day school than it was five or ten years ago. While the quality of a Jewish day school education is arguably better than at any time in recent history, an … Continue Reading
2011-12 Day School Enrollment Sees Modest Decline
The question raised frequently in the press and around day school tables across the country has been how the recent and lingering economic crisis is affecting day school enrollments, with widespread predictions of significant enrollment decline, including in the Modern Orthodox sector. As he has done annually since the economic decline in 2008, Dr. Marvin Schick has collected and provided enrollment data for schools outside the yeshiva world and Chassidic sectors. “The data evidences a modest decline overall,” explains Dr. Schick. “Nevertheless, it is important to note that the decline is not necessarily a trend being seen across the country. In fact, there are some schools and communities experiencing growth while others decline.” In collecting and analyzing the data, Dr. Schick … Continue Reading
Start Playing Around
by Daniel Bloom and Ariel Beery The movie Moneyball sets a scene that could be easily adapted for a gathering of educators in the teacher’s lounge. Around a paper-packed table, older, more experienced individuals are trying to dissuade a new up-and-coming manager that his approach using technology to determine what the right composition of the baseball team was not going to work. “We’ve been doing this a long time,” one of the more wizened coaches told Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt. But Billy pushes back, “You don’t even understand the problem.” What Billy realized is that his experienced advisers were looking at the world as it was yesterday, as opposed to what it could be tomorrow. Experience, in times of rapid change, can bring as many challenges as it brings solutions. New … Continue Reading
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