In an April article in eJewishPhilanthropy, Barry Finestone proposed shifting Jewish communal strategy from defense against antisemitism to the proactive promotion of Jewish joy. He passionately urged, “Let’s pour more resources into camps, day schools, trips to Israel, youth groups and other experiences proven to deliver strong outcomes. We know these things work.”

This visionary mindset fuels my current work as a steering committee member for a groundbreaking initiative at Schechter Boston, part of the inaugural cohort of the Lauder Impact Initiative (LII) — a bold experiment aimed at transforming the narrative and trajectory of Jewish day school enrollment.

Screenshot/Schechter Boston

Over the past two decades, Jewish day schools have made enormous strides in educational quality, personalized learning and holistic child support, creating night-and-day differences from previous generations. Nevertheless, despite temporary enrollment boosts driven by events like the pandemic or the Oct. 7 attacks, sustained growth remains elusive nationally.

Schechter Boston exemplifies this paradox. Under Head of School Rebecca Lurie’s exceptional leadership, enrollment has risen by 20% over seven years — yet it remains 37% below its historical peak. The school is stronger than ever, so why is cracking the growth code still so tough? 

A 2023 study commissioned by Combined Jewish Philanthropies on behalf of Boston’s day schools revealed several deep-seated misperceptions among prospective families. These included overestimating the cost of attendance due to limited awareness of financial aid; concerns about a perceived lack of socioeconomic diversity; and assumptions about rigid religious expectations, likely rooted in outdated impressions of day schools. These perceptions remain powerful barriers to growth and are difficult to shift, even as schools have evolved significantly.

As a former CEO of Staples, I’ve learned that real, lasting growth doesn’t come from sticking to the old playbook — it demands shaking things up, thinking differently and sometimes even inviting entirely new players into the game. 

This is exactly the kind of innovative thinking LII seeks to inspire. Guided nationally by executive director Hadassa Halpern, the initiative challenges five schools to fundamentally rethink their approach to enrollment. In Boston, our local effort is led by a diverse group of professionals and lay leaders, including LII senior consultant Ari Sussman, a former product development leader at technology companies; Elkie Zarchi, co-founder of Harvard Chabad and founder of Cambridge Preschool of the Arts; and Josh Foer, founder of Sefaria and Lehrhaus. Together, the group is surfacing new strategies through research, design thinking and a shared willingness to question long-held assumptions.

Our work has led to two transformative strategies.

The first focuses on relationships. LII-sponsored research has shown that to inspire prospective families, we need to shape their sense of identity and help them see themselves as day school families. We believe an effective way to do this is by building connections with current Schechter families, staff and other prospective families. We’ve found that informal, ongoing social interactions are especially powerful in fostering this sense of belonging. In response, Schechter has expanded its prospective family programming, tripling the number of offerings and launching multi-week series designed for deeper engagement. These include STEM sessions led by Schechter’s top educators, seasonal sports clinics and even a Jewish-themed childbirth education class. Each program is crafted to cultivate meaningful relationships and bring families into Schechter’s spaces helping them envision themselves as part of the community. 

Our second strategy doubles down on early childhood education. What better way to inspire young families and build community than by welcoming them in for a multi-year preview of the Schechter experience? To that end, Schechter is expanding its early childhood program from 80 to 160 students, aiming to maintain its impressive 80% matriculation rate into kindergarten. Additionally, we’re exploring satellite preschool programs in neighboring communities, either through partnerships or standalone models, to reach even more families.

Just one year in, the energy and impact are palpable. Schechter has actively shared its research findings and new initiatives with its community, fostering a shared sense of purpose. Teachers have begun proposing prospective family programming ideas that the school is now bringing to life. LII-supported initiatives have even brought staff and students into the building on weekends to create more personalized, welcoming experiences for prospective families. At Schechter, enrollment is now everyone’s job. With the strategic support and resources provided by LII, we are finally positioned to act decisively on bold ideas we’ve cultivated for years.

At its core, this initiative transcends enrollment numbers at day schools. It’s about reimagining possibilities when strong organizations, visionary funders and passionate leaders with diverse experience and expertise align around a shared vision. It’s about making courageous bets on the future of Jewish life and daring to do things differently. 

Formerly the CEO of Staples, Shira Goodman is the vice chair of the Jim Joseph Foundation. She has been deeply involved in nonprofit leadership and strategic initiatives across Jewish communal organizations for decades.