Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC) convened nearly 100 Jewish educators and community leaders from across North America to participate in its 5th annual Innovators Retreat – Oases of Change – at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

The JEIC Innovators Retreat showcased 11 revolutionary ideas in Jewish day school education and opened them up for feedback from top educators, funders and social entrepreneurs in the field. These new models, seven brand new and four already being tested, were designed by grantees of the JEICs Day School Educators’ Challenge and the ten designers currently participating in HaKaveret: JEIC Team Challenge.

2017 grantees of the JEIC Educators’ Challenge include the Fuchs Mizrachi School in Beachwood, OH as well as Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School in Chicago, IL. Each school received a $50,000 grant to pilot test their model in their schools over a two-year period.

Fuchs-Mizrachi presented Lilmod U’l’lameid: Teacher Torah Collaboratory which creates a Professional Learning Community that personalizes and deepens professional development.

Akiba-Schechter presented their design of an integrated Jewish Day School Research & Development Department inspired by the work of a successful educational model from The American School of Bombay. Based on concrete, deliberate, evidence-based, collaborative activities, Akiba-Schechter’s initiative has the potential to infuse schools with a spirit of ongoing improvement and experimentation.

JEIC’s HaKaveret Design Team shared five new models in Jewish education.

HaKaveret is a joint venture of the Mayberg Foundation, the Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, and Arnee R. and Walter A. Winshall.