On February 8, over 80 Jewish education leaders from around the country came together for a winter seminar hosted by Lifnai V’Lifnim, a JEIC partner. Read about this collaborative conference in The Jewish Link.
Viewing entries in
News
JEIC partners Rabbi Mitch Malkus (head of school at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School) and Lianne Heller (executive director of Sulam) were recently published in eJewish Philanthropy.
Their co-authored article, “Designing exceptional learning for all students: A collaborative approach,” maintains, “Research has shown that when students have agency in their own learning they become independent, resourceful, and motivated lifelong learners and critical thinkers who ultimately become expert citizens.”
Manette Mayberg published in eJP: "The invaluable role of a Jewish educator: A funder’s perspective"
Mayberg Foundation Trustee Manette Mayberg was recently published in eJP. Her article, “The invaluable role of a Jewish educator: A funder’s perspective,” maintains that the most important resource in Jewish education is the educator. “The long-term goals of Jewish education,” she writes, “are to shape a committed, thoughtful, ethical generation of Jews.”
Rachel Mohl Abrahams’s piece, "Enabling Student Agency," was recently published in The Lookstein Center's Jewish Educational Leadership.
In the article, she highlights a few day schools that created opportunities for student independence during the pandemic. She calls on schools to continue to find ways to give students agency over their learning as we move forward.
In Rachel Mohl Abrahams’ “Making Pesach Personal” article in The Yeshiva of Flatbush Alumni Network’s newsletter, she articulates: “ As we prepare to fulfill the mitzvah of “you shall tell your child,” it behooves each of us to consider how we make space for God in our families’ lives. How do we continue to feel that God is caring for each of us? How do we convey that in our homes? The notion of developing one’s own relationship with God needs to be at the core of Jewish education today. We need to ensure that we are helping our children establish and cultivate the feeling that God is actively involved in their lives. Their understanding of God must mature as they grow.”
JEIC managing director Sharon Freundel shares her article on “Grounded Meaning” in the winter 2021 Jewish Educational Leadership double-issue about meaning-making in Jewish education.
Sharon Freundel’s article — “Can Zoom Innovations Change Our Teaching For the Better?” was recently featured in Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Papers. Their Volume I on Teaching and Learning explores COVID-19 and Chinuch, lessons learned and opportunities uncovered.
Prizmah’s HaYidion Fall 2020 edition highlighted an article written by managing director of the Jewish Education Innovation Challenge, Sharon Freundel, about how collaborating through professional learning communities can better serve Jewish day schools. The article specifically focuses on Developing Embedded Expertise Program (DEEP), JEIC’s initiative that brings educational providers together with a shared goal of achieving systemic, systematic, and sustainable change in Jewish day schools across North America.
In her article Collaborating to Serve Day Schools Better, Freundel writes, “We are cognizant that while looking at the acute needs of Jewish day school education, we must support the remodeling that is taking place before our very eyes. We believe this newfound group effort among educational providers will serve to strengthen our day schools, yielding a more powerful, impactful and enduring learning experience for our students.”
The Lookstein Center featured an op-ed authored by Shmuel Feld, Founding Director of the Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC), in their Fall 2020 issue.
His article entitled, “System Solvers,” explains the crucial role of systems in creating culture in Jewish day schools.
Chevy Chase, MD (October 26, 2020) – The Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC) has awarded a total of $80,000 to four Jewish day schools through Ignition Grants for God Expansion.
JEIC initiated its Ignition Grants program in late 2018 to continue to catalyze change in day schools by supporting creative, out-of-the-box programs through micro-grants to a wider population of schools. Ignition Grants for God Expansion were added in summer 2020 to advance distinctive, enduring approaches for elevating and deepening the God-student relationship.
The Spring 2020 issue of Jewish Educational Leadership, published by The Lookstein Center for Jewish Education, featured an article on resilience written by JEIC Managing Director Sharon Freundel.
In this personal piece entitled, The Roots of Resilience, Freundel reveals lessons learned from her family and the Tanakh that gave her the strength to persevere—then and still now—through traumatic life events.
What do you think about this robust exchange of ideas posted on eJewish Philanthropy?
How can and should Jewish day schools use data and assessment to guide their work with students? What are the ultimate goals of a Jewish education? What might lasting impact look like for day school alumni?
What do Day Schools Do? by Zev Eleff and Alex Jakubowski
Assessment-driven Growth in Jewish Day Schools and Yeshivas by Paul Bernstein
I have Learned More from My Pupils than from All of Them: The Importance of Student-Centered Data by Zev Eleff and Alex Jakubowski
Let us know what you are doing in your school or what you hope to learn more about. Contact Sharon Freundel, JEIC Managing Director, with your insight, input, or questions.
Sharon Freundel, JEIC Managing Director, was published in the Fall 2019 edition of the JOFA Journal (Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance). Don’t miss this article, which makes a case for the importance of boys and girls having both male and female Torah teachers.
Don’t miss the Fall 2019 issue of HaYidion: The Prizmah Journal, which features a compelling article written by JEIC Managing Director Sharon Freundel called “Listening to Day School Dreams.” This piece highlights what we learned from Jewish day school stakeholders about their dreams, visions, and wishes through our Listening Booths Initiative at PrizmahCJDS’s bi-annual conference in March 2019.
Chevy Chase, Md., October 24, 2019 -- Rachel Mohl Abrahams, an AVI CHAI Foundation senior program officer specializing in Jewish education and day school initiatives, will join the Jewish Education Innovation Challenge’s (JEIC) professional team in January 2020 as part of her new role as senior advisor for education grants and programs at the Mayberg Foundation, which incubates JEIC.
As senior advisor, Abrahams will direct her efforts to both the Mayberg Foundation's core grantmaking program and JEIC’s work with day school grantees, innovative Jewish educational initiatives and philanthropic partnerships. Abrahams brings more than two decades of experience in Jewish educational project design, program management, and evaluation.
Abrahams will advance the impact and scope of JEIC’s grantmaking, which supports the scaling and implementation of contemporary, proven educational models designed to reignite students’ passion for Jewish learning and improve the way Jewish values, literacy, practice, and belief are transferred to the next generation. Additionally, she will elevate JEIC’s position as a positive disrupter in the Jewish day school field by conferring with staff and stakeholders on organizational strategy and advocating for change initiatives in Jewish education.
Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools highlighted a compelling thought leadership article written by Mayberg Foundation Trustee, Manette Mayberg, about her dream of God-Powered Schools (GPS).
Let’s Follow this Kind of GPS for a Strong Jewish Future illustrates a “directional system for Jewish day schools that guides them by mission and vision, mapping the way forward most effectively. A GPS would provide continuous evaluation of a school’s actions so when a miscalculation or misguidance occurs, the school would be redirected… A GPS is one that is guided by the sum of our holy texts, time-tested over thousands of years. A GPS is informed by the teachings of eternal Jewish wisdom and embodies Jewish values. A GPS steers students to develop a relationship with the Divine—whatever their concepts of God might be—and a strong Jewish identity. A GPS emphasizes Jewish values and relevance as much as text study and skills. It also demands that all systems throughout a school—from policies to content to pedagogy—support students’ journeys of Jewish discovery.”
Sharon Freundel, JEIC Managing Drector, and Rabbi Shmuel Feld, JEIC Founding Director, were highlighted as featured presenters at The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute’s (JLI) 2019 National Jewish Retreat in Washington, D.C., August 13-18, 2019, at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park.
JEIC facilitated a professional development collaboration with The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute, Ayeka and Pedagogy of Partnership of Hadar to enhance methodologies for teaching Jewish text and discussing Gd. These providers learned from one another and explored new ways of engaging students in substantive, robust, and meaningful text study.
This collaboration was made possible due to the support of the Mayberg Foundation and their two funding partners for this initiative: The AVI CHAI Foundation and Kohelet Foundation.
We thank all our partners, and the National Jewish Retreat, for elevating this landmark collaboration improving Jewish education for day school students..
Don’t miss this article about the role JEIC has been playing in the day school field through its 2019 Innovators Retreat featured in Baltimore Jewish Times.
Share with us how you are elevating the message that improving the quality of Jewish education in day schools across North America should be a top communal priority.
JEIC is grateful that many experienced, knowledgeable authors contribute to our blog with compelling articles on educational innovation, change, and excellence in Jewish day schools.
We encourage you to peruse through our blog for the content that is most relevant to you. These are the 8 most read links on our blog in 2018:
In "Of Grades and Judaics - Responding to the Call to 'Pursue Distinction,'" featured in EJewishPhilanthropy, Rabbi Feld ups the ante on a conversation that is no longer the elephant in the classroom...
Read his case for why traditional grading in Judaics is counter to our timeless system of Torah education and his observations gleaned from JEIC's work to help schools and teachers produce Judaics classes without grades.