Section archive - Education & Administration

The current study aims at exploring the common means that may improve organizational effectiveness by focusing on two main facets of organizational qualities: teacher commitment and job satisfaction. Data were collected from 841 randomly sampled teachers employed in 118 elementary schools in Israel. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the single variable that predicted both types of commitment (organizational and professional) and both types of satisfaction (intrinsic and extrinsic) was teachers’ perceptions of the fit between one’s job demands and abilities. The second most influential predictor was principals’ interaction with the teachers.

Youth Renewal Fund (YRF) today announced its new strategic alliance with program partner Darca, a leading network of Israeli high schools, in an effort to dramatically change the future of Israeli education. As part of this historic alliance, YRF will now operate in the US under the name “YRF Darca.” YRF Darca and Darca schools will be known for academic excellence, commitment to high achievement, an innovative approach to education, inspiring leadership, and professional management. In the coming school year, the partners will reach over 14,000 students and 1,400 teachers in 25 schools and centers.

This issue of HaYidion is devoted to the effects of the size of Jewish community day schools on their impact. This issue of HaYidion will make the case that Jewish community day schools of all sizes have similar impact. They also have challenges, some in proportion to their size, others common to all. Unique to this issue is the inclusion of articles about schools outside of North America. One is a school enrolling more students than there are Jews in the country, and another that enrolls 80% of all Jewish children. There are several fascinating proposals advanced by our authors, including one that challenges funders to recognize the vibrancy and importance of small schools as a collectivity and to provide support nationally to ensure their continued vitality.

In a recent study, Learning from Parent Voices: How to Turn Positive Perception into Enrollment Growth, the private school consulting firm Measuring Success found that 59 percent of parents who contacted day schools for information were prompted to do so because of word of mouth. An additional 26 percent did so because their older children already attend the school or their child’s current school is a feeder school. Of their 6,522-parent sample, only 8 percent were drawn to the school through advertising, 5 percent through the school’s website and 2 percent became interested for other reasons. Further, the study found that only one factor increased enrollment: perceived quality.