Section archive - Education & Administration

The Ofek Hadash ‏(“New Horizon”‏) reforms in Israeli elementary schools and some junior-high schools have failed in bringing more teachers and keeping them from leaving the educational system, despite higher salaries. The first study of its kind on the program, conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics, examined whether the higher salaries increased the supply of new students studying to be teachers and whether the quality of those students was higher, as well as whether attrition rates for teachers had declined.

The Generations program is a three-way collaboration among select community partners (such as a federation or BJE), PEJE, and AVI CHAI to transform the way schools fund their budgets by soliciting endowment and legacy gifts. With fundraising coaching customized for each school and incentive grants to reach campaign goals, schools will build their endowment funds—and provide an insurance policy for our Jewish future.

July Wiener writes about how financial constraints and declining affiliation rates are bringing virtually every national Jewish institution, and many local ones, to restructure, redefine its mission, merge or even close. In the latest sign of the times, this week the board of the Jewish Education Service of North America (JESNA) — which has downsized dramatically in the past four years — announced it is considering merging with the Jewish Education Project, a New York organization that is itself the product of a 2010 merger.

Wendy Grinberg shares some of her findings about the 'growth mindset' that powers a culture of ongoing learning at Barnert Temple in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.