Search results for: Networks

Being a classroom teacher can be an isolating experience. You may not know where to turn for new ideas and wish there was a way you could benefit from the experimentation and expertise of others in classrooms like yours across the country. Fortunately, in the past few years, Jewish day school educators have been able to find networks designed to incubate and spread ideas and practices. As a network-weaver working at the AVI CHAI Foundation, I have an interest in understanding and documenting these networks, which could range from organized programs, such as the JDS Collaborative, for which I serve as program officer at AVI CHAI, to a much less formal Twitter chat. Let’s look at what these networks are, which ones are more likely to scale through successfully spreading ideas, and why.

The Jim Joseph Foundation has developed an alumni network component as part of some grants, while other grants are designed for the sole purposes of creating such networks in order to leverage newfound deep connections among cohorts of successful Jewish educational programs.

It is a pleasure to announce the opening of registration for the first ever New York area Jedcamp! Officially titled JedcampNJNY (#jedcampnjny on Twitter), it will be held at Yavneh Academy in Paramus, NJ on Sunday, April 21st. This event is open to all who are interested - day school teachers, high school teachers, Hebrew school teachers, all denominations, all subject areas, administrators, everyone. As long as you have a desire to share your thoughts and ideas about Jewish education or be shared with, this is the conference for you.

The world of part-time Jewish education is changing rapidly. New models are emerging, both within congregations and beyond. A growing number of communities are engaged in initiatives to foster broad-scale improvement. And, national actors are accelerating their efforts to seed innovation and support local change. What can we learn from and what will be the impact of all this activity? Will today's alternative models become tomorrow's norm? What will this mean for children and their families, for institutions and communities, innovators and funders? JESNA is holding a series of three convenings for professional and lay leaders involved with complementary education to discuss these important questions.