Jewish Portal of Teacher Education

Source: Lippman Kanfer Institute - JESNA

This working paper, published by JESNA's Lippman Kanfer Institute, focuses on a broad scale, multi-faceted effort to rethink and re-imagine the educational work of synagogues so as to make the Jewish learning experience of children and adults a positive, engaging, and impactful one. It is based on a study of the work of 11 outstanding organizations and projects which have been working over the last fifteen years to improve and renew congregational education.

The report was formulated by studying and synthesizing the experiences of these organizations which have worked with hundreds of congregations across North America to bring about synagogue educational change over the last fifteen years.

• a review of extensive material (published and
  unpublished) describing and in some cases assessing
  the thinking and work of the organizations and initiatives 
• interviews with principals of all of the projects using
  a protocol aimed at eliciting their reflections on and
  lessons learned from their activity

• What are the goals of congregational educational
  change? What can and should we hope to achieve
  through these efforts and for whom? What visions
  are guiding these endeavors?
• what is the content of congregational education
  change? What is it that needs to be changed? What
  are the primary drivers of success in this endeavor?
• What is the process for congregational educational
  change? What needs to be done, by whom, to make
  congregational educational change efforts succeed?

• What may be next for the work of congregational
  educational change?
• What challenges and opportunities lie ahead?
• What issues need to be addressed if the substantial work already done and underway is to realize its full potential?
• This section aims to set the stage for the next phase of the overall project which the Lippman Kanfer Institute and these initiatives have undertaken: envisioning the next decade of congregational educational change.