Overview
The ability to collect data from Jewish day schools across North America is essential if we are to meet the very real challenge of financial sustainability for an enduring Jewish future.
To that end, we are delighted to announce that, starting in September 2011, PEJE began working in partnership with JData to better serve the data reporting and analysis needs for Jewish day schools.
What Is JData?
Funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation and developed over the past two years by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University, JData is a website that allows Jewish educational organizations to report their information—from financial figures to enrollment data—to a central data system. Jewish day schools, part-time schools, preschools, camps, and college campus organizations are JData members. This central system allows individual institutions to track their own data. It also enables JData and PEJE to have a contemporary, data-informed view of the Jewish day school field on salient indicators of sustainability and growth.
What’s In It for Your School?
Undoubtedly, your school has been asked to participate in data collection. Organizations that collect your data use it to provide guidance on school administration, financial status, enrollment, and number of donors, to name a few. The goal, of course, is for data collectors to perform strategic analysis and to provide schools with important reports. Oftentimes, however, the data your school provides is not accessible to you to perform analysis or obtain reports quickly.
JData changes this scenario drastically in many important ways.
• First, your data is available any time, 24/7. This includes data for every year in which you have reported data in a JData Jewish day school profile form.
• Second, it is easy for you to prepare presentations to your board, donors, or prospective parents, based on reports and analysis you generate using data stored in JData.
• Third, using a single variable criterion such as size, region, state, or denomination, an understanding of how your school compares with other schools is a click away. Coming soon will be the ability to use multiple variables!
Why Is PEJE Partnering with JData?
For years PEJE has been promoting the value of data-driven decision making. From our early work in partnership with Measuring Success on our Yardstick Benchmark Tool to our joint development of other assessment tools such as the Strategic Financial Modeling Tool and the Parent Survey, we have consistently made the case that data is an essential component of strategic planning and decision making. We at PEJE take this message seriously in our own work as well; for the last two years we have used a number of different survey vehicles to gather important data from schools to measure our own effectiveness.
This year (2011-2012) we have chosen to streamline our data-gathering process by partnering with JData. Our intention is to ascertain a baseline of data for 2010-2011 from which we intend to measure growth and change in schools resulting in part from our interventions.
Because your school is an integral part of the Jewish day school community, and to enable you to take full advantage of our partnership with JData, we request the following:
• For all schools, we ask that you complete the 2010-2011 JData day school profile form no later than December 5, 2011.
• For schools joining JData for the first time, we ask that, along with the 2010-2011 form, you also complete your 2011-2012 day school profile by January 5, 2012.
Our goal is 100% participation of all Jewish day schools. Therefore, the prerequisite to participating in PEJE programs beginning September 2011 is twofold: (1) completing the JData day school profile forms; and (2) allowing PEJE access to the data in your profiles. To enable this, please leave the Yes button checked next to “PEJE” in the form.
Here’s the good news: After this year, JData’s comprehensive data collection need only be completed once annually, significantly lessening the time demand on your school for data over the course of each calendar year. We value your commitment, patience, and partnership.
And here’s some more good news: While we realize reporting even basic numbers is time consuming and sometimes frustrating, this comprehensive data collection serves your school in numerous vital ways:
• JData is a secure site for storing essential data for your school. Record keeping and tracking is comprehensive and consistent.
• Access to your school’s data is password-protected.
• Database management and storage is free.
• Since all of your school year profiles are maintained from the first year of completion, historical data for trend analysis and progress reports is easily accessible.
• Data for school year planning and ongoing assessments is available at any time.
• With data reporting across the field of North American Jewish day schools in one centralized location, Jewish day school trends and summary reports will take on a broader complexion in assessing progress toward financial sustainability and growth.
How Will the Reported Data Be Used by PEJE?
For PEJE, the reported data will make possible a rigorous review of the impact of our programs and products for Jewish day schools. The review will also serve as a springboard from which new PEJE initiatives will be designed.
For each individual school that participates in a PEJE program, we will use the reported data to:
• Measure the school’s progress against a baseline of prior years’ data, with the goal of achieving long-term sustainability.
• Assess the value added by the PEJE program aimed at specific areas for improvement.
• Continually review and tailor the program to align with the needs of schools.
Who Will See Your School’s Data?
Part of JData’s Conditions of Use, to which your school must agree, is a privacy clause regarding your data. To read it in its entirety, go to the JData site and click the About Tab.
Please be assured that other schools will not be able to see your data. For reporting purposes,
“Data will be used only in the aggregate with adequate sample sizes to ensure complete
confidentiality of organization-level data. With the exception of the following two types of information, all information provided by users is anonymous: (1) Data on the first tab, General Info, is available in the JData Directory; and (2) Data on the last tab, Programs, is linked to the organization’s website if the user so indicates.”
As long as the Yes button remains checked, PEJE will be able to view your data.