| PEJE Website Relaunches |
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PEJE is proud to announce the relaunch of our website, which went live this
month. The new website presents content in easy-to-navigate
sections, including knowledge, publications, advocacy, and the
joint purchasing and grants programs. It also includes a
search feature and site map to help users find resources in
whatever way makes sense for them. Staff members say that the
process of rebuilding the site has given them greater
ownership over their specific content areas. This means that
you're more likely to see frequent updates on important
matters.
The biggest change however, isn't just how easy the site
has become to use. It's the way the website is aligned to
PEJE's strategic plan for working with the entire day school
movement. "As our virtual face to the day school field and
beyond, the new website presents PEJE in a way that reflects
our focus on work with all schools through capacity-building
strategies," says Communications Officer Suzanne Kling.
Visit the new site (often!) and share your feedback with webmaster@peje.org.
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| Communities of Practice |
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Many of the informal gatherings we attend--parents
associations, adult ed classes, kosher cooking clubs--could be
considered informal communities of practice. That is, places
where people with similar interests meet to exchange tips,
ideas, knowledge, and more. Inspired by this model, PEJE has
launched its Community of Practice (CoP) Initiative that
allows groups of day school leaders to meet via conference
call every month. These calls give members the chance to share
their knowledge and expertise in order to help shape "best
practices" in three areas: Financial Management (led by Stephane Acel), Admission (Naava Frank), and Governance
(Mollie Aczel).
In addition to monthly conference calls, the groups
communicate through listservs and emails. "One of the things
that differentiates a Community of Practice from other
learning formats such as a class is the opportunity to engage
in specific knowledge sharing and learning through ongoing and
facilitated dialogues," says Senior Project Director Naava
Frank. Benefits for participants include exposure to expertise
and best practices. Participants share useful documents and
engage in "knowledge reuse" while strengthening professional
networks and gaining emotional support. Contact Naava Frank at
(617) 367-0001 x124 or naava@peje.org for more
information.
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| Spotlight on a School: Building Community Relations
With 100 Visitors |
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A program launched in 2004 by PEJE Challenge Grant
recipient Chicago Jewish Day School highlights the ways in
which small-to-medium sized day schools are building community
relationships. Called "100 Visitors," the program began when
the school asked board members, teachers, and parents to
invite guests to tour the school with a goal of 100 visitors
over the first year.
The theory of "100 Visitors" is simple: increasing traffic
to the school showcases the quality education and can turn
even casual visitors into enrollees.While teachers and parents
concentrated on friends and neighbors, the board helped to
bring in community leaders, lay leaders, and most especially
the Jewish professional community.
"With a new school like ours--we're in our second
year--it's especially important to get people like the
federation leadership to accept a new project," says board
chair Wendy Newberger. She says such a program is especially
helpful for a startup school, which is less likely to hold
events like Purim carnivals and storytelling to draw
significant visitor traffic. Already "100 Visitors" has proven
successful, with enrollment this year up from 7 to 20.
The school makes sure that the program is announced in the
school newsletter and makes it on to every board meeting
agenda. There's even a visitor's sign-in book, which helps
remind everyone about the need to invite new guests. Next
year, the school hopes to raise the profile of the program by
featuring "100 Visitors" on its website, even placing
thermometer-like signs tracking the number of visitors around
the school.
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| ISM's To The Point |
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Published 10 times a year, ISM's To The Point
newsletter highlights the sort of nuts-and-bolts strategies
that help all private schools deliver the best educational
experience they can. Each six-page issue is a virtual "how to"
manual on every aspect of daily operations, from finance to
admission to governance, with features timed to coincide with
the school calendar. Regularly priced at $183/year,
subscribers through PEJE receive a special $125/year rate. The
offer is only available through the ISM
website.
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| Leadership in Nonprofits by PEJE Coach Barry
Dym |
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The seven habits of highly effective nonprofit leaders? As
an award-winning organizational development consultant and
executive coach for more than three decades, Barry Dym has
studied the complexities of leadership in every sort of
setting. In his new book (co-authored by Harry Hutson),
Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations, the PEJE coach explores
these intricacies, revealing through case studies (including
one which features PEJE's executive director Josh Elkin) how
leaders of nonprofits can remain highly effective during
periods of great change. For more information visit Sage
Publications.
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| Day School Growth and Excellence: The Coach-School
Relationship |
| When Dorothy Bowser and Mary Sanders heard Larry Levine
discuss executive coaching at last October's PEJE Leadership
Assembly, they were instantly struck by how easy it was to
relate to the PEJE coach. "He seemed so grounded and made us
instantly comfortable," says Bowser, the head of Solomon Schechter High School in
New York. Bowser and Sanders, the board chair, began their
work with Levine after Schechter was awarded a PEJE School
Improvement Journey Grant. But just how would coaching help
them work on the areas of improvement that their ISM
assessment had identified?
While the ISM assessment had revealed that the school's
instructional markers were good, it pointed to weaknesses with
the board. Some of these were already clear to the school.
"It's easy to develop a glib response to things given the
day-to-day realities of running a school," says Bowser.
Bowser credits Larry Levine's highly collaborative
style--which includes monthly meetings and nearly daily
contact by email or phone--with helping them develop a fresh
perspective. "Larry asks you to really think about what you're
saying, but he's also incredibly affirmative," says Bowser.
Together, the team learned that the school needed to retool
its administrative structure. More crucially, it needed to
refocus its board on fundraising, and to stress the importance
of recruitment for the entire school.
As for Levine, who has nearly 25 years of experience with
executive coaching, he says that the most effective change
comes when his one-on-one work is linked to a larger program
of organizational change. "My expertise is really in the
process by which meaningful change can happen," he says. "My
coaching isn't just about giving good advice or ideas, but
working with the school as a partner to create the
relationships and tools for change."
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Related Resources
Rosh
Hodesh: It's a Girl Thing!
Through discussion,
arts & crafts, and drama as well as chances to interact
with peers in a safe setting, Rosh Hodesh: It's a Girl
Thing! gives girls from grades 6 to 12 (and from all
affiliations and economic backgrounds) the chance to integrate
core Jewish values into explorations of what matters to them
most. Small groups meet monthly at more than 92 institutional
partners across North America (including day schools and JCCs)
to discuss body image, friendship, relationships, family, and
more. To find out more visit www.roshhodesh.org or
contact national Project Director Mindy Shapiro at (215)
643-4511 or mshapiro@roshhodesh.org.
Online
Professional Development: Assessing Hebrew Learners
How do
Hebrew language educators know how to assess what their
students are learning? That's the focus of a two-part online
conference that pairs scholars and experts with Jewish
educators. Presented on March 23 and March 30 (11 am to 12
noon EST) by the Lookstein Center at Bar-Ilan University,
these two "real time" sessions will use interactive features
and thought-provoking discussion to help educators assess
learners' knowledge and reflect upon teaching practices. Fee
is $75 ($60 for member
schools). Register at www.lookstein.org/ic2.htm
or contact conference@lookstein.org.
New
Israeli Haggadah
Based
on the best-selling A Different
Night: The Family Participation Haggadah (1997), the
HaLaila HaZeh Haggadah is a brand new Hebrew language
publication that reflects pluralistic Israeli culture and the
work of leading Israeli artists and writers--everyone from
Michel Kichka and Aliza Urbach to Yehuda Amichai and Amos Oz.
It's also a great resource for Hebrew-speaking teachers who'd
like original Hebrew commentary to help inspire their
teaching. Visit www.haggadahsrus.com/HHhome.htm
for more information.
Celebrate
350 Posters
Celebrate
350: Jewish Life in America 1654-2004 is the national
organization established to provide resources, stimulate
ideas, and serve as the hub for a year-long series of
activities. As part of these festivities, Celebrate 350 has
created a beautiful set of 15 posters that reflect 350 years
of Jewish art, culture, and social life in the new world. An
inspired addition to any classroom, they are designed by
Scott-Martin Kosofsky and Lance Hidy, in close consultation
with historian Jonathan Sarna. Set of 15 is $50. Visit www.celebrate350.org/beta/posters.php
for more information. |
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