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From Challenge to Opportunity in Today's Changing Economy: Real Action for Jewish Day School Leaders Focus on how day schools can meet head-on the challenges faced in today's economic environment. Expect each webinar to provide you with real knowledge to put into action. The overarching goal of the series is to help day school and community leaders embrace challenges in order to create better opportunities. To participate in an upcoming call, please RSVP to Kirk Tallman.
Proactive Jewish Day Schools in an Economic Downturn: Things to Discuss, Steps to Take
January 28, 2009, 1:00-2:15 pm Eastern
Featuring: Rheua Stakely, PEJE Coach and Organizational Development Consultant
Value and Values: The Day School Proposition in the Midst of Economic Crisis
February 5, 2009, 5:00-6:00 pm Eastern
Jeff Swartz, PEJE Partner and President and CEO of Timberland
The recording of the first call, Leadership in Tough Economic Times with President of Babson College Leonard Schlesinger, can be found on the Podcast Archive. You can share your thoughts and ideas with colleagues from across North America on PEJE's Wikispace. |
Exploring Day School Pathways: Reanalysis of Day School Alumni Data
Last year, PEJE commissioned the authors of The Impact of Day School: A Comparative Analysis of Jewish College Students to reanalyze the data with a particular focus on non-Orthodox students who spent part--but not all--of their education in day schools. Their report, Exploring Day School Pathways: Reanalysis of Day School Alumni Data, found that on the whole, students who attended day school K-8 and students who attended day school 9-12 fare no differently in terms of their campus social integration, and choice of majors; also, both are more resistant to risky behavior than students with no day school background. Students who attend day school for high school tend to have higher levels of Jewish engagement on campus. Read the executive summary of the reanalysis for the researchers' observations and suggestions. |
Joint Purchasing Initiative Now Independent
Since the Joint Purchasing Initiative (JPI)
began six years ago, more than 600 Jewish day schools have saved over $1
million on supplies and services. Under the leadership of Toni Wiley, the JPI
drove down prices nationally, and has increasingly resulted in local
competition, yielding even greater savings. Its very success has enabled the
JPI to function now as an independent venture. Please read this FAQ for
details, or contact Toni continue (or start) to use the JPI for your school's purchasing needs. This is a free service to the entire day school field. Don't miss out on the savings. |
Report on Non-Orthodox Parents in New York Published
The UJA-Federation of New York has recently released a provacative marketing study, To Go or Not To Go: Perceptions of Jewish Day Schools Among Non-Orthodox Parents in Manhattan and Long Island. While the report focuses on these specific areas of New York, the findings can be applied to other urban and suburban areas around the country. The study raises a number of provocative questions for day school leaders, such as:
- Knowing that "Explorer" parents are interested in developing connections to Jewish life both for their children and themselves, how can schools provide learning opportunities for the adults in their community without being overly preachy? Can schools attract new families who are interested in this kind of experience for parents?
- Many families make the move from urban to suburban areas in search of excellent public schools and high quality of life for their families. Their decision about where to buy a house is highly influenced by public school quality, and the decision about where to enroll their children is often made prior to the move. How can Jewish day schools promote themselves to families who do not yet live in the area, in the hopes of influencing the destination of their move?
- As perceived religiosity is often a barrier for non-Orthodox parents, how can day schools attract them while still being upfront about the Jewish nature of a day school education and community? How can schools strike the appropriate balance between Jewish culture and Jewish religion?
Read the report and consider the implications for your community.
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Purchase the Admission Tracker  The Admission Tracker, a service of the Day School Peer Yardstick® Suite of Tools, will help your school organize the admission process and meet enrollment goals using a simple interface that is designed to support best practices in admission. With tuition the largest income stream in all day schools, the current economic downturn makes a professional admission process even more critical. This annual service, provided by PEJE and Measuring Success, is user-friendly and accessed online, helping your admission staff easily collect and report data throughout the year.
Contact admissiontracker@yardsticksuite.org for more information, and to purchase the service.
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You're Invited:
January - February CoP Calls
 During challenging economic times, connecting with colleagues can be a great way to find support and share knowledge. The PEJE Communities of Practice (CoPs) invite
you to join the following conference calls. CoP membership is not
required, and you'll get a chance to sample the learning, networking,
and support that come with CoP membership.
Jan 22 - Leadership CoP
The Meltdown and Jewish Education
Jan 27 - Admission CoP
Marketing for Admission Without Wasting Time and Money
Jan 27 - Development CoP
What Are Day Schools Doing About Alumni Relations? What Should Day Schools Be Doing About Alumni Relations?
Jan 29 - Professional Development CoP
Leadership Styles that Support Professional Learning Communities
Feb 23 - Diverse Learners
Bullying
Feb 23 - Joint Admission and Development Call
Applying Storytelling to the Work of Admission and Development Directors
Feb 25 - Israel Engagement
Maximizing the Use of Shlichim and Other Israelis in Your Community to Deepen Students' Engagement with Israel
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BabagaNewz.com
 BabagaNewz is once again partnering with Nefesh B'Nefesh to bring your students an exciting contest. Ask your students:
What inspires you most about Israel? Is it the landscape, the people, the music, the culture, the religion, the history? Explain what being in Israel would mean to you by creating an original logo design for a Nefesh B'Nefesh aliyah plane, and the winner and a guest will enjoy a four-day trip to Israel.
Learn more about the contest rules and get an entry form. Make color copies of all entries before sending them to babaganewz.com and showcase them in the entrance to your school. Entries must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 5, 2009.
Visit BabagaNewz' Israel Resources for lessons, virtual tours, crafts, recipes and school wide program ideas when planning any Israel related units or programs in your school.
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Day School Growth and Excellence: Head of School Transitions
The upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States provides an opportunity to examine your school's leadership transition policy. Politics aside, as President-Elect Obama has demonstrated over the last two months, transitions can be speedy, efficient, and relatively blunder-free at the presidential level. They can be so for day schools as well. The subject of leadership transition is quite expansive--this month's issue will focus on Heads of School. Look for an article on Board Chairs in the coming months.
The Head transition process consists of more than just the search. PEJE Senior Consultant Cheryl Finkel, a former Head of School herself, recommends that it begin well before there is any indication that the current Head might leave, as there are a host of reasons he or she could do so unexpectedly. Just as Obama began the early stages of planning for his presidential transition in late summer (before the election was even over), so too should schools prepare for the Head's departure. Maintain emergency succession and transition plans, and be prepared to call on a senior staff member to serve as an interim Head.
Jewish day schools can find a new Head in a number of places. Promoting from within is a common practice in the for-profit world, but tend not to do it. Paying attention to your own school's leadership pipeline can make any kind of transition less difficult. Stay in good contact with denomination network leaders and with those who train up-and-coming Jewish education leaders, like Yeshiva University and The Jewish Theological Seminary. Strong candidates could be working in private or public schools, and looking for a mid-career change. With the expected retirement of many non-profit executives and educators in the coming years, there may be opportunities to attract experienced leaders to day schools.
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Related Resources
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Free Israel Books for Teens
Your school can receive free copies of The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land by Donna Rosenthal, from Jewish National Fund. The Israelis is a great educational tool for engaging students in learning about Israel beyond the conflict. Books are available for all high school students. Contact Jessica at 212-879-9305 x245 with questions. Books are generously provided by The Koret Foundation.
Bishvili: For Me
"Bishvili: For Me" is a guide for Jewish girls designed to boost their self-esteem, body acceptance, and awareness of harmful messages in the media linked to the development of eating disorders. The guide is based on the highly acclaimed and widely used curriculum, "Full of Ourselves; A Wellness Program to Advance Girl Power, Health, and Leadership." Bishvili contains numerous Jewish-focused activities that can be added to existing curricula and used in any organization that serves Jewish girls. It cites Jewish texts that encourage nourishing and respecting one's body and soul, taking a stand, and assuming personal and social responsibility to make the world a better place. Download Bishvili for free.
Ivriyon
The Jewish Theological Seminary presents Ivriyon, a Hebrew immersion program for day school teachers of K-12. It will take place June 29-July 24, 2009.
Dig the Past
Dig the Past is a unique educational program allowing participants to take part in a realistic archaeological dig. Participants learn about Israel hands-on through authentic archaeological methods under the guidance of knowledgeable and experienced instructors. Since 2004, the program has engaged numerous summer camps, schools, and community Israel-day events throughout North America. Receive a 5% discount for registering before January 31. Contact Director Aaron Greener by e-mail or at (617) 945-0326.
Tu B'Shevat with JTA
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency is excited to introduce Eco Jews: Traditions and Trends in Jewish Environmentalism, a special section on JTA.org beginning February 1 in celebration of Tu B'Shevat. They are also announcing the First Annual Green Beanie Awards, a competition to find the top ten green initiatives at Jewish organizations and synagogues around the globe. The winners of this competition will be featured in the special section, along with original reporting and commentary. For submission information, contact Rachel Liebov. |
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Partnership for Excellence
in Jewish Education
88 Broad Street, 6th Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
617-367-0001 tel · 617-367-0029 fax
email PEJE · http://www.peje.org
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