Understanding the Vital Role of Jewish Educators
Educational Leadership in Jewish Day Schools Study
Jewish Educational Leadership in Day Schools Study
Leaders of Jewish day schools play an important role in shaping, nourishing, and sustaining Jewish commitment. School leaders directly affect educational programs; teachers’ professional practice; and how administrators, faculty, students, and parents work together as a community. This mixed-methods research project investigated educational leadership in Jewish day schools, with an interest in how leaders shape the school environments for teachers and students.
The study was funded The AVI CHAI Foundation and The Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation. Data and preliminary analyses were conducted by AIR. Secondary analyses and a set of research briefs were prepared by Rosov Consulting.
Leaders as Learners: The Case for Continued Professional Development
Using data collected via survey and interview from 36 Jewish day school leaders and additional data collected from 330 full-time teachers who were directly supervised by the school leaders, the research team found that school leaders’ participation in continued professional development related to Jewish learning significantly predicted teacher classroom practices.
Educational Leadership in Jewish Day Schools
These briefs report on findings from a secondary analysis of data collected for CASJE’s Jewish Educational Leadership in Day Schools study. Together these briefs offer insight into the day-to-day experiences of Jewish day school leaders, teachers, and students with implications for practice, policy, and purpose.
- Brief 1: How “Second-in-Command” Leaders in Jewish Day Schools Spend Their Time and Why it Matters
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Division Heads constitute a cadre of second-in-command leaders never before systematically studied in Jewish day schools. Employing the techniques of time-use research, this study looks at how a sample of 236 Division Heads from 161 schools spend their time.
- Brief 2: Students’ Perceptions of their Jewish Day School Climate
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Decades of research have shown that school climate is associated with a host of positive social–emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes among students? This brief—drawing on survey data gathered from just over 4,000 students in 27 schools investigates how students across grade levels perceive their school’s climate.
- Brief 3: Teacher Satisfaction and the Promise of Jewish Leadership
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When teachers are satisfied with their jobs, their students and their schools benefit. This brief—drawing on survey data gathered from 546 teachers at 28 schools explores what contributes to teacher satisfaction and the role of school leaders can play in fostering teacher satisfaction in Jewish day schools.
- Brief 4: Jewish Vision and Values in Jewish Day School Leadership
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Looking across data collected via surveys to division heads, teachers and students this brief examines how the “compass-setting” work of educational leaders in Jewish day schools can provide teachers and students with a sense of direction and a larger purpose informed by Jewish values.