Melton Research Center for Jewish Education

A Strong Tradition of Excellence in Jewish Education

The Melton Research Center for Jewish Education, established in 1960 under the sponsorship of Samuel M. Melton of Columbus, Ohio, has the mandate of improving the quality of Jewish education throughout North America.

In 1984, the Melton Research Center was awarded the first Daniel Issacman Memorial Award for Jewish Education for its generative work in educational research and publications. In 1992, Hadassah, at its eightieth-anniversary celebration, honored the center for its outstanding contribution to and positive impact on fostering Jewish learning and scholarship and strengthening Jewish communal life through the training and development of Jewish educators.

Who Is Melton?

On July 1, 1996, Dr. Steven M. Brown became the new director of the Melton Research Center. Dr. Brown came to Melton with an extensive background as a synagogue educator, author, and principal of a Solomon Schechter Day School. Under Dr. Brown's leadership, the Melton Center is building on its foundations of excellence in curriculum development, teacher support, and scholarship in Jewish education. The center has joined in partnership with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Department of Education to create Project Etgar, a new approach to instruction and learning in the synagogue middle school, and MaToK, a Bible curriculum for the Solomon Schechter Day Schools.

Melton Research Center activities focus on the design, testing, implementation, and evaluation of new approaches in instructional methods, materials, and technology; models for organizational changes; and staff development. The extended Melton staff is a rich mixture of field-based Jewish educators; outstanding scholars in the fields of Jewish education, general education, and Judaica; and graduate students enrolled in The Davidson School.