In the Field: Professional Development and Curriculum

The William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education and the Melton Research Center for Jewish Education commit to excellence through a variety of services offered to schools, programs, and professionals in the field. These services currently include professional development, curriculum development, or a combination of the two. To ensure high quality, our services are consistently evaluated. They reflect current trends in leadership, instructional methods, materials, and technology.

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Professional Services

Day School Leadership Training Institute (DSLTI)

Frances M. Urman, project director

To ensure the growth and success of Jewish day schools, this professional development program provides training and support to a cadre of visionary and skilled aspiring heads of school who exemplify Jewish values, and who are committed to developing them in this and future generations. DSLTI provides a cutting-edge curriculum, dynamic experiences in authentic contexts, collaborative cohort groupings, and ongoing mentoring and support. DSLTI is funded jointly by the AVI CHAI Foundation and The Jewish Theological Seminary.

Jewish Experiential Leadership Institute (JELI)

Mark S. Young, program coordinator

This partnership program with JCC Association enhances the personal growth, Jewish leadership abilities, and professional skill sets of talented, emerging JCC leaders working in settings that nurture experiential Jewish education programs. JELI is a 15-month, in-service program for middle- and senior-management professionals in JCCs throughout North America. JELI fellows learn to apply Jewish frameworks to setting their organizations' vision, executing day-to-day management, and developing their own leadership identity. JELI is supported with generous funding from the Jim Joseph Foundation.

Etgar Yesodi and Project Etgar

Dr. Deborah Miller, project director Debbie Kerschner, project manager

The Etgar curriculum is designed for the third through eighth grades in congregational schools. Based on 4MAT, an educational model that engages students in active learning while considering their individual learning styles, Etgar lessons use a variety of learning activities and techniques. Upon entering an Etgar classroom, one might see students engaged in cooperative learning groups and self-directed study, reading excerpts from the Torah and other Jewish sources, writing and performing skits, or viewing and analyzing clips from contemporary movies. Teachers benefit from a strong curriculum and regular online training/mentoring. The Etgar curriculum includes two subsets: Etgar Yesodi (third through fifth grades) is currently being tested, and the third-grade curriculum will be available by spring 2013; Project Etgar (sixth through eighth grades) is already available. Development of the third grade Etgar program was funded by a grant from the Covenant Foundation.

Ivriyon (Summer Hebrew Institute for Day-School Teachers)

Nitza Krohn, director

Ivriyon offers up to 15 day-school teachers the opportunity to enter a one-month summer Hebrew-immersion program for teaching Judaic curriculum. This program strengthens Hebrew language proficiency and the skills necessary for teaching in Hebrew through peer teaching, participant presentations, and textual study. A review of grammar and a focus on vocabulary expansion are also integral to the program. Ivriyon is funded jointly by the AVI CHAI Foundation and JTS, and is coordinated through The Davidson School and the Department of Hebrew Language at JTS.

Jewish Day School Standards and Benchmarks Project

Charlotte Abramson, director

Maximize your school's success in teaching Tanakh through a standards-based approach that encourages critical thinking, inquiry, and student engagement. The project has a proven track record of success in supporting participating schools' Judaic Studies faculty as they develop a shared vision for the teaching and learning of Tanakh. Schools benefit from a year of ongoing professional development for all Judaic Studies faculty. Judaic Studies leaders train to enhance their instructional leadership skills and capacity to develop a coherent curriculum, guide instructional collaboration, and coach and mentor faculty. Standards and Benchmarks for the Teaching of Tanakh is funded by the AVI CHAI Foundation.

Jewish Early Childhood Education Leadership Institute (JECELI)

Lyndall Miller, director

This new collaboration between JTS and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC) recently began the first cohort of participants. Developed in consultation with Bank Street College of Education and with generous support from the Jim Joseph Foundation, JECELI provides new and aspiring Jewish early-childhood-education directors with 15 months of intensive professional development focused on best practices in early childhood education and Jewish education. To request an application, please contact Lyndall Miller (if having trouble viewing within browser please 'right-click', save the PDF and view from downloaded file).

The Leadership Institute: Shaping Congregational Leaders and Learners (LI)

Dr. Evie Rotstein, director

Congregational educators are afforded the opportunity to expand their Judaic and pedagogic knowledge and build a new vision for leadership. This two-and-a-half-year journey addresses essential issues of Jewish educational leadership. Fellows participate in cohort-based learning, are matched with a personal mentor, and receive funding for individualized learning and for a pilot in their congregation. The pilot is designed in collaboration with a team of lay leaders, clergy, and teachers, clarifying the various roles each can play in supporting innovation in Jewish education. LI is a joint program with HUC, and is funded by UJA-Federation of New York. It is open to candidates from all denominations in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, and the greater metropolitan area.

MaToK: Bible Curriculum for Day Schools

Galya Greenberg, project director

A bible curriculum for the third through seventh grades, MaToK (Mezam Tanakhi Konservativi: Conservative Bible Project) is placed in over 30 Conservative and community day schools in the United States and Canada through the Schechter and RAVSAK networks. Teachers benefit from a strong curriculum, and also from regular online training in implementation. The curriculum is jointly sponsored by the Melton Research Center and the Schechter Day School Network.

Rebecca and Israel Ivry Prozdor High School

Russell Braman, principal

For more than 60 years, the Rebecca and Israel Ivry Prozdor High School of The Jewish Theological Seminary has been the premier Hebrew high school of New York City. Ivry Prozdor is the center for academic Judaic and Hebrew studies for eighth- through 12th-grade students attending public or private schools in the New York metropolitan area.