Welcome from the Dean
I welcome you to the Winter 2023 issue of Gleanings, a publication of the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education profiling changemaking educational leaders. This issue, focusing on “Professional and Instructional Leadership in Jewish Education,” highlights innovative pedagogues and the ways in which their initiatives are inspiring both adult and teen participants to advance and elevate their own leadership.
As the field of Jewish education continues to grapple with the challenge of attracting and retaining the next generation of teachers, summer camp educators, and youth professionals, a debate has emerged as to the best pathways for expanding the professional pipeline: Should we be focusing on developing intensive, university-based programs, or will there be better success in attracting and retaining prospective educators through what are often referenced as “field-based” programming?
As dean of a school that encompasses both academic and instructional leadership options, I firmly believe that we can nurture a both/and approach, with both degree-bearing programs, such as our MA and EdD in Jewish education, and professional learning or certificate-based initiatives. What is most important and essential to an impactful professional learning experience is that it is rooted in a Jewish Growth Mindset, that the trainings stimulate and motivate participants to picture themselves in a new way, with new possibilities for their leadership and career trajectories. This can be achieved through inclusion of one, or a combination of the following elements:
- Collegiality and networking, through cohort and group gathering
- Jewish study, through personal connection to rituals, texts, and/or prayer
- Self-reflection, through mentoring and coaching
- Skill-building, through hands-on and practical experience
The four portraits in this issue of Gleanings each spotlight Jewish educational leaders who embody and embrace one or more of these elements of Jewish Growth Mindset: Jaimie Krass, graduate of our in-house MA program and director of youth programming at Keshet; Kathy Schwartz, graduate of our executive doctoral program and senior director of professional learning at JewishLearningworks; Judith Shapero, Cindy Reich, and Aviva Silverman, staff of the Standards and Benchmarks initiative at the William Davidson School; Daniel Brenner, vice president of education at Moving Traditions. Each has advanced degrees that prepared them for these leadership positions, as well as expansive experience across the span of Jewish education. The trainings, curricula, and cohort-based learning that they oversee are models of innovation in adult and teen leadership.
I hope you enjoy the read and wish you a happy and healthy 2023.
