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 Creating Teaching Excellence in Congregational Education 
Growing out of the experiences of four pilot schools in Los Angeles, their education directors and teachers, the Rhea Hirsch School of Education in 2006 has published: Bridging the Gap: The Power of Mentoring Teachers for Creating Teaching Excellence. A Practical Guidebook for Congregational Education by Nancy Prager Levin with Sara S. Lee.
Creating Teaching Excellence in Congregational Education, a school site-based project of the Rhea Hirsch School of Education, was established to prepare teachers to be mentors and support mentoring teams in supplementary congregational schools. When the pilot project began in 2002, education directors each selected two experienced teachers on staff to be trained as mentors. They worked with two less experienced teachers (teaching partners) in collaborative mentoring partnerships. In addition to guiding individual teachers to improve and reach for excellence in teaching skills and capacities, the program offered a collegial support system where teachers worked together in school teams to welcome, induct, train and retain promising staff members from year to year. Experienced teachers acting as mentors became educational leaders and role models in their schools. Along with the education director at each school, Project Director Professor Sara S. Lee, Director of the Rhea Hirsch School of Education, and Project Coordinator Nancy Prager Levin, MAJE '81, RJE, provided guidance and support for school mentoring teams. Education directors, skilled in mentoring, advised the mentors and their teaching partners and directly maintained and administered the program at each site. This innovative pilot project and the guidebook it inspired were funded by a generous grant from Los Angeles community philanthropists, Lloyd Cotsen and Murray Pepper, a member of the HUC-JIR Board of Overseers. As of November 2006, the guidebook is available free of charge to congregational educators, Jewish education professionals and lay leaders in order to share what has been learned about:
The Experiment in Congregational Education The Experiment in Congregational Education (ECE) is a project of the Rhea Hirsch School of Education, now entering its 10th year. In the past decade, the ECE has worked intensively with 14 Reform congregations, helping them to become Congregations of Learners and Learning Congregations. The ECE is now expanding its scope, to offer a broader array of options to congregations of all denominations. The ultimate goal is to create a wide array of learning modules on innovations in congregational education; to make these learning modules available over the Internet; and to assist congregational teams in adapting these innovations to their own settings. To create the learning modules, the Center has begun work with three different congregational consortia, in Kansas City, in the Bay Area, and with a small group of highly innovative congregations nation-wide. This work is being funded by a $350,000 challenge grant from the Nathan Cummings Foundation, which has been matched by a $150,000 grant from the Koret Foundation, by the Central Agency for Jewish Education in Kansas City, and by participating congregations. The Center has recently hired a fullt-time director, Dr. Rob Weinberg, to spearhead these efforts; the Founding Director is Dr. Isa E. Aron, Professor of Jewish Education at HUC-JIR/LA. For more information, go to the Experiment in Congregational Education web site. (http://www.eceonline.org/) Gerecht Family Institute for Outreach Established by Ash and Gloria Gerecht of Silver Spring, Maryland, the National Center to Encourage Judaism, and the National Center to Encourage Judaism Fund, the Gerecht Family Institute for Outreach will provide comprehensive outreach education for students at HUC-JIR's three stateside campuses and will offer opportunities for advanced study for alumni. Institute for Teaching Jewish Adults The HUC-JIR Institute for Teaching Jewish Adults was established in 2002 to offer opportunities for Jewish professionals, particularly HUC-JIR alumni, to enhance their skills as adult educators. At present, the Institute's priority is to assess the current state of adult Jewish learning in Reform congregations and beyond, in order to learn more about the skills and knowledge needed by professionals to create compelling adult Jewish learning experiences. The implications for the education of current students and the continuing education of alumni will be explored. In 2004-2005, an ITJA Adult Jewish Learning Advisory Committee will meet to carry out this inquiry and suggest potential initiatives to support relevant adult education training programs. Click here for the press release. Jewish Day Schools for the 21st Century At the dawn of the 21st Century, the American Jewish community faces unprecedented challenges. But the Jewish community also has unparalleled potential to move beyond the obstacles, bring meaning to individuals, and create vibrant communities. Jewish day schools stand as one of the most potent forces for creating the Jewish community of the future - if they can fulfill their potential for educating individuals and building communities of meaning. Jewish Day Schools for the 21st Century (JDS21) helps Reform and community Jewish day schools develop visions for how they can inspire children and adults to pursue Jewish learning and build vigorous Jewish communities for the next century. JDS21 then guides schools as they bring those visions to life. Read more about Jewish Day Schools for the 21st Century |
