The Jewish Educational Leader: Challenges and Opportunities
My career in Jewish Education began as an inexperienced, underpaid camp counselor. My training consisted of someone telling me that if I could be a Dugmah Isheet – a role model – and be passionate about being Jewish, I’d be a good counselor. Years later, while pursuing education degrees, I realized, of course, that being an educator is a much more complex endeavor. In fact, as I worked as a Head of School, attended conferences, read education journals, and called colleagues for advice, it became very clear that I, as an educator, was forever destined to be a work in progress.
The various skill sets I needed to run a school – budgets,
personnel, curriculum, board work, fundraising, technology, public speaking, and
marketing – developed with time and experience and continue to do so.
But from those early years, through several decades in the field, I’ve come to realize it’s not just what an educator knows or can do, but who they are as an Educational Leader.
What is a Jewish Educational Leader?
One of the most important concepts I learned came from Professor Mordecai Nisan, a Professor of Educational Psychology and one-time Dean of the School of Education at Hebrew University. I heard him speak about
“Educational Identity” at the Mandel Leadership Institute in Jerusalem. As I
was thinking about the current state of Jewish Day Schools, Dr. Nisan’s ideas
came back to me.
Professor Nissan’s view was that educational leaders may differ in many ways, but what distinguished the best of them was their “Educational Identity.” Educational Identity can be defined as how educators are influenced and motivated by “carefully considered views concerning the goals and values that should guide their educational activities.” *
Educational Identity, on the other hand, “is a commitment that embodies beliefs and values concerning the aims and the process of education against the background of basic convictions about what is right and good for the individual and society.” For educational leaders this is crucial in that it allows them to make decisions “autonomously, that is, as expressions of carefully considered beliefs and principles, rather than being driven primarily by outside pressures…” A strong Educational Identity, in fact, helps educational leaders create and sustain a vision, even under pressure. It also empowers them to exhibit coherence and confidence during times of change.
As I moved through my career, I realized that while my growing body of management and people skills was important, it was my own evolving Educational Identity that was the most important quality that I brought to my work.
Connecting Theory to Practice
I’ve always been fascinated by how things work, how they came into being, and continue to do what they do (yes, I loved the factory tours on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood!). In my experience, creating and running a Jewish Day School is certainly a complex and fascinating operation. Where does Educational Identify fit in?
Educators express their Educational Identity at the “big picture” level through mission and vision, as well as at the pragmatic, programmatic, and purposeful level. An educator’s task is to work with staff members to create an institution and ecosystem that slowly and incrementally nurtures the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual lives of its students. Educators consciously and conscientiously shape the environment and experiences in order to give students the opportunity to explore, absorb, internalize, and adopt ideas, values, and behaviors.
In such a setting, educational leaders must certainly serve as role models and be passionate. But their most important role is to be educative: to actively and purposefully support the development of students’ behaviors, beliefs, and commitments, as well as nurture staff, parents, and board members, all within the religious/educational mission of the school.
In organizational management terms, educational leaders create and maintain Mission Alignment.
When theory and practice are successfully combined, great things happen. But when they are subverted, when the means become disconnected from the aims, coherence and internal alignment are weakened, and schools are more susceptible to mission drift.
The Challenge: Shifting Realities in the Jewish Day School World
The COVID pandemic, the attacks of October 7th and the war in Gaza, along with an outbreak of antisemitism, have created unexpected challenges for day schools. COVID dramatically disrupted school routines and education practices, as well as the relationships among parents, administrators and board members. The attacks on October 7th created another set of challenges, of which the most unexpected was a surge in antisemitism.
But even before COVID and October 7th, many Jewish Day Schools were facing other challenges. Enrollment has been shifting up and down in many parts of the country. Some of that is due to different levels of interest in day school education within different Jewish groups, but much of it is tied to rising housing costs and higher tuitions. Another challenge is that parents in many schools have a wide range of priorities, which leads them to pressure administrators to add costly programs and facilities that replicate what independent schools offer their students; in some cases, they pressure administrators to reduce the amount of time devoted to Judaic Studies in favor of more General Studies.
When a school makes enough programmatic, admissions, and religious changes, it can slowly lead the school to drift away from its original religious identity and mission. This is easier to do in schools whose Mission/Vision are stated in vague, general terms. In some cases, the Board of the school, correctly embracing one its main responsibilities, may undergo a process to revise their Mission and Vision Statements to encompass the school’s new realities, as well as the changes in goals and practices that have already taken place. This re-visioning has the potential to impact parents, board members, faculty, and donors, some of whom may leave the school and find another one to attend or support. At the same time this re-alignment may attract new families, new donors, and new board members who are more aligned with the new iteration of the school.
The Vulnerability of Educational Leaders
During these challenging times, Heads of School may feel threatened and vulnerable. In some schools, board members have been slow and careful in studying their situation and have decided to either re-commit to their current Mission and Vision Statement, clarify it, or revise it. In other schools, however, board members have not engaged in a Mission Review process; instead, they have simply chosen to blame the Head of School when enrollment or fundraising goes down.
When a Board revises the school’s Mission/Vision, it is possible that the
current Head of School will no longer feel comfortable in the school. Similarly,
the Head may no longer be seen by the Board as a good match for the school.
As the Board exercises its responsibility to create and update their Mission/Vision Statement, board members may choose to encourage their Head to “get on board” with the proposed changes. This is a tough, even essential, challenge for a Jewish Educator, one that may come up several times during one’s career. Choosing to “get on board” to save one’s job may require the educator to painfully deny their own carefully crafted set of values and educational vision. For some, it may push them to resign, forcing the Head’s family to relocate. For others, it may push them to leave the field.
Schools that have recently decided to change key elements of their religious identity create an additional challenge and opportunity: finding a new Head of School who will match the school’s new or evolving religious and educational philosophy and goals.
Not all educators are a good fit for every school, and not every school is a good fit for every educator. More and more, schools are looking for a Head of School whose Educational Identity is different from the professionals they hired years ago. Similarly, Heads of School have found that the schools they were once interested in are no longer a good match.
Yet another more common challenge for Heads of School, both current and those seeking a position, is that some boards aren’t overly concerned about the Head’s Educational Identity. Instead, they care more about other qualities, such as communication skills, the ability to connect with young parents, or past success in raising funds. Success in these areas, while important for a school’s sustainability, often pushes educational vision and organizational alignment to the side.
Is there a way to manage these shifts more thoughtfully? Can schools preserve their Jewish educational vision and mission alignment while also maintaining their stability and competitiveness in the marketplace? What can be done to encourage Jewish educational leaders to stay in the field?
The Opportunity: Reclaiming the Jewish Educational Leader’s Role in Forging School Alignment
The Board of a Jewish Day School has three main tasks: create (and update) the school’s Mission and Vision Statements, ensure financial sustainability for the school, and hire/evaluate the Head of School.
It is the herculean role of Heads of School to translate, operationalize, and manage the Mission/Vision in their schools. In that role, Heads of School, more than ever, are needed, and have the opportunity, to leverage their expertise, training, vision, and leadership to make the school’s Mission/Vision a reality by ensuring alignment.
In order to stay aligned and accomplish their goals, schools need these four core agreements:
The school’s Mission/Vision is specific enough to be translated into policies, practices, and religious/eductational goals that are clear, actionable, and achievable.
The school community (Board, donors, faculty, and families) understand and are committed to the school’s religious/educational goals.
The Head of School’s Educational Identity is aligned with the school’s religious/educational vision and with the school community.
It is understood that the Head of School is charged with making the first two agreements happen.
With a clear understanding of the Mission and Vision, and
the encouragement of the Board to bring them to life, an empowered Head of
School has the ability and duty to anticipate and address new realities, trends,
and pressures in ways that continue to keep the school in alignment.
The Head does this through collaborative work with board members, parents, donors, and faculty to ensure a strong connection among the core agreements, overseeing their implementation, and shoring up areas of weakness. Given the complexity of the Head’s work, it is crucial that there be an ongoing and robust Head evaluation and support process. This process gives Board members and the Head the opportunity to discuss progress, give feedback to one another, provide support, brainstorm, adjust goals as needed, and monitor alignment.
Alignment Work
In operationalizing and managing the Mission/Vision in their school, an educational leader must constantly “communicate out” to all the stakeholders what the curriculum, school policies, and programs are trying to accomplish.
One target audience is the Board. While not a voting member, an important part of the Head’s job is to work with the Nominating Committee in shaping the criteria and qualifications for new board members. Longstanding practice is to choose board members who fit one or more of the following three “W” criteria: Work, Wealth, and Wisdom. A fourth criterion should be “With the Program,” or Mission Aligned. Once elected, it’s important for the Head to meet with each of the new board members and keep in touch with them over the year. Another best practice is for the Head and the Board Chair to meet on a regular basis to talk over issues, plan upcoming board agendas, discuss areas of concern, and celebrate successes.
A helpful practice is for each Board meeting agenda to include an item called “board education,” a presentation or discussion that gives board members the opportunity to learn more about something in the school (“why we do X” or “this is how we do Y” in the school). People tend to be more proud and more committed to areas of school operations when they understand the how and why.
The Board, as a group and as individuals, play an important role in both supporting the school’s Mission/Vision, but also as communicators and ambassadors: to the community at large and to the school’s families. Parents, staff, and donors need to see that the Board supports the school’s policies and educational program and has confidence in the Head. The language they use, their transparency, and their commitment to what the school stands for create stability and strengthen alignment.
Communication is also crucial when it comes to the parent body. Imagine if each school program started out with an explanation of how that program connects to the school’s educational/religious philosophy and the curriculum. Telling parents that “these are the skills and concepts that had to be mastered for this program to take place” reinforces the idea that the school is thoughtful and intentional in all that it does. Offering workshops for parents that address educational, Jewish values, practices, and parenting further communicates what the school thinks is important. By seeing the educational thoughtfulness, expertise and passion of the Head of School and the faculty, parents will have greater trust in the school.
Parents and board members experience the bits and pieces of a school in individual ways; they don’t always know the school deeply. By nurturing them and guiding them to know more, there’s a good chance that they will be partners in not only supporting the school but keeping its mission aligned.
The same can be said for donors. Donors have a variety of reasons for supporting a school. It’s important to know what they care about. Some donors are very open to suggestions about specific things to support, while others already have a list of ideas. Being open and accepting of their ideas and priorities is important. They may have new insights that can really help the school. Some want to be a thought partner or an investor. What they can never be is a demander. Board members, development staff, and the Head need to listen to donors, but they must be ready to speak up when certain ideas threaten mission alignment.
Alignment work with Admissions and Marketing staff is also
important. The Head must ensure that the school’s messaging – in various media
and from its staff - is accurate. Communicating the school’s values, mission,
vision, and educational goals in ways that are both compelling and accurate
will help differentiate the school from other schools in the area. Attracting
families for whom the school’s approach resonates is an important part of
alignment. The temptation to fill seats must not overwhelm the need to find
families that fit the mission.
The last group for whom alignment is crucial are the teachers and educational administrators. These are the people that bring the school’s Mission/Vision alive in thousands of daily interactions with students and parents. Their educative role reflects and extends the educational identity of the Head and the school. Given the rate of staff turnover in schools, the Head must create ongoing opportunities for staff members (both new and veteran) to understand the educational/religious underpinnings of the school, and to ensure that their day-to-day practices accurately reflect them.
Given the shifting realities noted above, as well as the inherent pressures of school life, it’s important for educational leaders to be proactive: to anticipate problems and head them off. As challenges arise, both external and internal, educational leaders can be role models in the way they work with the school’s different stakeholders to understand them. Changes in enrollment, fundraising, and parental demands are real, and they require deep analysis in order to shape appropriate responses to them. The maturity, focus, and thought process of the Head can shape the way people in the school community look at challenges and opportunities. A strong Head can help board members and donors keep the religious/educational vision front and center while finding ways to accommodate new challenges.
In the end, the Head of the School leads, not through power but through a focus on mission, vision, and Educational Identity.
Rabbi Jim Rogozen
1 * “Educational Identity as a Major Factor in the Development of Educational Leadership” by Mordecai Nisan, in collaboration with Daniel PekarskyMonographs from the Mandel Foundation November 2009
This article was originally published in The Crown of a Good Name - A Tribute to Dr. Gil Graff
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