How does my school tuition, cost per student, and fundraising compare to others? 
Is what happens at my school a fieldwide trend or unique to my school? 
How do I know what salary I should be asking for the position I’m negotiating? 
Are there tuition affordability models that I should be considering for my school?
How are others handling the Israeli students that have enrolled since October 7?

These questions, and many more, are ones that Prizmah has researched and can help you answer. 

At Prizmah, we believe in the strength of data-informed decision making and have developed a robust framework of research and data collection to serve the field of Jewish day schools and yeshivas.  Borrowing the Qualtrics model, Prizmah strategically focuses on Operational (O) and Experience (X) data. Examples of O data are school financial, operational, enrollment, and development metrics. These are usually derived from objective, measurable processes. X data, on the other hand, is how people think and feel. It’s about the human experience. The most effective leaders look to both O and X data to inform their strategic-decision making. At Prizmah, we can help you access and learn from both. 

Here are three avenues of support that Prizmah provides for data-driven leaders. 

Data-Driven Decision Making for School Leaders 

Day school leaders steeped in their school’s finances may find themselves or their boards asking for comparative school data. How much do other schools budget for financial aid? What percent of  revenue should come from net tuition and other revenue sources? How much are similar schools spending on teacher professional development?

The answers to these questions lay in O data. Benchmarking operational data helps schools understand how peer schools are performing and their areas of strength and growth. School leaders look at salary ranges while considering their staff’s salaries and raises. Advancement data enables development professionals to set fundraising goals. Admission professionals compare their yield rate, acceptance rate and attrition rate to peer schools. The data can show schools where they have room for growth, which helps determine priorities and how they can be focusing their time most effectively. Heads of school, executive directors, COOs, and CFOs use the data to understand where their tuition stands in the marketplace, how much other schools spend on salaries as a percent of their budget, and what percent of revenue comes from tuition and other sources.

This year, 120 Jewish day schools entered data into DASL (Data Analysis for School Leadership), accessing free custom benchmarking data to help with some of those hard strategic financial decisions. 

To give you a head start - look to the reports that our Knowledge Center publishes on an annual basis: 

• Prizmah’s Facts at a Glance 2022-2023, provides an aggregate summary of DASL data; and our
• Salary Data Bank, reports on Jewish day school salary comps making accessing fieldwide data more accessible than ever. 

Community Benchmarking

Through partnerships with federations, schools in three communities now  have  access to critical community wide benchmarks on key financial and operational metrics that can help them understand areas of strength and growth, and where they sit relative to their peer schools. 

Landscape Research for the Field 

In conversations with school leaders, we know that there are broader issues and trends at play that impact schools. Prizmah conducts landscape research for  Jewish day school professionals, lay leaders, funders, and day school adjacent organizations with fieldwide data that can shape informed perspectives on our field. 

Landscape research helps us understand those issues. offering a holistic understanding of the school environment and empowering informed decision-making. Through landscape research we can identify and name challenges, leading to problem-solving and equipping school leaders with critical information that can help schools adapt and serves as a valuable tool for long-term planning. 

Driven by emergent issues in the field, Prizmah conducts pulse surveys throughout the year to surface specific trends and in-depth qualitative data. Recent pulse surveys have focused on the impact of the war in Israel on day school enrollment and development. These pulse surveys help school leaders understand what decisions other schools are making and how their experience is the same or differs from other schools. They also help the broader community understand aspects of day schools that they don’t usually have a window to.  According to this research, 95% of schools that responded received inquiries and/or enrollment from temporary Israeli students, and some schools are seeing an increase in inquiries from public and independent school transfer students. An earlier pulse survey identified additional support schools needed to assist these students, influencing funders’ decisions to extend financial assistance to the schools. 

Our in-depth qualitative research captures the experiences of specific day school stakeholders. By shining a light on specific areas of focus like the experiences of board members ( Unlocking Leadership: Obstacles and Opportunities for Improved Day School Volunteer Leadership) we have learned what the obstacles and opportunities are.  Seizing the Moment: Transferring to Jewish Day School During the Covid-19 Pandemic homed in on the experiences of parents who transferred their kids to day school during the pandemic, offering a distinctive perspective on how parents make decisions about what school their children attend.  

Modeling Data-Driven Decision Making 

At Prizmah, we model what it means to be a data-driven organization by using data to craft organizational strategy, define programmatic goals and evaluate and measure impact. After webinars, cohort programs, and gatherings, we solicit participant feedback through surveys and use that data to inform and improve future offerings. We utilize school data, collected from DASL, pulse surveys and other research to make strategic decisions. 

We envision a world where day school leaders seamlessly integrate X and O data and research into their practice to enhance their effectiveness as leaders, sustaining vibrant Jewish education for our community. As we look to the horizon, we are dreaming of more ways to support schools with data and research with parent and staff satisfaction surveys that will link the experience side of schools with the operation side of schools. 

The integration of robust data analysis and strategic research offers a powerful toolkit for school leaders. Armed with these insights, leaders can navigate the intricate landscape of education with precision, making informed decisions that lead to better outcomes for their school community. As school professionals harness the potential of data-driven strategies, they pave the way for continuous improvement.

I welcome your thoughts and ideas about a data driven field of Jewish day schools at  [email protected].

Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), Greater Boston’s Federation, has long played the part of a central convener, grant maker, and thought leader for its 14 Jewish day schools. One of its thought leadership roles is the collection and analysis of school data. Over time, CJP has built a number of methods to collect and analyze the unique set of data that comes out of our schools. In the past two years, we have reevaluated the goals and process of CJP’s day school data collection efforts in order to increase their value and lessen their burden on the schools.

We’ve centered all of our efforts around two use cases for data collection:

Network insight: What data might we collect to push our collective day school agenda forward and create a sustainable ecosystem of schools?

School-specific insight: What data might we collect that would allow for smarter action by school leaders?
Based on our previous methods of data collection, we observed three challenges.

Data Entry is Time Consuming 

Given the tremendous pressure school leaders and administrators are under, taking on another tedious responsibility is challenging. Exacerbating the baseline responsibility of data entry is the fact that schools may belong to other associations, such as the Association of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE), that also require them to enter data. Asking our professionals to take a leap of faith and enter data that might pay off for them and our network as a whole is no small ask.

Analysis is Impossible Without Common Definitions 

Another challenge data collectors face is making sure they are defining the information they are asking for clearly such that it is understood in the same way by administrators. As just one example, in an effort to allow schools to benchmark themselves, CJP long asked for information on the size of school admission pipelines. The hypothesis was that if the conversion rate of pipeline size to applications received varied by school, it might allow a school to question what it could learn from another school with a higher pipeline to application conversion rate. 

The challenge is that the concept of an admission pipeline can differ dramatically between schools. One school might define it as having collected an email address, while another could define it as having had a substantive connection with a prospective family by email or over the phone. Aside from hard measures like gross tuition, net tuition, and enrollment size, the vast majority of data points we previously collected bumped up against this definitional challenge.

Framing Data for Action is Hard 

This is perhaps the most critical challenge, and there is no easy solution for it. Even with the data in hand and accurate definitions, the challenge of a central data collector is framing the information in such a way that it comes across as accurate, credible, and clear enough to make the school or the network question its current tactics. On top of those challenges, school heads and administrators possess different levels of comfort with data and have differing capacities to act on it.

Solutions 

While we certainly haven’t designed a perfect solution for all of these challenges, here are a few things we’ve started to do in an effort to tackle these challenges. 

Lean on DASL for Thoughtful Definitions 

Through Prizmah’s partnership with the National Association of Independent Schools, our schools gained access to their Data Analysis for School Leadership solution (DASL). One of the advantages of this system is the precision of the data-entry fields and definitions they provide to data enterers. With the help of school experts in all the areas of data collection, they have refined the information they request and defined it carefully.

DASL’s definition of student attrition is a good example of this precision:

While one could simply define attrition as the students who were in the school last year who didn’t come back, DASL has enhanced the precision of attrition by detailing abnormalities like exchange students and students who were dismissed that could throw this definition off. They apply this same deep understanding of school dynamics to all of the areas of data they collect, so that we do not need to recreate our own definitions.

Limit Data Collection 

In the first year of our data reboot, we asked for a wide variety of data and created 20 different views across multiple areas of school operations. In certain areas, like development, we were able to create some useful benchmarks for schools, but the amount of time required for data entry relative to its output value did not warrant our efforts. As a result, we trimmed our data collected by 50% from year one to year two.

Entering the Data Ourselves Where Possible 

In order to further reduce the burden on school administrators while increasing accuracy, we decided to enter all of the financial data ourselves. In previous years, when we had asked for self-reported data on revenue and costs, we had trouble ensuring consistency among the schools. For instance, when we asked for information on philanthropy, some schools entered all giving whereas others entered only unrestricted giving. These sound like easy definitions to notate, but for busy professionals rushing through data entry, these nuances can be hard to specify clearly. This past year, instead of asking for self-reported data, we asked for audited or even pre-audited financials. Because the outputs of school financials are typically similar, it was relatively easy for the team at CJP to simply ask for the financials and do much of the data entry ourselves, thereby ensuring greater accuracy.

Standardize Our Analysis Readouts 

The final, and perhaps most consequential portion of the work, is to figure out how to report on inputted data. There is no easy answer on how to make the readout understandable and actionable. One of our findings was that it is typically not interesting enough for schools to examine their own performance vs. overall average. We found that schools wanted to see their own performance against their peers. We reported these results in an anonymized way, making some efforts to protect each school’s identity. Below is one example of multiyear reporting across a range of schools grouped by category (non-Orthodox K-8, Orthodox K-8, and high school) that allows for peer comparison on absolute measures and rates of growth.

Cost to Educate

While the first year of charting these results was arduous, we did show signs of meeting some of our goals. Among other successes, two schools used their data to make arguments to funders, two reexamined their base teacher compensation, and one became more aware of how facilities could fuel non-tuition revenue lines. For this coming year, with the help of Odelia Epstein at Prizmah, we are hoping to standardize our results in an automated dashboard that can pull our data out of DASL and Excel. This way, in future years, all we need to do is update our existing data set, which will then update the charts available to our school.

We remain convinced that day school data can provide critical insight into the health of our network and ways for schools to improve. That said, we are cognizant of how challenging data entry can be for us as an organization as well as our schools. By regularly evaluating yield versus effort, we maximize the value of our data and serve our schools most effectively.

The Jim Joseph Foundation is committed to strategic learning and informed decision-making. We have a diverse array of research and evaluation studies that currently shape our approach to investments. This work transcends the conventional role of a mere accountability tool. Instead, we see our learning agenda as a dynamic process that contributes to the strategic growth and effectiveness of our grantmaking. With this perspective, we foster a culture of curiosity and continuous improvement and field-building.

Implementation 

Studies in our learning agenda generally fall into one of four categories: 

1. Individual grantee evaluations that build the capacity for our grantees to be learning organizations.
2. Cross-portfolio evaluations that examine shared outcomes and synergies across various sets of grantees to identify overarching trends and opportunities.
3. Funder-commissioned research that partners with external experts to delve deeper into specific areas of interest that align with our mission. 
4. Grantee-commissioned research that empowers grantees to conduct research, enhances their own understanding, and contributes to a broader knowledge base. 

Beyond individual studies, we also invest in the development of talent to ensure a robust, skilled, and diverse research and evaluation pipeline. This is meant to help grow the capability of communal organizations to apply learnings.

Professional Team Learning 

For the foundation internally, we look to integrate insights and learnings into our own day-to-day operations, thus modeling being a learning organization. We lean into our First Principles, which include staying curious, centering youth, and being in relationships. We listen for themes and trends and actively question our assumptions. As we pride ourselves on being a relational grantmaker, we regularly preview early research findings with relevant grantee-partners before public dissemination. Program officers prioritize learning in conversations with grantees and with other funders, often asking what program providers are hearing from target audiences, or what adjustments are being made as a result of learning. We also read other research (that we are not funding) and share what we are reading, either with grantees directly or publicly. If necessary for improvement, we are unafraid to pivot to model being a learning organization.

The program team meets regularly to discuss important evaluation findings and shares reports on an internal platform. We continue to support individual evaluation work both with funding and non-grantmaking support.

Interactions with the Board 

We keep our board informed of our research by maintaining an internal website of the most widely used and relied on evaluation and research the foundation has commissioned, in addition to individual memos to the board detailing new research findings when warranted. All grant recommendations presented to the board for approval are grounded in data. Based on learnings from past research, in 2023 the board approved new initiatives that focus on early childhood educators, early-and mid-career Jewish professionals, immersive travel to Israel, new modes of rabbinic training, and a convening of communal professionals to discuss the talent pipeline issues facing the field. In other words, research leads to actions.

Our Portfolio of Research and Evaluation, and Impact 

Individual Grantee Evaluations 

For the first category of investments—individual grantee evaluations—we have many evaluations in progress at any given time. The fact that dozens of grantee organizations collect and use evaluation data internally is a positive sign that the field values the use of data and the capacity to collect it. Our signature grantees are sophisticated consumers of evaluation data and have proven time and again to be thoughtful partners. Many times, these individual evaluations provide insight into the grantee’s work and illuminate themes related to audiences, interventions, and settings that others share and are of interest to the foundation. For example, a recent RootOne evaluation provides learnings for The Jewish Education Project as well as others interested in teens and their parents, and in immersive Israel travel in general.

Cross-Portfolio Evaluations 

The foundation’s cross-portfolio evaluations are increasing and are generally major endeavors that can yield a plethora of data and insights relevant to many in the field. For example, stemming from the success of our teen initiative’s cross-community evaluation and the development of shared outcomes and measures, we have applied learnings to think about shared outcomes and measures in other grantmaking areas as well. 

In one project, Rosov Consulting and five signature grantees that directly serve young people convened to discuss the pilot phase and plan a second phase of their shared data collection initiative, which will incorporate a series of focus groups with participants who have been deeply engaged across multiple programs. These five organizations are not siloed; high proportions of their alumni also participate, over time, in the other organizations’ offerings. The more programs can collaborate in their data gathering, the wiser they will be about the extent to which they are meeting their participants’ needs, especially those from under-represented populations. Collaboration of this kind should also help programs gain a better understanding of both their own value proposition and their ability to contribute to a broader cross-communal effort.

Research Studies 

Of the multiple studies the foundation commissioned last year, the Study of Online Jewish Learning by Benenson Strategy Group embodies much of our approach to research. This study aimed to gain a more thorough understanding of the diversity of the online Jewish learning experiences for young adults who identify as Jewish, the motivators for engagement, and the benefits of online Jewish learning and virtual experiences. The methodology consisted of a series of focus groups, a survey of 300 active online learners sourced from 14 providers of Jewish online learning, and a survey administered to a national sample of 800 Jewish young adults. 

We learned that online platforms and sources play a significant role in how young Jewish adults go about learning about and connecting with their Judaism. While differences exist in how, why, where, and how often, many young Jewish adults are engaging and interacting with online and virtual sources in some way. Further, there is evidence that learning and engaging with and through online platforms help establish and foster an individual’s sense of connection to Judaism, meaning, and purpose. 

Importantly though, online platforms are complementary to other non-digital sources. There is a role online plays, and benefits that are unique, but it is not the only source young Jewish adults are relying on for information, connection, or meaning in their lives. This study, along with several new grantee evaluations, will inform our grantmaking decisions in this arena and our stewardship of grants that utilize online Jewish learning. 

In all areas of our work, we look forward to bringing more evaluation and research to fruition in 2024 to benefit our grantees, our internal team, and the field at large.

“What’s happening with my child?”

One recent fall, after sharing student standardized testing data, a parent reached out to 
school administrators and teachers, exasperated:

“Why are his scores declining for the second test in a row? Shouldn’t he be growing?”

The usual answers were hollow: “It’s one standardized test, don’t worry. This kind of performance fluctuation can happen in a high-stakes environment. When anxiety increases, performance decreases. Did your child get a good night’s sleep before the test?”

Unsatisfied, we dug deeper, to see what else we could do in order to answer the parents’ questions about “Alex.”

Individualized Measurements 

In 2013, a group of like-minded administrators at Scheck Hillel dreamed of creating what we brainstormed would be called an ILP. What if each child in our school could have an Individualized Learning Plan or Profile? We know their test scores. We know their classroom grades. What other data would be important to create this kind of plan? What if we knew so much about our students that we could partner with parents to maximize their achievement, supporting them as they explored their passions and fostered their identity?

The Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) was a starting point. Their reports for teachers, administrators, students, and parents are detailed. Aligned to national core learning standards and grade level skills, MAP reports make grouping accessible by skill level, extending learning, and/or remediating specific skills. Further, MAP’s measurements of achievement and growth allow all stakeholders to measure progress on both individual and comparative levels. As a company, their continual improvements in reporting and data visualization have improved our approach to using data. 

In recent years, adaptive learning practice platforms have evolved, and MAP scores can be linked to tools such as Dreambox Math, Khan Academy, IXL, NewsELA, and more. These are the low-hanging fruit of leveraging the data, and require fewer teacher and administrative touch points, making implementation of data-informed instruction easier. 

However, creating the systems and structures to support data-informed planning and learning activities is daunting. Change management, teacher turnover and other factors slow progress in data usage. Nevertheless, the benefits are definitely worth the efforts. The long-term value lies in student goal-setting and processes that encourage regular practice, “bite-sized” goals, and reflection—of all stakeholders.

Standardized testing is a singular measure of student achievement. It is by far not the best measure of student progress, but it is an indicator. Other data sources help to measure student achievement: class grades, quizzes and tests, and project-based rubric scores. Attendance and tardy data may also indicate where and why a student may or may not be reaching their potential.

Back to our ILP: What other data sources could we use? Classroom grades are easily accessible. Attendance? Yes. Discipline? Yes. What about the so-called “soft skills” or what used to be called soft skills? Social-emotional learning skills?

Measuring SEL

In 2015, we found a new education company that was leveraging stakeholder feedback to improve learning. PanoramaEd uses survey tools for social-emotional learning (SEL) and school culture, among others, to support students in school systems. Our focus then was to learn more about how our students felt about their own social-emotional learning skills and competencies.

It took a few years and pilots to develop the ongoing systems and processes in order to implement these principles, and we’re still working to improve how we use them. We survey our students in Grades 3-12 annually about specific SEL skills. Beginning in Grade 3, students answer questions about growth mindset, self-management, classroom effort, and learning strategies. Students answer these same questions again in grades 5, 7, 9, and 11. 

Beginning in fourth grade, students answer different questions, focusing on grit, self-efficacy, social awareness, and emotion regulation. (These same questions are asked again in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12.) The rationale behind asking questions on alternating years was to avoid survey fatigue and allow two years for growth between measurements. These surveys opened a significant window into the minds and hearts of our students. 

Simultaneously, we started to ask more questions to inform that ILP idea:

• What if we were able to see all our student data in one place?
• Could be combine the standardized tests, class grades, attendance, behavior, and student self-perceptions about social-emotional learning competencies? 

Thanks to an incredible database manager and a growth-minded team, we created a student data dashboard that is updated each term. Teachers, administrators, and counselors can access the dashboard to review student information, all in a single place. Leveraging powerful data visualization tools and techniques, we were able to create this tool for grades 2-12. Yes, the indicators are mostly lagging ones, yet combined with anecdotal teacher, counselor, administrator, student and parent input, a clearer picture and profile of the learner can be made. 

Here’s a sample report of the data dashboard for our middle school division. The lower and high school divisions have different layouts that represent their respective programs.

The Student at the Center 

What is the practical application of something like this? The dashboard enables us to ask better questions, to engage with our stakeholders at the table with a plethora of information available. 

Having all the data in one place enables us to ask new questions. Are the standardized measures of achievement aligned to classroom ones? What does attendance look like, and how does it correlate to achievement? How does the student feel about their own abilities related to intelligence, grit, emotional regulation, among other indicators? How might these factors be influencing achievement?

Most importantly, because we are focused on the student in the center, conversations look very different. We can use the data to draw correlations to home behaviors and attitudes that without the SEL data were previously unseen. 

After digging deeper with Alex’s family, the educational team (administrators, counselors, teachers) found that the child’s self-perceptions were having an impact on classroom performance and standardized test scores. The child believed that it is “not all possible to change how easily he gave up” and felt that “his level of intelligence was only a little possible to change.” The classroom teacher and school counselor noticed that the student required constant reinforcement, and that he rushed through completing assignments without checking them against rubrics or other self-paced guidelines. 

Through further conversation with the parents, the educational team learned that some of the same behaviors were manifesting at home and with extracurricular activities. The team came together and crafted a plan or an ILP for the child, and the school/family partnership was strengthened through specific shared actions, both at home and at school. A summary of the plan appears below.

Alex’s Plan

Summary 

Through MAP data, classroom observations, and collaborative conversations between school and home, we have come together to identify ways to support Alex’s progress. Alex has a fixed mindset about his intelligence and his ability to move past challenges. This has been seen in his academic performance, self-reported surveys about his social-emotional skillset, as well as extracurricular activities. In order to help Alex reach his full potential, we are coming together to support him as he develops a growth mindset.

Goals 

• To develop a growth mindset in school and at home when presented with challenging situations.
• To exhibit grit on classroom MAP assessments to persevere as questions become more difficult. 

Next Steps 

In School

1. Bi-weekly meetings with classroom teacher and counselor. These meetings will focus on goal-setting and providing techniques to develop a growth mindset. 

2. When presented with challenges, teachers will use the following phrases to promote a growth mindset 

• “Build your brain’s muscles by working hard!"
• “You learn from your mistakes."
• “Thinking dislike giving your brain a workout."
• “Everyone makes mistakes."
• “Failure=learning."
• “Great effort!"
• “I can tell you tried your best on this."
• “When the work gets hard, you start learning."
• “Wow, that was hard–you stuck with it."
• “That bag is heavy, and you picked it up anyway.” (Rather than you’re strong). Bi-weekly meetings with classroom teacher and counselor. These meetings will focus on goal-setting and providing techniques to develop a growth mindset. 

3. Duckworth Grit assessment tools 

• Grit Scale- Angela Duckworth
• Growth Mindset strategies MINDSET QUIZ | UNC Advising 
   

4. Leading up to the next MAP assessment, we will guide Alex through test prep including what to do when faced with challenging questions.

5. Include Alex in reviewing MAP scores and understanding how the test works.

At Home 

• Provide opportunities for Alex to practice problem-solving, grit, and pushing himself outside of his comfort zone. This could be building legos, housework responsibilities, playing video games, etc.
• Parents read Grit: The Power or Passion and Persistence by Angela Duckworth.
• Parents read Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink.
• When presented with challenges at home, parents will use the same phrases as school to promote growth mindset 

Parent feedback upon sharing the data has been overwhelmingly positive. Seeing everything in one place provides a clearer picture for them of the school experience. The plan enables them to be more fully engaged in the “home” portion of the school/family partnership. As we continue to refine our process and system, it is our intention to create these for each child.

Fundraising plays a vital role in supporting the financial health, accessibility, and overall mission of Jewish day schools. It enables schools to provide high-quality education, maintain a sense of community, and fulfill their commitment to educating students in a values-based and culturally rich environment. Data-driven fundraising strategies propel schools toward financial stability and lay the foundation for mission success. 

Data serves as the backbone of any successful fundraising strategy, providing invaluable insights into donor behavior, priorities, and trends. It allows schools to make informed decisions that maximize the impact of fundraising campaigns.

Understanding Donor Behavior 

A one-size-fits-all strategy is no longer effective in today’s philanthropic landscape. Data-driven fundraising begins with a deep understanding of donor behavior and insight into the preferences, motivations and patterns of giving among both individual donors and groups (alumni, grandparents, etc.). Armed with this information, schools can tailor their fundraising strategy to align best with their donors, increasing the likelihood of success. 

At the most basic level, schools can analyze donation histories, frequency, and amounts to identify trends. Demographic data (such as age, income level, geographic location, occupation, and synagogue affiliation) aid in segmenting donors, allowing for targeted communication strategies. Tracking interactions and engagement with individuals helps gauge donor interests and tailor outreach efforts. 

A deeper analysis of data may also help schools predict future donor behaviors. With a grasp on these behavioral nuances, schools can personalize campaigns, optimize fundraising channels, and cultivate lasting donor relationships. In an environment where there are tens if not hundreds of organizations and nonprofits vying for the attention, and dollars, of your donors, the relationship piece is crucial to the school’s fundraising success.

Prospecting Future Donors 

Prospect research is a pivotal component of data-driven fundraising. Schools can use data to identify potential major donors within their community or alumni network. Analyzing wealth indicators, past giving to similar causes, and personal connections can help schools prioritize prospects and tailor their outreach efforts for maximum effectiveness. 

By utilizing data to create detailed donor profiles, schools can approach potential supporters with personalized and compelling appeals. This increases the likelihood of securing major gifts gives another lever to strengthening the personal relationship with donors.

Optimizing Fundraising Strategies 

Data-driven decision-making provides tools that enable fundraising campaigns to achieve maximum impact. Analyzing the success metrics of past campaigns can help schools identify what worked well and what can be improved upon. This iterative process allows for continuous refinement of fundraising strategies, ensuring that each campaign builds on the successes of the previous ones. 

For example, if data analysis indicates that online campaigns generated a higher response rate compared to traditional mailers, the school can allocate more resources to digital channels. This adaptability is crucial in a rapidly changing fundraising landscape, where the ability to pivot based on real-time data can make the difference between a successful campaign and a missed opportunity.

Measuring Campaign Effectiveness 

Start by developing a clear understanding of your campaign’s goals and objectives. It may go without saying that the goal of any campaign is to raise money, but by articulating clear SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely) goals, schools can use data to more precisely pinpoint and measure success. Identifying and tracking the relevant data points that align with your KPIs (key performance indicators) provide that clear picture.  

The most straightforward KPI is total funds raised, measuring the financial success of the campaign. However, that may not be your only or even primary goal. For example, your primary aim may be to engage and re-engage with donors, increasing your number of donors by 15%. For sure, you’ll still be measuring the total funds raised, but you really want to look at your lapsed donors, tracking outreach to them for this campaign and any donations or engagements. You may also want to use social media or Google Analytics to get a sense of your campaign’s online effectiveness, your messaging and outreach to old and new donors, website traffic and online donation conversion rates.

Data Reporting for Informed Decision Making 

Robust reporting strategies help transform raw data into actionable insights. Reporting tools can provide visual representations of fundraising performance, donor engagement, and campaign effectiveness.

Regular reports can highlight your progress towards achieving your KPIs. Metrics such as donor acquisition cost, donor retention rates, and average donation amounts can guide strategic decision-making and resource allocation.

Perhaps most importantly, data reporting facilitates transparency and accountability. By sharing performance reports with stakeholders, including board members, staff, and donors, schools can build trust and demonstrate the impact of their fundraising efforts. Transparency in reporting fosters a culture of continuous improvement, enabling schools to refine their strategies based on real-time feedback.

The integration of data-driven fundraising strategies is transformative for Jewish day schools and yeshivas. As schools navigate the complex landscape of philanthropy, data emerges not merely as a tool but as the foundation upon which successful fundraising campaigns are built. By embracing the power of data, Jewish schools strengthen their financial health, fortify their mission, and cultivate a culture of transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Over the many years I’ve studied, led and taught in Jewish day schools, one of the most frequent claims I’ve heard is that schools are inherently different from one another. People proudly tell you how their schools enroll a special mix of students, how they serve families with distinct educational goals, or that they’re animated by a unique ideological mission. Such uniqueness—they go on—explains why the curriculum they use at another school won’t work in this one, why a new principal will have to work really hard to understand their community, and why research data collected from students in other Jewish schools won’t be relevant here. 

There’s a grain of truth in these claims, just as it’s true that all humans differ from one another. At the same time, each of us is also part of multiple taxonomic groups that help explain a lot about us: our gender, nationality, faith, age, etc. We seem ready to accept this social-psychological truism in many contexts but not in our schools. 

Exceptionalism makes for great marketing copy, but it can stop us becoming better versions of ourselves. Comparing ourselves to others, to whom we bear some similarity, can help us identify how to improve. 

Over the last few years, our team at Rosov Consulting has helped day schools use survey data to benchmark themselves against other Jewish schools. I’m going to share a few examples. In each case, schools either joined a multischool study, or adopted (or lightly adapted) a survey previously used in other schools. The data have served them as both a mirror and window. They see themselves more clearly, and their expectations are shifted by how they compare to others, even if those other schools are not exactly like theirs.

Assessing Parent Satisfaction 

As part of a funding agreement with UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, Toronto day schools must field a short parent survey each year and meet certain minimum satisfaction targets over a three-year period. Ninety percent of the survey items are shared, the remainder are school-specific. The parent responses have made clear that schools excel and struggle in diverse ways. They offer different products, and parents relate to those products in a fashion that evidently reflect varying priorities for their children’s education. These variations help schools better understand their particular markets. 

Additionally, correlational analysis across all of the participating schools has also made visible some powerful shared truths. In all schools, parent satisfaction is most strongly associated with parent views of the effectiveness of school leadership and the quality of its communication, the school community and atmosphere, and the schools’ ability to meet the needs of students. If schools seek to increase parent satisfaction, they should focus first and foremost on these three areas in the order of priority listed above.

Measuring Students’ Attitudes to Israel 

For many years, day schools have wanted to know what their students think and feel about Israel. Since October 7, many more schools do. Well, there’s a survey for that! Adapting a survey that our team previously developed for North American day schools with the support of the AVI CHAI Foundation, the King David Schools of Johannesburg have explored their students’ confidence to talk about Israel, their relationship to the country, and their willingness to advocate for it, and they investigated which school-based and extracurricular experiences most strongly contribute to these expressions. 

Collected three times over an eight-year period, the data have helped the schools adjust their curricular foci, staffing priorities, informal and parent education program, and more. They’ve also been able to track the contribution of these adjustments over time. The same survey is about to be used by schools in the UK that seek to track the outcomes of a school change initiative in the same field. The national contexts are foreign, but the issues are not. It’s financially efficient to use an already validated survey instrument, and richly instructive to compare responses across diverse populations.

Evaluating Students’ Experiences of Jewish Day Schools 

A last example has the most far-reaching implications. It comes from our team’s work with UnitEd, the day school initiative being advanced by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism. As part of this work, we recruited about 2,000 fifth, seventh, ninth and eleventh grade day school students from 33 schools in 13 countries to participate in a survey of students’ day school experience. These school contexts are often mind-bogglingly different: the study included, for example, the small, liberal community day school in Helsinki, and large denominationally oriented schools in Mexico City and Paris.

Across these diverse contexts, the data reveal remarkable consistencies that allow schools to assess how well they’re engaging their students. In almost all the schools, students agreed above all that “attending a Jewish school makes me feel like I belong.” This, it seems, is the core day school experience whatever the context. At the same time, in a broad majority of schools, fewer than half of the students agreed that “my Jewish studies classes are some of my most favorite classes.” Addressing this phenomenon, it seems, is the ultimate day school challenge.

The consistency of responses to key survey items such as these has served as a provocation and a spur to schools. When they see how similar they are to so many schools across the world, they’re ready to ask themselves important questions about the data points where they diverge from others, both positively and negatively. And as more schools sign up to use this survey instrument, the picture they see of themselves and of others sharpens further.

If you’re ready to look in the mirror and gaze through the window, please be in touch with our team at Rosov Consulting, whatever language you speak. Feel free to contact me at [email protected] or my colleague Natasha Nefedyeva at [email protected].

Like many community Jewish day schools around the country, at Portland Jewish Academy (PJA) we don’t always have uniformity of opinion about Israel among our kehillah, especially amongst our parent/guardians, faculty and staff, and alumni. How do we hold two truths in our hearts, minds, and bodies at once? How can we love Israel and also be honest about her flaws? And how can we teach our children to hold these truths, to learn to love this precious homeland of ours, while also questioning the government and its actions?  It is of primary importance, as we walk through this together, to show kavod for everyone’s personal feelings and beliefs about Israel, while keeping our focus on our students.

We encourage our students to ask important questions, to cherish the sanctity of life, to bring their humanity to all that they say and do. This is, after all, what we teach them every day: to deal with conflict as rodfei shalom, pursuers of peace who can listen actively, and weigh all parts of a problem. This active listening, when encountering a difficult issue, gives us an opportunity to think more clearly and not make snap judgements which might lead to painful encounters. If we can all strive to be rodfei shalom, pursuers of peace, listen actively and with kindness and consider the other person’s story, we can, as a kehillah, take steps to making the world a better place. Many small gestures such as these will grow and multiply and, hopefully, lead to a world filled with people who can listen to and live with each other.

Our School’s Diversity 

PJA is a community Jewish day school in the truest sense of the term. We have families from across the spectrum of Jewish observance and connection, and families who are not Jewish who come to the school seeking a values-based education and a welcoming community in which their children can learn and grow. Many of our families bring their children to PJA as infants, and we have the honor of watching them grow and thrive into young teenagehood until they graduate and leave our halls in 8th grade. Our school is located in a city well known for its activism and progressive politics. PJA and our school’s response to the war in Israel is a reflection of our broad and diverse community in all of these ways. 

As the principal of PJA, my greatest solace during this time of war in Israel and Gaza has come from walking through the doors of our beautiful school every day. On a recent Friday morning in kindergarten, where I have the privilege of helping bring in Shabbat every week, after dropping off his child, a parent came to me teary eyed and said, “These are tears of joy. I feel so lucky to have our child here in this community.” And as we stood there together, the beauty of watching our kindergarteners and 8th graders celebrating each other and getting ready to bring in Shabbat was palpable. 

I have found comfort in being with our kehillah, listening and responding to our children, standing together with our faculty and staff, and comforting families, as we all try to make sense of the tragic times before us. While it is important work to be a listening and open heart, it is also complicated as we open ourselves to the wide range of thoughts and opinions about Israel, its government, and its handling of the war. People’s feelings about the war range from total support of Israel and its decisions, to complete horror at what the army is doing in Gaza and Israeli citizens are doing in the West Bank. These conversations are among the most difficult I have had in my years as a school leader, as I try to put my own personal feelings aside, open my mind to the sometimes confusing thoughts of others, and grapple with all that is before us (and will continue to be before us) together with families, faculty and staff, and students.

A Focus on Action

Our story is not unlike so many Jewish day schools around the world as we all try to respond to our children, hold each other, give support, and maintain a secure learning environment for our students and ourselves. Routine and a sense of normalcy is essential and, at times, very hard to maintain, especially as we center our Israeli teachers and families whose hearts are with friends and dear ones at home, in Israel, who have been called up to serve, who were kidnapped, or murdered on October 7th. As a school whose tagline is “Think for Yourself, Work for the World,” we know that “doing” creates a sense of purpose and hope. 

In our planning, we have tried to identify and focus on things that are not controversial, that feel to us like universal ideas: bringing home the hostages, hoping/praying for peace, and fighting antisemitism. Students created posters expressing love for the people of Israel; we have a greeting card project involving student artwork to raise funds for the kibbutzim so terribly torn by the October 7th attacks; our entire community has created origami doves which will be installed in our lobby as a visual prayer for peace—1800 blue and white doves created by families, children, teachers. 

We are providing training for our teachers, through a variety of resources, on antisemitism and anti-Jewish harm. Likewise, we have sought resources and training for ourselves and our teachers on how to engage in conversation about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, especially in today’s environment. Because we all want peace, because we can and will never applaud actions that harm and kill others, because as a Jewish people, our hope, our tikvah, is to be able to live side by side in peace and as neighbors.

Supporting People with Different Perspectives 

Like our colleagues at other Jewish schools, we believe Israel deserves to grow and thrive. Like our colleagues, we want to instill a sense of love and loyalty for the land and people of Israel. We also are engaged in nuanced and complicated conversations around Israel’s policies and actions. Even as our hearts and minds are with Israel and our Israeli friends, families, and colleagues, it is essential to also acknowledge the reality of the Palestinian people and the civilians who are being killed in Gaza. We understand that peace has to be at the center of our conversations. 

One of the saddest questions we were asked in the first weeks of the war was from a teacher engaged in conversations with her colleagues, listening to the news and attempting to understand why people were so opposed to a ceasefire. How could she help her students make sense of the idea that Jewish people do not want a ceasefire? Does this mean, she asked, that “I shouldn’t mention the word peace anymore?” It absolutely broke my heart to hear this question, and we spent a bit of time unpacking the difference between seeking peace and calling for a ceasefire.

Praying for Peace

I am writing this in the middle of Hanukkah, 65 days after the terrible events of October 7, which saw 240 Israelis taken violently from their homes in kibbutzim in southern Israel near the border with Gaza, and from the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, and at least 1,200 others brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists. In these two months, the pain has been constant, and the deep responsibility of supporting our community, one person, classroom, family at a time, knowing that there is a range of needs and perspectives, has been a primary focus. 

Our work at PJA as a community Jewish day school, whether in our classrooms, our hallways, or playgrounds, or when grappling with the very complicated issues of Israel and Gaza that we are all facing today, has never been more important. We pray for peace, for the safe return of all of our hostages, and for the safety and wellbeing of all those in harm’s way.

Recently, some members of Prizmah’s Learning Specialist Reshet participated in a conversation facilitated by Dr. Rachel Fryman to share what their schools are experiencing, learning and doing for Israeli transfer students and their families. They spoke candidly about what they’re seeing, how they’re working to support the students, and where they have needs for more resources. The schools where these professionals work range from receiving a handful of such students to many dozens. Here, we are keeping the particular schools anonymous, both to protect their confidentiality and to present a composite portrait of a section of the field.

The staff have been uniformly dedicated to shouldering the extra tasks involved in this avodah kedoshah, holy work. Their work started in many cases before the first student crossed the threshold of their classroom. The intake process, interviews with parents and children, enabled them to get to know these new families and to devise strategies for support. They needed to consider issues such as, how many students could they realistically accommodate in a given class? What kinds of needs were they likely to see, and how could they help meet those needs, both inside the classroom and beyond? How would they integrate students into the social dynamics that already exist among the students? The learning specialists and guidance department teams were devoted to partnering with teachers to implement trauma-informed strategies that would nurture these students who, to varying degrees, have been exposed to the horrors of October 7 and the subsequent war. Above all, they emphasize that compassion is the guiding principle for their relationship with these students.

Among the students themselves, schools are finding an enormous variety of needs and reactions to the trauma. Some students are able to embrace their new environment, positively running to school after just a couple of days; others are having a much harder time. Student behavior also diverges, with some showing signs of hyperactivity and others more hypoactive, withdrawn. The academic needs as well are quite varied, with students ranging from considerable fluency in English to complete lack of language knowledge. Many schools have hired extra Hebrew support in the classroom, and boosted their ESL staff as well by reaching out to part-time and retired teachers to come back on a temporary basis.

As mentioned, schools have invested considerably in student support, in many cases with Federation backing. They’ve needed more hands on deck—depending on the numbers, many more hands—to give these students the support they need to recover and thrive during their time at the school. Often, they’ve found human resources within the larger ecosystem of the school who were able to step up and meet these needs. 

They’ve drawn upon Hebrew speakers in the community, to teach special classes, to facilitate social groups. In some cases, they’ve taken professionals employed part time and had them switch to full time, for this period of uncertain duration. Some schools have been able to tap into recent retirees, with former teachers and administrators returning to provide help. Parents have stepped in to volunteer, and PTAs have coordinated efforts with the parent body to ensure a full-team effort. Volunteers have supported teachers in numerous ways, from helping students one-on-one to accompanying students for pull-out sessions.

Schools have dedicated considerable efforts not just to support students’ academic and psychological needs, but for their social needs as well. In many cases, this has started by clearing their schedule of classes, reducing the emphasis on academics. Students are given extra play time, and group time for the kids to talk, relax, and process, with a Hebrew speaking adult. Some schools have assigned them peer mentors who help Israeli students learn the ropes.  

Likewise, parents have mobilized to give support for these families. They’ve donated or purchased clothing, such as cold weather clothes for schools in northern climates; some families required housing, especially if their stay extended longer than originally anticipated. Parents were given the phone numbers of new families upon their arrival, so that they could immediately call to welcome them, invite them to visit, arrange a playdate. One school had parents arrange regular coffee dates to make friends, check in on their wellbeing, inquire after their needs.

A different kind of support was required for shlichot, wives whose husbands were called up for IDF service and were left behind with the children. These women continued working at the school while simultaneously trying to handle their kids at home. Schools devised a variety of means to help these beloved faculty cope with their newfound stresses. Faculty peers made trips to do all of the grocery shopping for the family, even organizing leftovers from the school cafeteria to be packaged and distributed to families in temporary need. Administrators found ways to lighten their teaching load, such as having them assign no homework. Counselors taught them, and other teachers feeling anxious and burnt out, meditation techniques such as mindful breathing and visualization.

While the volume of students has declined, some of these students remain in the schools, and some new students will be arriving in the new year. The remarkable level of support marshaled by schools has enabled these students and their families to find a respite from the traumas at home and return strengthened in mind and spirit.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2023

(Seattle) – The Seattle-based Samis Foundation and Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools highlighted enrollment increases at five Seattle area Jewish day schools participating in the Day School Affordability Initiative (DSA). Established in 2022 by the Samis Foundation, the DSA provides funds for Seattle families whose income may be too high to qualify for traditional scholarships, but for whom full tuition would represent more than 15 percent of their gross adjusted income.

“We are absolutely thrilled and inspired to see an exceptional 14 percent increase in enrollment among the five schools participating in the Day School Affordability Initiative,” said Paul Bernstein, CEO of Prizmah. “The Samis Foundation had the vision and commitment to make this community-based initiative possible—and now the local community is experiencing the results. These affordability measures remove a barrier to enrollment in Jewish day schools and yeshivas, further helping the ability of students, families, educators, and schools to excel and thrive.”

The five area schools participating in DSA include The Jewish Day School (JDS), MMSC Day School, Northwest Yeshiva High School (NYHS), Seattle Hebrew Academy (SHA), and Seattle Jewish Community School (SJCS). Data gathered in September 2023 shows that the average enrollment increase was 14 percent with three of the schools seeing an increase of at least 20 percent. Retention rates remain extremely high as well, with most schools seeing an over 90 percent retention rate for this school year.

“The enrollment increase validates the importance and potential of tuition assistance programs,” said Maria Erlitz, Samis trustee and chair of the Day School Sub-committee of the Samis Foundation. “For Seattle, the DSA Initiative is an integral part of our investments into Jewish families and Jewish education. We are grateful for this deep partnership with Prizmah and our local schools that enabled this initiative to happen. We envision a vibrant, passionate, knowledgeable, and committed Jewish community in Seattle, fueled by Jewish day schools, for generations to come.”

The success of the Samis Foundation’s DSA in Seattle mirrors the impact of community-based affordability initiatives in other communities as well. Adds Bernstein of Prizmah, “These initiatives along with a new post-October 7th world are making day schools more in demand. Schools in Seattle and across the country are welcoming new families with open arms.”

With so many Jewish day schools and yeshivas welcoming temporary Israeli transfer students into their doors, we invited four schools to describe how they supported these students during this time of great stress and trauma.

Connecting to Our Community

Gisele Ellis, Program Coordinator, Bayit@Gann, Gann Academy

Gann Academy, founded by the community for the community, embraces the core value of Kol Yisrael areivim zeh la-zeh, we are all responsible for one another. This ethos became tangible this fall as we responded to urgent calls from Israeli evacuees seeking an immediate high school solution for their children arriving in Boston after October 7th.

Overnight, we created a standalone program, “Bayit@Gann,” to absorb Israeli students at no cost to families. We quickly identified four staff members and volunteers to manage Bayit@Gann: a professional program manager; an experienced Israeli professional social worker to serve as the primary liaison/advisor to the students; a parent volunteer to lead fundraising; and a parent volunteer to act as a local contact for navigating the transition to Boston, including appropriate clothing for Boston winters, a place to celebrate Thanksgiving, and so much more. We also invited a few recent graduates, temporarily back from gap years in Israel, as madrichim for the program.

The initial concept involved partial integration into the Gann program during non-academic times, complemented by group and individual social-emotional support, tutoring for existing Israeli classes, and more. We did not know what level of English language fluency students would have, how much emotional support they would need, or how many kids would arrive. We anticipated as many as 15-20 students might join and tried to imagine a program that could meet their needs. An unused office became the Bayit@Gann Lounge—the base camp for our program and a safe home for our students to gather with each other and with friends.

We conducted intake meetings with families to assess the needs and aspirations of both parents and students. Most incoming students possessed strong English skills. Parents prioritized a safe environment, a regular schedule, and opportunities for socializing. Many students were concerned primarily about keeping up with their Israeli schoolwork, leading us to hire an Israeli high school math teacher, also displaced due to the war. She assisted students during designated work blocks and coordinated with their teachers in Israel once schools reopened.

Ten days after hiring our program leads, we welcomed our first six students. Collaborating with Gann’s grade-level deans, we established a peer mentor program for companionship and assistance in navigating the school. Our American students soon started inviting their new friends to join their classes. Bayit@Gann morphed so students could now attend three to five Gann classes instead of one or two, with fewer work blocks and less group time. Flexibility was crucial due to the time difference, enabling students to connect with friends and family in Israel during the school day. Requests for specific classes and access to facilities during free periods were accommodated, showcasing the remarkable flexibility and warmth of our faculty and staff.

Speaking for the group in front of the whole school, one student said, “we learned that ‘We Stand with Israel’ are not just words.” As students begin to return home and others transition to full-time Gann students, Elazar Waldman, program director and social worker, emphasized the profound connection achieved in only two months. “For Bayit@Gann participants, this has been a life-changing experience,” reinforcing that “as part of the Jewish people, they are not alone, even in times of hardship.” The dedication to taking extraordinary action for our beliefs, the sense of community, and the positive impact Gann has on the world are lessons that will stay with them forever.

Beit Yisrael 

Jason Feld, Head of School, Akiba Yavneh Academy 

Kol Yisrael areivim zeh ba-zeh, all of Israel is responsible for one another, is a value often heard in the classrooms of Akiba Yavneh Academy. Shortly after the October 7th Hamas pogrom, AYA was called upon to quickly put that value into practice as we began receiving word that Israeli families would be seeking temporary shelter in our Dallas community.

In all of my initial discussions with board members, faculty and school administrators, we never questioned whether we would take in these Israeli students, rather, how we can best serve the needs of these Israeli children. The support we received from Prizmah provided valuable guidance on a host of unique issues ranging from the nuts and bolts of registration to some of the social-emotional and academic challenges of successfully absorbing displaced Israeli children into our school. Issues we needed answers to included, How long will students remain in Dallas? What is their level of English proficiency? Is the primary goal for the students to keep up with their academics, and if so, how do we sync the curriculum they receive at their Israeli schools with our curriculum?

Our leadership team unanimously decided to build a new program custom tailored to the individual needs of each and every Israeli student. With that, AYA’s Beit Yisrael program began taking shape. Our first decision was to hire a coordinator to manage the various administrative, logistical, and programmatic details of Beit Yisrael. Volunteers with specific skills from within our school community reached out to get involved.

Within a week of our initial meeting, Akiba Yavneh Academy enthusiastically welcomed 18 temporarily displaced Israeli children, ranging in age from 2 to 16, to Beit Yisrael. Every school day, Beit Yisrael students learn from an ESL specialist; they receive math, science and Judaic studies instruction taught by subject experts who are all fluent in Hebrew. Additionally, the Jewish Federation of Dallas, in partnership with Jewish Family Services, provided Beit Yisrael with a Hebrew-speaking counselor to serve the social-emotional needs of the children and their parents. Beyond the academics, Beit Yisrael students join their AYA peers for daily tefillah, lunch, art, and PE, and they attend all school assemblies and activities.

By designing a program around the individual needs of our Israeli children, AYA is able to meet and indeed, exceed the expectations of our Israeli families. Every day, Beit Yisrael students are having meaningful experiences where they are learning, socializing and having fun in a safe, supportive and welcoming environment. We began the school year with a special focus on three Cs: Commitment to Excellence, Character, and Community. Having the zechut, privilege, to realize our core school values in service of Am Yisrael has positively energized and deeply impacted our entire school community.

May our humble efforts in Dallas contribute to the strength and unity of Am Yisrael, and may we merit the restoration of security in Israel and the swift and safe return of all captives currently held in Gaza. May our efforts in achdut, unity, continue to grow from strength to strength, Am Yisrael Chai.

A Home Away From Home

Renee Klyman, Director of Admissions, Ben Porat Yosef

At Ben Porat Yosef, our commitment to fostering a strong and supportive community is exemplified by our proactive efforts in assisting displaced Israeli families who have left Israel due to the recent war that erupted after October 7th. With a deeply ingrained Zionist mission and a genuine dedication to preserving Hebrew language and culture, our school has become a natural haven for those seeking refuge and connection.

One of the unique aspects of BPY is our true Hebrew immersion program, which not only provides a rigorous academic environment but also serves as a cultural bridge for families in transition. This program has proven invaluable for the Israeli families who have recently joined or re-joined our community, offering a familiar and nurturing space for their children to continue their education seamlessly.

Moreover, our school is proud to boast a staff that includes the largest number of shlichim in North America on a mission from Israel. These dedicated individuals bring an authentic connection to Israeli culture and a firsthand understanding of the challenges faced by families affected by the conflict. Their presence at BPY further facilitates the smooth integration of new families into our close-knit community.

The decision for Israeli families to choose BPY as their educational home away from home was an easy one, given our unwavering support for Israel and the strong ties our school maintains with the country. We have been fortunate to welcome back seven BPY family members who had either recently left to make aliyah or embarked on temporary journeys, and it brings us immense joy to open our arms and hearts to them, ensuring they find solace and continuity within the BPY family. As we continue to navigate these challenging times, our commitment to providing a warm, embracing environment for additional displaced families remains steadfast, embodying the true spirit of community and shared purpose.

Providing a Safe Educational Space for Our Israeli Students

Lydia Levin, Director of Marketing and Communications, Bialik Hebrew Day School

From the start of the war in Israel, we knew it would have an impact on our school; how big an impact, and what shape it would take, we didn’t know. But it soon became clear that whatever we did to help Israeli families coming to Toronto, we would be guided by our mission, our core Jewish and Zionist values, and an approach that put families’ and students’ needs first.

As the inquiries began to pour in, our administrative team banded together, creating a process to admit students in large numbers. We devised a plan to enroll students for a four-week short-term stay. We created an abbreviated application form and an adapted admissions process, and began communicating with the many families who had inquired.

Members of our admin team stepped up to interview and welcome Israeli families. While we did not require payment, in line with the other Toronto Jewish day schools, we accepted any weekly contribution based on a suggested cost-based rate. At the same time, we were liaising with the Toronto UJA, who generously subsidized each student.

To date, Bialik has had some 180 inquiries and has enrolled 98 students at our two branches—over and above our usual 1,500 students.

The entire Bialik community participated in the effort to provide a soft landing for the Israeli students and their families. The administrative team focused on the overall planning and implementation; teachers willingly and warmly welcomed students into their classes (more on that below); our IT Department set up students in Grades 3 to 8 with laptops and access to our online learning systems (SeeSaw and Google Classrooms); students were overjoyed to buddy-up with the new students; parents invited families to Shabbat dinners, helped them with grocery shopping, collected warm clothes and found a myriad other ways to help families feel welcome. Board members along with retired administrators and teachers gave, and are still giving, invaluable volunteer time to support the visiting students in their academic and social-emotional learning. A past principal came back to help with admissions.

In our classrooms, we aimed to support the new students’ needs with as much dedication, detail and empathy as possible. The first aim was to provide a welcoming and safe space, caring for their social-emotional needs, for children who had been pulled from their homes, some who had come to Canada with one or both parents, and others who had been sent with older siblings to the care of Canadian relatives. After that came academic and linguistic support.

Ten dedicated volunteers are giving their time to support the teachers and work with the students, in small groups as well as individually, to address their individual needs. Students have been supported in a number of ways:

• We’ve dedicated Hebrew-speaking spaces where students can interact with each other and feel heard and understood. Activities in these spaces have included gym, small group time, and playing games together.
• Teachers and volunteers were assigned to provide one-one-one social-emotional check-ins with the students, aiming for this to be as organic and supportive as possible through conversations, greetings, games, and in small groups.
• Our Shinshinim at both branches took time to develop relationships with students and created opportunities for friendly support.

At this stage, two thirds of the Israeli students have returned home, and many will follow; a few are seeking long-term enrollment, and we are still taking in a few new students.

Reflecting on this endeavor almost two months in, we are aware that it has depended on unprecedented teamwork and generosity of spirit in our community. From the many beautiful messages received from parents, we have done what we intended in providing support to our Israeli brothers and sisters.