This year, I along with thirty other graduate students am taking part in the Nachshon Project Fellowship, a program designed to increase the number of young adults considering careers in Jewish education and the rabbinate. Graduate fellows increase skills needed to serve as “top of field” upon graduation. In a collaboration with Prizmah, the fellows are engaging in a semester-long initiative to develop key leadership skills rooted in data-driven decision-making. Through the creation, implementation, and evaluation of parent satisfaction surveys in day schools, fellows are gaining invaluable experience in survey development and analysis while working directly with Jewish day schools. This initiative strengthens the skill sets of future Jewish leaders and also encourages us to consider meaningful careers within Jewish day schools.
Jewish day schools play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Jewish communities. For school leaders, understanding the needs and priorities of parents is essential to fostering thriving educational environments. As Nachshon Graduate Fellows, we are collaborating with six Jewish day schools to assess strengths, identify growth areas, and inform key decisions that impact educational excellence.
Throughout this semester, we are working closely with and learning from six heads of school, researchers, and experts in Jewish education to design, distribute, and analyze parent satisfaction surveys. These surveys provide valuable insights into how schools can better serve their students and communities. More importantly, the process of collecting and interpreting data gives us real-world experience in strategic decision-making, a skill applicable to any leadership role we may take within the Jewish community.
The project kicked off at a four-day seminar, held at the beginning of January. This seminar introduced fellows to the field of Jewish day school education, leadership opportunities, and the critical role of research and data in educational leadership. We toured Jewish day schools in South Florida and heard from heads of school and school admin teams about the intersection of their leadership and data-informed decision-making. At the end of the program, all of the fellows will present our findings to the school leaders with whom we are working.
What I Have Gained from this Experience
Prior to my current role as an educator and fundraiser at OU-JLIC’s Yavneh On Campus, I worked at Camp Stone and Boston's Maimonides School. This Nachshon experience and Prizmah project has taught me how to weave my twin passions together: data and Jewish education.
A core mission of Prizmah is to strengthen and sustain Jewish day schools by cultivating a network of inspired and well-equipped educators and administrators. Through this collaboration, Prizmah has encouraged Nachshon Graduate Fellows to consider careers in Jewish day schools in various roles. By engaging in this project with Prizmah and individual schools, we are all able to see the impact that we can have on Jewish education.
Additionally, our time on this project has provided us with practical skills that we will be able to carry with us on any path we choose to take. The ability to design surveys, interpret data, and make informed decisions based on research is crucial. Whether we ultimately pursue careers in Jewish education, community leadership, or other professional paths in the Jewish world, I am confident that the lessons learned through this project will serve us well.
The Nachshon Graduate Fellows’ partnership with Prizmah is more than just an academic exercise; it is a forward-thinking initiative that empowers emerging Jewish leaders to make meaningful, data-informed contributions to their communities. By equipping us with the skills to evaluate and address successes and challenges in Jewish day schools, this collaboration ensures that the next generation of Jewish leaders is prepared to strengthen and sustain Jewish day schools for years to come.