Present at the Prizmah Conference 2025

Image
Prizmah Conference 2025

 

Thank you for your interest in presenting at the Prizmah Conference. The Prizmah team is excited to learn about your ideas so we can build powerful learning experiences together.

 

Presenter Types and Session Formats

Prizmah values the deep experience and expertise of the Jewish day school and Jewish communal field. We organize conference presenters into two groups to offer unique content that meets a broad spectrum of field needs and interests.

 

If you are a...

And what you want to...

You should submit a session proposal for a(n)…

Submission Process

Professional development facilitator from an organization or service provider working to advance Jewish day schools.

Researcher or academic focused on education and / or the Jewish community.

Consultant with subject-matter expertise relevant to day school leaders.

Federation, Foundation, BJE, or other Jewish communal professional.

Frame a conversation on trending ideas from across the day school field, provide professional development for field leaders, or offer leading practices for schools and communities.

Conference Session

Sessions are 75 minutes long, and often feature 1-2 presenters or a panel discussion sharing relevant and actionable ideas, frameworks, tools, and mindsets.

Sessions must empower participants to integrate learning with practice and create generative spaces that allow for growth.

Conference Session proposals for the Prizmah Conference 2025 are no longer being accepted. If you submitted a proposal, you can expect to be notified about next steps by Monday, September 30, 2024.

Day school or yeshiva professional, or lay leader currently affiliated with a day school or yeshiva. Share a resource, idea, or approach with fellow leaders from across North America.

Ignite Presentation

Ignite Presentations are highly engaging 5-minute presentations (20 slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds), designed to share an innovative approach with tangible takeaways for participants.

Presentations are grouped around a shared theme, so participants can hear several perspectives on an issue where schools have demonstrated success.

Following the presentations, there is structured time for questions and reflection.

Peer-Led Round Table

Peer-Led Round Tables are opportunities to participate in structured conversation with fellow school leaders.

Facilitators frame a topic of shared interest, and lead a solutions-oriented discussion.

Ignite Presentation and Peer-led Roundtable proposals will be accepted from November 4 - December 12, 2024.

Return to this page in the fall for submission information.

 

Session Design Process and Timeline

 

Step 1: Propose

Step 2: Prizmah Review

Step 3: Design

Step 4: Present

  Review the guidelines on this page, write your proposal, and submit it through the RFP system. The Prizmah team will review your proposal, evaluate it based on our rubric, and either accept or decline your proposal. The Prizmah team is excited to partner with you to design your session or Presentation. Facilitate your session at the Prizmah Conference!
Conference Sessions
Conference Session proposals will be accepted from June 3 - July 19, 2024. Presenters will be notified about next steps by Monday, September 30, 2024. Design meetings will take place from November - January. February 2-4, 2025
Ignite Presentations and Peer-led Roundtables
Ignite Presentation and Peer-led Roundtable proposals will be accepted from November 4 - December 12, 2024. Presenters  will be notified about next steps by Monday, December 16, 2024. Presentation guidance and consultation will be provided in December and January. February 2-4, 2025

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How many session proposals should I submit? Am I more likely to be accepted if I submit more than one proposal?

You are welcome to submit up to two (2) session proposals. Hundreds of proposals are submitted, and with such a tight conference schedule and limited number of session rooms, we typically can only accept around 35% of submissions. In order to increase the likelihood that your proposal will be accepted, we ask that you only put forward your most creative and compelling ideas that bring something new to the field or move a conversation forward in a novel way.

Is the Prizmah Conference geared towards classroom teachers or school leaders?

The audience of the Prizmah Conference is Jewish day school and yeshiva leadership, both professional and lay. Successful sessions present relevant and actionable ideas, frameworks, tools, and mindsets, targeted to the needs of school leaders. While some classroom teachers do attend the conference, the focus of conference sessions should be on developing participants’ capacities as Jewish day school leaders and sharing leading practices that will move schools and communities forward. Here’s a snapshot of Prizmah Conference 2023 participants:

Heads of School 20%
Advancement: Admission, Development, and Marketing and Communications Professionals 19%
Principals 16%
Educational Administrators / Directors of Teaching and Learning 15%
Judaic Studies Professionals 12%
Lay Leaders 9%
Teachers 5%
Student Services Professionals / School Counselors / School Psychologists 2%
Business Managers / CFOs 2%

Can I submit a proposal with someone else?

Yes! Collaboration among presenters leads to richer sessions, and we encourage you to develop your session in partnership with others. Be sure to add your co-presenters when you submit your proposal.

May I promote my product or service in my session?

Prizmah Conference sessions facilitate conversations about ideas and trends shared across the field, and therefore may not be designed for the express purpose of promoting or selling any particular product, service, or solution. If you are interested in promoting your work, we encourage you to learn more about our exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities.

What questions will I need to answer on the proposal form?

Conference Session proposals for the Prizmah Conference 2025 are no longer being accepted. Ignite Presentation and Peer-led Roundtable proposals will be accepted from November 4 - December 12, 2024. Return to this page in the fall for submission information.

How are session proposals evaluated?

There is a high standard set for Prizmah Conference sessions. In order to ensure excellence, we ask the following questions about your session’s Design Foundations on the session proposal form:

  • Prizmah Conference sessions meet the emergent needs of the leaders of the Jewish day school and yeshiva field, including professionals and lay leaders. Please share your session’s goals, and outline the fieldwide trends you plan to examine.
  • Prizmah Conference sessions explore ideas, frameworks, tools, and mindsets and empower participants to integrate their learning with practice. Please describe the key learnings participants might take away, and the techniques you will use to help participants apply their learning to their own context.
  • Prizmah Conference sessions foster belonging, build connections, and create generative spaces that allow for growth. Please describe how your session will encourage participants to engage and interact with their peers, and how you will differentiate your pedagogy to meet the needs of all of the learners in your session.

 

Session proposals are reviewed and scored by Prizmah team members with content-area expertise. The Prizmah team will use the following rubric to evaluate your session proposal.

  • Does the proposed session address ideas and trends shared across the field?
  • Would the proposed session empower participants to integrate and apply their learning within their particular context and practice?
  • Is the content of the proposed session relevant and actionable? Is it tailored to the Prizmah Conference audience and relevant to current trends, challenges, opportunities and/or needs in the day school field. Does the proposal outline clear, interesting, and tangible takeaways for participants?
  • Does the proposed session include really compelling content, a creative presentation style, a new-to-the-field presenter or idea, and / or something else that makes it feel exciting, meaningful, or different for Prizmah Conference participants?
  • Does this session and / or its presenter(s) improve representation at the Prizmah Conference for a typically underrepresented or marginalized population?

How will the Prizmah Conference create a culture of belonging for all participants?

We are striving to design the Prizmah Conference as a space that fosters belonging among Jewish day school and yeshiva leaders. Our field is diverse, and we believe that the diversity of the field should be reflected among our presenters. Our goal is that, together, we can create an intentional culture of belonging at the conference and in our field, and help lift up traditionally underrepresented voices in the Jewish community. This effort is a work in progress; we appreciate your partnership and invite your feedback.

Are presenters compensated? Is there a registration discount available for presenters?

Prizmah provides complementary conference registration for one lead presenter, or up to two co-presenters of a Conference Session. If a session is a panel or other format involving several presenters, the session organizer or moderator will receive complimentary registration, panelists will not. Prizmah does not provide honorarium or travel and hotel reimbursement.

Field Presenters will not receive discounted registration. Early bird registration discounts are available until December 15, 2024, and discounts are also available to Prizmah Network schools that bring a team of four or more participants and to participants from schools with 150 students or fewer. For more information about pricing and registration, visit the Prizmah Conference website.

What is my username and password for the session proposal form? Do I use the same credentials that I do on prizmah.org?

When you submit your proposal, you will be prompted to create an account to submit your proposal. You will need to create a new username and password even if you already have a prizmah.org account and even if you have submitted a Prizmah Conference proposal in previous years. This proposal system is not connected with the prizmah.org website.

How do I register for the Prizmah Conference?

By submitting a session proposal, you agree that you will register for the Conference once registration opens in the fall, after Sukkot. For more information about pricing and registration, visit the Prizmah Conference website.

Is there a Prizmah team member who can help me design my session proposal or provide guidance?

Your session proposal is the start of a conversation - we are specifically looking for presenters who are excited to partner with us to design high quality learning experiences for our participants. If your session is accepted, you will meet once or twice with a member of the Prizmah team to share feedback on your proposal and work together to create a meaningful learning experience.

If you have questions about the session proposal process or want to learn more about the conference, please send an email to Daniel Infeld ([email protected]).