YOU Lead Application

Overview

Thank you for your interest in YOU Lead! YOU Lead provides a research-informed, cohort-based, highly personalized leadership development experience for 40 school professionals annually who aspire to deepen their leadership capacity in their current role, and for roles they will hold in the future. Over nine months of synchronous and asynchronous learning, with expert coaching and mentoring, participants gain the practical tools and resources you and your school need to excel.

YOU Lead is for Jewish day school professionals with leadership responsibilities (not including current heads of school) who want to develop their leadership skills. This includes roles such as: curriculum coordinators, principals, Judaics directors, directors of teaching and learning, teacher leaders/mentors, admissions directors, development directors, directors of student life, grade-level deans, and department chairs.

Sample topics covered in the YOU Lead curriculum include: adaptive leadership, navigating difficult conversations, observation and supervision, developing teams, giving effective feedback, and running effective meetings.

 

Program Plan and Requirements

Participants in YOU Lead learn through a combination of in-person gatherings, asynchronous online learning, individualized coaching, and cohort meetings. Engagement with each of these components is critical for participant success in the program.

We recognize that participants in YOU Lead are full-time working professionals, and we strive to create a calendar that honors the commitment of time and attention that participants make to the program. The YOU Lead calendar aligns with Jewish holidays, and typical school breaks.

 
In-person gatherings

Accepted participants will commit to attending two in-person gatherings as part of the program:

  • One in the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut) on Sunday and Monday, November 3rd and 4th, 2024.
  • One location and date TBD in the spring of 2025.

Participants are encouraged, but not required, to attend the Prizmah Conference in Boston from February 2-4, 2025.

 
Asynchronous online learning

Asynchronous online learning is a meaningful and important component of the YOU Lead program. We ask that accepted participants in the program plan to dedicate between one and three hours each week for learning, discussion, and reflection on our online learning platform. Please note that certain weeks will be designated during the YOU Lead program exclusively for reflection.

 
Individualized coaching and cohort meetings

Participants in YOU Lead have the unique opportunity to engage in individualized coaching with leading experts in the field of Jewish day school leadership. YOU Lead participants should plan for two 30-minute coaching calls each month, as well as monthly meetings (one hour each) with their cohort to discuss dilemmas of practice.

 

Financial Consideration

Thanks to the generous support of our program funders, we are able to offer subsidized tuition to YOU Lead program participants. The actual cost of the YOU Lead program is $10,000 USD per person, and our subsidized tuition for the 2024-2025 program year is:

Network Price: $4,200 USD*
Non-Network Price: $5,250 USD*
Canadian Prizmah Network schools: $3,200 USD*
Canadian Non-network schools: $4,000 USD*

Please note that program participants are responsible for assuming the cost of travel and lodging for the in-person gatherings.

Typically, the schools in which YOU Lead participants work pay the full cost of tuition, or share the cost of tuition with participants. Before submitting your application to YOU Lead, please consult with your head of school and/or direct supervisor about the cost of the program in order to ensure that your tuition can be fulfilled through school funding, title funding, or a combination thereof.

Prizmah offers need-based scholarship funding in particular circumstances. To request a scholarship, please fill out this form. We do not grant full scholarships, and we do not offer scholarships in the amount of more than 50% of the full cost of the program.

*If you aren’t certain of your school’s network status, please reach out to Gavi Elkind, Director of Leadership Development, at [email protected]. 

 

Applications are Due by May 10, 2024

In order to be considered for YOU Lead 2024-2025, please fill out the following application – including short answer questions, a brief video, and your resume – by May 10, 2024. We also ask that you please submit the contact information of an individual who can serve as a reference for your candidacy. Please contact Gavi Elkind at [email protected] with any questions about the application process.