You have heard me speak about this phenomenal opportunity I have had to model life-long learning, as a Fellow of the Leadership Institute for Congregational School Excellence. I just want to fill you in on what I have been doing for the last 2 years and how wonderful it has been!!

 This fall, the Leadership Institute held three symposia and along with the other fellows we have been involved in implementing our professional learning projects with faculty.

 On October, 19th, we were pleased to learn with Dr. Anita Jacobs who led us through a series of exercises entitled Credible Conversations - Powerful Communication Skills. Dr. Jacobs has worked with thousands of educators, non profit professionals and lay leaders to help them deliver presentations and communicate effectively.

 We explored how to read non verbal cues and how to organize our thoughts quickly for any communication situation. Dr. Jacobs’s knowledge of the Jewish world and her sense of humor made the day even more powerful!

 On November 17^th, we held the second of two symposia that involved clergy and lay representatives from each congregation. I especially wish to thank Rabbi Plotkin, Steve Minsky and Ellen Weiner for sharing the day with me at the Jewish Theological Seminary. The theme for the day was Exploring the Soul of Jewish Education: Essential and Existential Questions.

 Rabbi Larry Hoffman, Professor at HUC-JIR and Synagogue 3000, helped design the day with of the LI steering committee.

 The goals for the day included:

•       Model a process with the congregational team which supports conversations around the essential and existential questions we face in our congregations and schools.

·         Develop a shared language around God/Spirituality.

·         Explore and strengthen our abilities to support the spiritual journey of congregational learners.

•       Identify specific ways to shape learning that honors our spiritual journeys.

 Rabbi Hoffman began the day by explaining that we rarely have the opportunity to explore our own God/spiritual/profound experiences and we need to do so before we serve or lead others. He then asked participants to share a “spiritual moment” in small groups of peers, followed by further sharing as a whole group. For the remainder of the day teams had a chance to meet with fellow clergy members, lay leaders, and educators; as a team and came back for a summary discussion of what teams could take away from the day.

 On December 9^th, Jo Kay, Director of the Education School, HUC-JIR, New York, led a session on The New Landscape of the Jewish Family: Implications for Family Education:

 This session addressed question such as:

·         What does it mean to be "forgotten" and who in our congregational communities fall into this category?

·         What does the Torah say about "forgetting" and "remembering"?

·         When we add the unique racial, cultural and religious challenges faced by today's families to the issues of those who are "invisible" among us, what might we be doing to support and nourish these families both inside and outside congregational walls?

·         What are some modern commentaries on the concept of the Erev Rav (a mixed multitude) having left Egypt? How can we use these new understandings to support our work with the changing Jewish family?

In the afternoon, we had Fellow Workshops. Sessions included: "Chanukah Myths and Legends," "Supervision and Three-Minute Walk-Throughs," "Curricula for High School Students," and "Effective Ways to Communicate."

 Fellows are also in the process of implementing professional learning projects for their faculty. This past spring I was required to write and submit a proposal in order to receive a small seed grant form the UJA Federation of NY. Professional Development as defined by the National Council for Staff Development means “a comprehensive, sustained, and intensive approach to improving teachers’ and principals’ effectiveness in raising student achievement.” Through professional learning sessions, we work to increase their faculties’ knowledge and skills in the chosen area, which in turn benefits the students. At our school, we have held 2 Professional Learning Events where we hosted our staff and other Jewish educators from all over the community and learned how to utilize the teaching tool of StorahTelling and how this can be utilized to enliven and invigorate our teaching. Each one of our staff members will be assigned a Parsha to use with their class and we will video tape it to see how effectively we have utilized the tools.  At the end of the project, we will assess the learning and share the results.

 During the last six months of the Leadership Institute, I will be will be engaged in learnings on Evaluation and Assessment, Budgeting, The Future of Jewish Education, and more.  We will also have an opportunity to share our Professional Learning projects and celebrate our accomplishments.  While I look forward to our “graduation” on Sunday April 25 at JTS, I am also a little sad to see the program end. I know that our learning will continue!

 As I look ahead to the completion of this program, I want to thank the congregation for supporting and encouraging me in my participation and to the staff, who have followed and learned with me. I hope that all of this will translate into continuing to utilize best practices as we nurture our school and the Jewish future effectively.

JESNA’s top 10 achievements in Jewish education of the last decade: In a blog on the JTA is a list of JESNA’s top 10 achievements in Jewish education of the last decade. Although the Leadership Institute is not mentioned by name, the following is one of the achievements:

“Congregational educational change initiatives – It’s definitely not your father’s (or mother’s) Hebrew school any longer, as more than a dozen national, regional, and local initiatives involving hundreds of synagogues collectively have begun to transform the landscape of supplementary education, bringing new vision, energy, and leadership to an often disparaged arena. “

This is what we have been trying to do…it is an ongoing process! The future depends on it.