Inside Jewish Day Schools

Alex and Jack have opened the windows to an array of exemplary Jewish day schools, offering an inside view of how they work on good days and tough ones. A singular contribution to the knowledge base of Jewish education. Accounts go beyond the usual statistics and offer narratives of painful challenges and creative responses. Required reading for Jewish educators and for community members committed to educating future generations of Jewish leaders.

Pomson and Wertheimer confront the challenges and successes of Jewish day schools in North America, and by using a sophisticated research methodology, have conducted a deep dive into Jewish schools today. For anyone interested in Jewish schools, Jewish education, or indeed Jewish life today, this book offers an unparalleled vantage point which should invariably stimulate lots of discussion and debate, and shine a light on some deep issues of concern.

Anyone seeking to understand the opportunities and challenges in Jewish day schools today will benefit from the virtual guided tour that Pomson and Wertheimer have finely curated. This behind-the-scenes analysis lends valuable perspective on the realities and enduring dilemmas of pursuing a mission and ideals in a Jewish school setting. Educators and lay leaders alike will be enriched by the particular cases of innovative and intentional leadership, learning and change management. Each voice in the book reveals a unique Jewish school culture with generalizable lessons for the field.

Pomson and Wertheimer invite us to see these nine schools, and Jewish Day Schools everywhere, with new eyes. They combine expertise in educational research with a depth of curiosity, insight and human connection that bring the schools, and the people in them, to life. These refreshingly honest portrayals powerfully illustrate the similar and different ways that leadership, education, Judaism, community come together to shape the hearts and minds of our next generation.

An invaluable guide to the contemporary Jewish day school in North America that is at once discerning and appreciative. The authors discover a great deal that is working well in the nine schools they profile, and explain why; they offer nuanced understanding of how changes in pedagogy, recruitment strategy, student support, board governance, institutional leadership and community outreach could help schools of every denominational variety to be more effective. One comes away convinced that leadership, vision and high quality learning are the keys to high achievement and that successful day schools are essential to the future of the Jewish community.

Inside Jewish Day Schools presents a unique perspective on Jewish education in North America and the factors that contribute to successful learning within the community and within the school. But perhaps even more significantly, as one prominent Jewish educator mentioned to me, the book, with its analysis of the nine schools, presents a series of excellent case studies that can advance and improve the state of Jewish education.

The book does offer useful insight into the operations of the schools studied and their different approaches to the challenges they face. Researchers and those involved in day school education will find this aspect of the study most useful.

That’s what the reader gets from Pomson and Wertheimer. They report 'on what happens inside Jewish day schools,' asserting 'every school we studied has a profound impact on the lives of people it touches.'.. Their case is persuasive. ...Inside Jewish Day Schools is akin to a travelogue, the scenes, the settings, the missions, the amenities, and the challenges. Names, job descriptions, and stories are true. Style of leadership and quality of communication seems to determine success.

In Inside Jewish Day Schools: Leadership, Learning, and Community, Pomson and Wertheimer’s in-depth studies of these different schools reveal the complex set of activities at the heart of educating young people and the topography of concerns and desires informing these institutions. Their insights reveal the complexity of “good-enough” Jewish education....[This] book ...exemplifies exactly the sort of rich and insightful scholarship necessary for nurturing vibrant, lived North American Judaism.

The aptly titled Inside Jewish day schools: Leadership, learning and community is a highly enjoyable scholarly work that is also suitable for lay audiences. It provides rich and thoughtful insights into a sample of high-performing North American Jewish day schools that are making meaningful contributions to the socialization of North American Jewish youth.

Studies of the inner workings of day schools are sparse and Alex Pomson and Jack Wertheimer’s unique project is a much-needed contribution to the field....Day schools remain a vital strategy in safeguarding Jewish continuity. This book serves as an essential guidebook on how to ensure the sustainability of these important Jewish spaces.