Jewish Federation investing in Temple Sinai
Submitted by webmaster on Mon, 01/30/2012 - 11:08pm
Jewish Federation investing in
Temple Sinai, Beth Israel, Beth Yeshurun and Emanu El schools
The Jewish Federation is partnering with PELIE, Partnership for Effective Learning and Innovative Education, to provide funding for our synagogue/congregational school to participate in the first cohort of Houston schools using the JSASIP, the Jewish School Assessment School Improvement Process. The JSASIP is an effective comprehensive tool used in Jewish communities across North America to assess their schools’ effectiveness and assist in developing an improvement plan. This tool creates a snapshot of the synagogue/school culture, makes the invisible visible, describes best practices in synagogue schools, and provides a shared vocabulary about synagogue school practices for community stakeholders.
The JSASIP is part of the Jewish Federation’s CSI Houston, Congregational School Initiative, which has been in place for the past two years and has focused on professional development and lay leadership development at Temple Sinai and other congregations. The Jewish Federation is providing funding for two assessors to be trained to administer the JSASIP tool in our congregation and school. They will send out online surveys, arrange site visits, and conduct individual interviews in order to collect data from clergy, lay leadership, parents, teachers, and students.
Our congregation’s leadership will receive a report that addresses areas including leadership, instruction, professional development, curriculum, families and parents, co-curricular programs, school culture, facilities, human resources and practices and procedures.
The JSASIP will provide a clear, standardized view of our institution’s educational strengths and needs. The synagogue community will be strengthened and energized to explore educational priorities, reach consensus, target specific areas for improvement, and work together towards achieving common goals.
Training and assessments will take place in late winter/early spring, 2012. Temple Sinai joins Houston’s Big 3 synagogues, Congregation Beth Israel, Congregation Beth Yeshurun, and Congregation Emanu El in participating in this first cohort.
For more information about the JSASIP and other programs of the Jewish Federation’s Bureau of Jewish Education, contact Elaine Kellerman at EKellerman@houstonjewish.org or (713) 729-7000, ext. 310.
