Think Tank No. 4 "A Rising Tide Raises All Boats!"

I thought that today would be our fourth and final Think Tank session on synagogue education. I thought today would be the last time I wrote an entry into this blog! Instead, today became a historic moment for Jewish education in the Greater Palm Beaches. Thankfully, after today's SSEI Community Wide Think Tank on Synagogue Education, today is the first day of our Think Tank's decision to forge ahead together...to the future and beyond! The title of today's blog is, "A rising tide raises all boats." Coined by John F. Kennedy, it describes the idea that when an economy is performing well, all people will benefit from it. Today, our Community Wide Think Tank appropriated this expression to describe our own momentum to establish community support for synagogue school education. How apt! Creating a "well-performing economy" of commitment, collaboration and constructive ideas for synagogue school improvement, we are a tide that can raise all the synagogue boats!

Representing our education leaders, lay leaders, and clergy at yesterday's meeting, we listened to three community voices for synagogue education. After hearing our three representatives speak most about what has been meaningful to them about this year's Think Tank, the Synagogue School Enhancement Initiative, and more, the whole group agreed to pursue the following:

• Create a lay/clergy/professional team task force to explore the pros and cons between making our classrooms "fun" versus making them "serious," i.e. where learning is taken seriously
• Create additional task forces which tackle issues such as community wide goals/objectives for students, the “linking” of all the parts to make the whole in synagogue life, developing better professional support networks for teachers...the kinds of issues that we know will help us show that there is a “return on the investment” in synagogue education
• Keep the Think Tank going during the 2010-11 school year... “our continued visible involvement with the issue of synagogue education will show how committed we are to working together”
• Propose more synagogues create visions of congregational engagement
• Use the Think Tank to explore expansion of existing collaborations such as the group marketing strategy currently being developed by Congregation Beit Chaverim, Temple Israel, and Temple Beth El
• Create a community wide marketing and public relations strategy for Jewish education in our community... “a rising tide raises all boats!”

And to top it off, the Think Tank unanimously passed a motion to explore financial support of synagogue school education that includes the signatures of all the supporters--a historic moment for all!

I think I don't need to say anything more here; the Think Tank has said it all! Thank you everyone! Hag Pesah Kasher V'sameah...best wishes for a healthy and happy Passover!

Lynne

Think Tank Digging Deeper to Find What "Works" in Synagogue Schools

When it comes to schools, and everything for that matter, we are living in the age of choice. We are all part of the "consumerist" generation. Parents want what they want, and they know that they just need to find the right "fit" for their child when choosing their child's activities, and that means their child's religious education, too. And, personal relationships with families are what make their children's religious education meaningful to them. Since October, a group of lay, clergy, and professional leaders from Palm Beach community synagogues have been wrestling with the realities, the challenges, and with new ideas for improving synagogue education.

On Wednesday, February 3rd, the Think Tank presented the LIST FAMILY SCHOLAR event at Traditions of West Palm Beach. Sixty lay, clergy, and professional leaders representing twelve area synagogues, the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, CJE, and the JCC participated in the third session of the Synagogue School Enhancement Think Tank. Wednesday's session was highlighted by the List Family Endowment Scholar in Synagogue Education, Professor Jack Wertheimer. Professor Wertheimer is the Joseph and Martha Mendelson Professor of American Jewish History at the Jewish Theological Seminary of North America. For the past three years, he has conducted a complete census of synagogue schools in the United States and ferreted out what makes a great synagogue school. Professor Wertheimer's keynote presentation was "Schools that Work." He spoke about those characteristics common to the synagogue schools he has found in his research over the past three years that make them great schools. Common traits are found in schools which intentionally work to:

1. Develop a community among their students, staff, and parents
2. Take the study of Judaism seriously
3. Create opportunities for students to engage in experiential Jewish education
4. Align all their efforts with school goals
5. Value themselves and their students
6. Regard families as allies and clients

Overall, Professor Wertheimer noted that these traits are not effective one by one, rather only in combination together. He stressed the double meaning of the word, "work." Schools that work also work hard, he said! During the session, participants worked together in teams at their tables to discuss and share answers to these questions:
1. Do you have clearly defined objectives for your educational program?
2. Do you have a mechanism for assessing how you are meeting your objectives?
3. What are the obstacles that prevent you from having either the objectives and/or the assessment?

Everyone knows that answering these questions is no easy task. Why? Because before such questions can begin to be answered, everyone must agree that regardless of all their different possible opinions, motives, and pre-conceived thoughts on goals and objectives, they can and will come to a consensus regarding their priorities and from there, craft the answers. Once over the "consensus hump," forward movement is all "downhill!"

Professor Wertheimer inspired participants to do just that, and we look forward to meeting again on March 24th to determine together one or more action strategies we can implement collectively as a community to enhance synagogue school education in the coming year. Post your action strategies here or email us!