I think that it is time that the world of Jewish education in the United States recognized that its Day School model is facing a double threat. It is being threatened by the increase in its tuition and by the growth of the Hebrew Charter School  movement.  I would like to propose a solution in advance of the Hebrew Charter School  movement making significant inroads.

The strongest argument in favor of Day Schools is the social environment that it presents.  Parents who leave…

After observing a traditional Hebrew School that met by weekly on Wednesday and Sunday I felt there was something stale and missing in what I was seeing hence the desire to change. I was grateful that the school had very few children and it was a synagogue willing to see change happen. There was a vision that needed to be checked with reality yet seemed worth trying. Coming from a background of family centered education, constructivist in nature and inspired by the work of the Reggio Emilia…

These days, you don't have to be at a conference to get some of the benefits of the sessions and the conversation.  As with many other Jewish events, there's plenty of tweeting going on from the NATE Conference in Seattle, now underway.  Follow the action at #nateseattle.

And, you can still read the Twitter feed from last week's JEA Conference at #jea59.

Wes Fryer, an educator and blogger (Moving at the Speed of Creativity), has issued the following challenge:

What does it mean to have vision as an educational leader in 2011?

Learn more here - share, create, amplify :)  In 30…

In honor of Tu B'shvat, today's eJewishPhilanthropy.com has a nice post from Rabbi Eliav Bock, director of Ramah Outdoor Adventure, on our relationship with the natural world -- and a good commercial for summer camp generally.  It's also accompanied by a cute video. 

He writes: 

"The holiday of Tu B’Shvat is intended to make us stop and consider our relationship to the earth. At a Tu B’shvat seder, we sit with friends, sing songs about nature, eat special fruits that represent…

Wondering what it would look like....  mulling over these two articles that I came across today:

How to Spend $100 Million to Really Save Education by Anya Kamenetz, Fast Company

The New Hebrew School Will Take A Village by Rabbi Joy Levitt, New York Jewish Week

So, how would you redesign Jewish education from the ground up (or whatever direction -…

Hi, all! Lisa Colton and I thought you might be interested in Darim's Networked Nonprofit Book Club on Facebook.  Read Lisa's post below to learn more (cross-posted from JewPoint0). The book is all about change and doing our work differently in the "networked age."  Lots of ideas and implications that can cross over to/from the discussions here at the Jewish Education Change Network.

 …

Shalom all (or where I hail from, "Y'all"):

As I have explored the online world of educators these last few months, through twitter and several online communities, I have felt a real sense of growth as an educator. This week I hope to share some of those experiences with my faculty during a conference, where I will be presenting on the topic of "Creating a Personal Learning Network (PLN) Online." 

 …

Big social challenges can rarely be met by single actors -- whether institutions or funders.  To make real progress in achieving broad outcomes, e.g., giving every Jewish child an engaging, inspiring, impactful Jewish education, what some leading thinkers today are calling "collective impact" is needed.  Collective impact involves collaboration among multiple institutions and funders, but with specific structures and processes in place that help ensure that the collaboration is truly…

Chevre,

Click on this, and share your thoughts with our colleagues in  the JECN.

cross posted on YU 2.0...

Thanks to R'Tzvi Pittinsky for (as usual!) bringing a great EdTech article to my…

The idea of the 'social sermon,' a concept pioneered by Darim Online that encourages rabbis to involve congregants in learning with them and helping to develop their weekly sermons by using Twitter or Facebook, seems to be gaining visibility.  The idea also seems to have applicability well beyond the context of the synagogue sermon.  How about using it with teens or to make learning for busy young adults more practical?

Check out the story from the Covenant Foundation, which…