Improving Instructional Quality in Jewish Day Schools and Yeshivot ...

pedagogy, skills in teaching methodology, and dispositionsthat promote high standards and expectations for learningamong all students, regardless of ability (Darling-Hammond,2000; Heck, 2007).• Teacher quality can be attributed, in part, to years of teachingexperience (e.g., teachers with five years of teachingexperience promote higher academic gains in students than doteachers with only a few years of experience); formal teachercertification; and possession of an advanced degree ineducation pedagogy and/or in the content area (Darling-Hammond, 2000).• Teachers grow professionally when they are mentored orsupervised gradually with adequate instructional,administrative, and social supports (Wong, 2008).• Induction and mentoring programs that are well-coordinatedimprove the practice of beginning teachers (Brown & Wynn,2007; Court, 2008; Feiman-Nemser & Troen, 2008; Gray, 2002;Moir, Gless, Barlin, & Miles, 2009; Shapira-Lishchinsky,2009).• Supervision needs to be viewed as a collaborative, ongoing,non-judgmental process that engages all teachers, regardless ofexperience, in conversations that promote reflection aboutteaching and learning, leading to change of teaching practiceswith the aim of increasing student achievement (Sewall, 2009;Sullivan, 1999; Sullivan & Glanz, 2009; Waters, Marzano, &McNulty, 2003).• Teacher evaluation, by itself, does not promote instructionalexcellence (Giliya, 2006; Holland & Adams, 2002; Nolan, Jr. &Hoover, 2007).This monograph affirms the critical nature of instructional leadershipas the main responsibility of a Jewish day school leader. 9 It is meant toprovide Jewish school leaders with the theory and tools necessary tomeet the instructional challenges, demands, and crises facing Jewishschools in the twenty-first century (Cisco, Intel, & Microsoft, 2009;Drucker, 1999; Hargreaves, 2009).23