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

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my personal involvement in work with these schools to improveinstructional quality. This work is certainly not representative of thetotality of the initiatives of the YUSP in collaboration with the AGS.Another motivation for writing this monograph comes from manyschool leaders who ask me for a book or series of articles from whichthey may glean additional information on instructional quality. I hopethat this monograph will serve as a primer for improving instructionalquality in Jewish day schools and yeshivot.28
Reports from the Field: The Status of InstructionalQuality in Selected Jewish Schools andRecommendations for Improvement“A school learning community must hold curriculum, instruction, andassessment central to its work if it expects to make a difference forstudent learning. The principal’s role has evolved from manager toinstructional leader to facilitator-leader of the school learningcommunity. Through collaborative work of the principal andteachers, curriculum development and instructional and assessmentpractices continually change to conform to the needs of all students.Curriculum, instruction, and assessment are the heart of the schoollearning community. The role of the principal is to facilitate and keepthe school focused on excellent curriculum, instruction, andassessment to meet students’ learning needs and improveachievement.”Marsha Speck (1998)There is a dearth of research and literature on the status ofinstructional quality in Jewish day schools and yeshivot. On a positivenote, there are some studies underway at the Azrieli Graduate School,at the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education at BrandeisUniversity, at New York University and elsewhere in terms ofdoctoral dissertations to assess instructional improvement efforts andactivities in Jewish schools. Although there is a growing body ofresearch and literature in the public sector (e.g., Shulman, Sullivan, &Glanz, 2008) that we can draw on, many of the comments and ideas inthis section of the monograph are necessarily anecdotal. I have drawninsights on the status of instructional quality in selected Jewish dayschools and yeshivot not only from my own work, but also fromcolleagues in the field, both at the university and school practitionerlevels. Also, please note, as I mentioned earlier, that Jewish schoolsare remarkably successful institutions that possess many assets andstellar individuals who lead and work in them. I only raise theconcerns addressed in this section in order to focus awareness on areasof potential improvement that can raise instructional quality in Jewish29
Page 1 and 2: Improving InstructionalQuality in J
Page 4 and 5: Appendix C: Assessing Your Role as
Page 6 and 7: others, involved in a cognate enter
Page 8 and 9: Weissberg, Walberg, & Wang., 2004).
Page 10 and 11: all. “We are never asked for what
Page 12 and 13: administrator. He was well-organize
Page 14 and 15: Sartoris, DiPrima Bickel, & Garnier
Page 16 and 17: grade conferences, etc., effective
Page 18 and 19: school’s teaching practices, the
Page 20 and 21: een made in the areas of science an
Page 22 and 23: learning is more likely to occur th
Page 24 and 25: content, and the need to ensure tha
Page 26 and 27: pattern.] I didn’t really realize
Page 28 and 29: constraints, increase in administra
Page 30 and 31: The Transformational Change Project
Page 32 and 33: that are not strategic, but episodi
Page 36 and 37: schools to even greater levels of s
Page 38 and 39: was: “Well, you know, finding tim
Page 40 and 41: called direct teaching), although e
Page 42 and 43: surprised when no one can answer
Page 44 and 45: RecommendationsI. Teaching1. Teache
Page 46 and 47: standards,” a significant opportu
Page 48 and 49: decide on an area or theme they’d
Page 50 and 51: • Reflective journaling - Another
Page 52 and 53: 3. Deep instructional improvement v
Page 54 and 55: Instructional leadership is about e
Page 56 and 57: 76). Teachers who employ instructio
Page 58 and 59: short answers to two questions. The
Page 60 and 61: may become involved in cooperative
Page 62 and 63: utilized within a differentiated le
Page 64 and 65: Research-Based Teaching Practices i
Page 66 and 67: curriculum? Schools, in my view, to
Page 68 and 69: learning objectives have been ident
Page 70 and 71: Developing curriculum at the planni
Page 72 and 73: 4) Emphasize both the academic and
Page 74 and 75: An Overview of Best Practices in Su
Page 76 and 77: with practices best suited to promo
Page 78 and 79: dialogue and meaningful supervision
Page 80 and 81: • Ongoing - Too much of professio
Page 82 and 83: to do so. In fact, utilizing in-sch
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greatly to meaningful supervision a
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and amplified by James MacGregor Bu
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Leadership is predicated on the fou
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Citing Jim Collins (2002 cited by F
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Notes1. Before continuing, I sugges
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ubric of “professional developmen
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throughs, explains that according t
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members are not fully cognizant or
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AcknowledgementsI thank all the ind
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Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and
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Burke, P. J., & Krey, R. D. (2005).
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Downey, C. J., Steffy, B. E., Posto
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Fullan, M. (2005). Leadership and s
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Good, T., & Brophy, J. E. (2007). L
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Johnson, C. C., & Fargo, J. D. (201
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Marzano, R. J., & Brown, J. L. (200
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Popham, W. J. (2008a). Classroom as
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Shapira-Lishchinsky, O. (2009). Isr
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Tschannen-Moran, M., & McMaster, P.
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Annotated Works on Instructional Le
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This volume is an inspiring introdu
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you want to learn how to teach stud
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AppendicesAppendix A: Instructional
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Suggested responses:1. To be effect
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Appendix C: Assessing Your Role as
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SA A D SD 3. My spoken language as
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Domain 2: The Classroom Environment
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SA A D SD 13. I have a well-defined
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SA A D SD 13. I rarely desire to se
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20. This is a well managed school.
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Appendix F: Teacher Attitude Questi
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41. My colleagues and I usually dis
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