Focus Groups
Notes from CBI Community Meeting on Jewish Education
May 17, 2009
9:45 – 10:45 am
Introduction and Process
There were 38 people in attendance. Jane Fleishman facilitated the meeting giving the goals and ground rules for the meeting. The goals were to discuss important changes to the:
1) Religious School mode
2) teen programming and
3) family education.
The ground rules were 1) respect (‘yes and’ rather than ‘yes but’), 2) listen from your heart, 3) value risk-taking and 4) this meeting is a discussion not a decision-making body.
Background
Rachel Rubinstein, CBI Board Member, and Shelley Schieffelin, Education Committee Co-Chair, presented the background on the changes. Rachel explained it was the Board’s desire to integrate everyone into one larger committee and to create a new position that would involve all parts of the educational spectrum from the religious school, Schechter, 1-5 year olds, and post B’nai Mitzvah teens. Shelley said that the new Education Committee can help with the integration. That committee has been formed with the first meeting being held on 5/20/09. There will be a retreat on 5/31/09 to discuss the USCJ model because that provides standards for excellence and achievement.
Models for Jewish Education
Alison Morse, CBI Education Director, explained that the current model we use coincides with one of the models and that we do not have to choose one model but can adapt these models to fit our needs here at CBI.
Model #1 (see attached) and is the old standard model, but with some variation. Also, our school is in session for fewer hours than any other synagogue. Alison is working with consultants from USCJ and elsewhere who informed her that we can blend these models and that we don’t have to choose just one model.
Model #2 front loads with the younger grades spending more time in class.
Model #3 offers more intensive programs for high school students. Alison discussed the collaborative programs going on in the community now with all the other Jewish organizations (Beit Ahavah, JCA, Greenfield, LGA) in the area with possibly a Hebrew high school in the future.
Model #4 incorporates Shabbat attendance and stepping up the commitment for kids and family education but integrating that into the rest of the community.
Model #5 brings the 6th graders toward the greater community by increasing Torah lessons, dovetails with JTOV (Jewish Teens Of the Valley) and extends the hours or each day of attendance but with fewer days a week.
Model #6 provides the most dramatic change and shifts Sunday school to Shabbat so that students would attend on Shabbat instead of Sundays.
Discussion
Most of the comments concentrated on one of three areas: 1) changes to the Religious School, 2) educational staff including the Education Director and teachers and 3) integrating Religious School students into the greater CBI community.
1. Changes to the Religious School
More openness and transparency in this congregation is important. This meeting seems to be more in the middle, not the beginning of the process.
Rabbi Graubart recognized this as a Conservative synagogue and made sure that everyone felt comfortable here (post-denominational). I’m opposed to making things “required.” Kids have too much pressure already. We need to offer a baseline and people can do more if they want to.
We need to have more hours on Sundays rather than on weekdays because it’s just too much for the kids on weekdays going straight through from 7:30 am – 5:30 pm with little or no break.
There needs to be more family involvement. It can’t just be about educating your kids. If we only educate the kids and not the parents, it’s like heating your house in the winter but leaving the windows open.
I’m suspicious of standards-based educational requirements.
I love the integration of Religious School students and LGA students.
There is a disconnection between family Shabbat programming and Religious School. We love Shabbat programming but it’s hard to make people work on Shabbat. Also, now we have to make a choice between Shabbat and Sunday and it’s too much.
We need to discuss the elephant in the room and learn more about who our community is and how the demographics look. It’s not just LGA families but public school families, Campus school, etc.
We do have standards now, it’s not that we don’t have any standards and we have used them to deal with difficult issues that have come up in the classroom.
This is a community of different needs. Some people do all-day Jewish Day School and some do public school and Hebrew School.
I don’t think there’s been a lack of transparency. The committee has been out there and working but all our lives are busy and it’s easy to miss opportunities.
The weekends are the only free times for kids. If we make more required time for classes the kids might push back.
I don’t want my kids or my family to be here any more than we already are.
Some of us wanted our kids to go to LGA but because of special needs, LGA could not accommodate them. At CBI, my son has so much support through the Religious School.
The after school stuff is a lot, but we’re willing to deal with that. I am sensitive to staff working on Shabbat.
It is appealing to combine three days into two days.
It’s not so much about how much we’re here or when we’re here but what we’re doing when we are here.
More Shabbaton – we loved it.
2. Educational Staff (including Education Director and Teachers)
The new Education Director’s job as it has been explained is too big a job for one person. Is this the venue where we can weigh in on all the changes?
Religious School is doing well in teaching about holidays, etc. We rely on the learning and teaching here and really appreciate Alison’s leadership. My advice is to check in with people who have been here for years. We value you, Alison.
Recruitment and retention of teachers is really important. What can we do to make our education important and exciting? That is what counts.
I am concerned about the nationwide search. Someone may look good on paper but does not know anything about our community. Alison has been dedicated and we may not get someone as dedicated.
Does Alison have a written job description for her current job? Is there a job description for the newly-created job? (Shelley reported that she has a current job description for Alison and they are currently working on the new job description.)
You must have a written job description for what you want before you decide that the person you have now can’t do it.
Be careful what you wish for. If the process is flawed then the end product will be too. Alison needs to have an opportunity to see if she can do this job.
How much would we have to spend on the nationwide search? Would that money come out of the budget?
3. Integrating Religious School students into the greater CBI community
I want to see my kid study Talmud.
I like the idea of kids participating in Shabbat services and Torah readings.
I like the Torah reading idea – will make the Bar/Bat Mitzvah more meaningful.
I am excited about integrating Shabbat into the Religious School program.
Now that my kids are in Sunday school it’s been too hard to come on Shabbat, too and I miss that intergenerational interaction on Shabbat. My community has now shrunk to just a few religious school families. I love the part of Model #6 that does Saturdays instead of Sundays.
We need more connection between what goes on in Religious School with the Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.
THE SIX MODELS FOR JEWISH EDUCATION
MODEL 1
MODEL 2
MODEL 3 MODEL 4 MODEL 5 Most families attend weekly Shabbat services MODEL 6
Most families participate in monthly family education
Most families attend once a month services