Jewish Day School Fellowship
Are you an experienced Jewish day school teacher interested in becoming an effective teacher leader without having to give up classroom teaching? Consider applying to Brandeis’ Jewish Day School Fellowship.
This unique 13-month course of study is a chance for exceptional educators at Jewish day schools to join other talented and experienced teachers from a variety of school settings.
The program will prepare you to create change in your school by improving your pedagogical practices and helping you foster the kind of collaborative culture that leads to greater student and educator learning.
Our curriculum is designed to enable you to study and practice essential leadership skills while working full-time in your school. As a Jewish day school fellow, you will spend two summer sessions at Brandeis participating in rigorous coursework, complete in-service coursework through distance learning during the school year and receive continuous coaching for two years. The fellowship culminates in a two-and-half-day conference in the New York area, where you and other fellows will have an opportunity to showcase your teacher leadership work and network with other teacher innovators from Jewish day schools around the country.
The fellowship covers the costs of the program, which includes room and board at Brandeis for two summers and transportation to and from Boston.
You are eligible to apply if you:
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Currently teach in a Jewish day school.
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Have at least 5 years of teaching experience.
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Excel in the classroom and want to continue teaching.
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Have shown initiative in your classroom or school.
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Possess leadership potential.
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Have the support of your head of school.
If you meet these requirements and are interested in applying, please complete the application for the AGS in Teacher Leadership through the Brandeis University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Enrollment is limited and admissions are rolling. We will begin notifying candidates of acceptance on April 1st.
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Jewish day school teachers apply to the AGS course of study with a "Jewish Day School Fellowship" concentration. If admitted, they are expected to participate in all aspects of the program, which includes: 2 summer sessions at Brandeis, 2 semesters of online coursework during the intervening school year, and 2 years of individualized coaching. Fellows meet with their coaches 2x (or 2 hours) each month to develop their new leadership skills and dispositions and to strategize about moving their initiatives forward in their schools. In the spring after the second year of coaching, Fellows participate in a celebratory Colloquium in the New York metropolitan area with other Jewish day school teachers.
Any teacher teaching in a Jewish day school (K-12) is eligible to apply.
No. Any teacher teaching in a Jewish day school (K - 12) is eligible to apply.
The Brandeis campus is shomer-Shabbat-friendly with kosher dining facilities and on-site Shabbat services. No online sessions are scheduled on Shabbat or other holidays.
Fellows earn credit for 8 graduate courses but do not receive a degree. Fellows who apply to the Master’s degree (EdM) program in Teacher Leadership during their Fellowship can use their Fellowship credits towards the degree. Generous tuition scholarships are available to Jewish Day School Fellows who pursue the EdM.
All costs for the teacher to participate in the program including tuition, travel and room & board during the summer sessions are generously underwritten by a philanthropic Jewish foundation.
The teacher leader initiative addresses an instructional challenge in the school and is endorsed by school leadership. It provides a “lab” for teacher leaders to practice new skills and understandings and to develop an inquiry stance and new professional identity. Many of these initiatives are ongoing (with no fixed endpoint) and evolve over time.
Below are some examples of initiatives from previous cohorts:
- Designing and implementing a peer observation program
- Developing a Mehina curriculum for new day school students with limited Hebrew background
- Developing a more coherent and effective Middle School advisory program
- Creating a PLC (Professional Learning Community) with general and Jewish studies teachers focused on defining effective classroom discussions and strengthening teachers’ capacity to lead such discussions
- Creating a Writing Inquiry Group to examine students' writing and discuss teachers' dilemmas related to writing instruction in grades 1-4
- Creating an induction and mentoring program for new teachers
- Facilitating the implementation of a new curriculum (in math, ELA, Hebrew or Judaic Studies)
The online seminars include asynchronous assignments and approximately 7 synchronous sessions each semester. The synchronous classes take place after school hours, typically on Thursday from 7pm - 9pm EST.
At the moment, we fully expect to host an in-person summer session in July 2022 on the Brandeis campus. If the situation changes, we are ready to roll out the intensive and highly participatory online version of the summer session that we offered in Summer 2020 and Summer 2021.
