|
 |
Since its inception the IJE has been at the forefront of professional training, program development and research in informal Jewish education. Here are some highlights of the IJE's work:
Community Hebrew High Schools Project
- The IJE's newest initiative will strengthen the field of community Hebrew high schools in the United States. The project will include grants to support the development of new educational programs, new recruitment efforts and full-time professional positions, as well as professional development for educators. The IJE will define best practices for the field through research on existing practice and stimulating new practice. School heads will be brought together in conferences to form a professional network and learn from one another's work. The first conference was held at Brandeis in July 2004. Support for the IJE's Community Hebrew High Schools Project has been generously provided by Legacy Heritage Fund Limited. [more]
-
Seminar in Professional Leadership
- The IJE's Leadership Seminar represents a new model of professional development for informal Jewish educators, based on principles of best practice in informal Jewish education. Leadership seminar alumni have formed a network that continues to advance the field. The leadership seminar model is serving as the basis for new IJE initiatives under development. [more]
Grants
- In January 2002 the IJE awarded grants to four programs with the goal of stimulating and supporting the creation of the next generation of informal education programs for Jewish youth. Our hope was to enhance and expand the field with the ultimate goal of attracting, activating and retaining under-engaged youth. The four programs that received an IJE grant excelled in their innovative and creative approach to engaging teens, and we hope will have a meaningful and lasting Jewish impact on participants. These are projects that were not currently being implemented in the field, which could serve as models in other communities. In addition they had new recruitment strategies for under-engaged youth, and emphasized teen involvement in planning. The agencies were well organized, enthusiastic about the program, and had experienced professionals committed to implementing the projects. [more]
Research
- The IJE has sponsored, in partnership with the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University, the most extensive and in-depth empirical study of Jewish teens in North America to date. This study reveals a far more accurate picture than we have had to date of how Jewish teens view themselves, their world and their Jewish interests. [download report]
|
