Pursuing Excellence in Jewish EarlyPursuing Excellence in Jewish EarlyChildhood Education:A Case Study ofChildhood Education:A Case Study ofJECEI’s Transformative Change ModelJECEI’s Transformative Change Model

June 2011

Dr. Pat Bidol Padva, JECEI Executive Director

Dr. Roberta Louis Goodman, JECEI Consultant

1

Paper PurposePaper Purpose

This paper is a case study of how atransformative change effort affectsquality in Jewish ECE and how thatpursuit of quality results in theengagement of families in Jewishliving and learning long term.

2

Jewish ECE as a GatewayJewish ECE as a Gateway

Parenthoodprecipitates majorchanges (Rosen)

Families with youngchildren is a crucialtime for instillingJewish identity,engaging parents,seeking communalconnections(Vogelstein)

Only 14% of childrenare in Jewish ECE

Parents make choicesabout Jewish ECEbecause of quality ofschool’s operation(Ben-Avie)

Connection betweenchild care quality andchildren’s development

(Ben-Avie,Vogelstein)

3

What is JECEI?What is JECEI?

2 long-termoutcomes from JECEILogic Model:

Expand # of childrenin quality Jewish ECE

Move families towardenriched Jewish lifeand ongoing Jewishlearning

JECEI focuses on 3areas:

Quality earlychildhood education

Engaging families inJewish living &learning

Shared leadershipamong professionals,parents, lay leaders

4

JECEI RESEARCH &JECEI RESEARCH &EVALUATION DATAEVALUATION DATA

Database

5

WHAT JECEI CHANGES:WHAT JECEI CHANGES:OUTCOMESOUTCOMES

#1 Quality Early Childhood Education#2 Jewish Living and Learning#3 Shared Leadership

6

#1 QUALITY IN EARLY#1 QUALITY IN EARLYCHILDHOODCHILDHOODEDUCATION:AFFECTSEDUCATION:AFFECTSJEWISH ENGAGEMENTJEWISH ENGAGEMENT

Parents view of the Purpose of Jewish ECEin General rather than Jewish Terms

Schools Strong SocialSkills

Competence inAbilities

Sense of JewishValues

Original JECEISchools

65% 59% 30%

Wave 2 of JECEISchools

80% 69% 22%

Wave 3 JECEITransformationalSchools

76% 61% 17%

Wave 3 JECEITransitional Schools

75% 64% 19%

Project KavodComparison Group

75% 64% 19%

7

#1 QUALITY IN EARLY#1 QUALITY IN EARLYCHILDHOODCHILDHOODEDUCATION:AFFECTSEDUCATION:AFFECTSJEWISH ENGAGEMENTJEWISH ENGAGEMENT

Why parents select a Jewish ECESchool?

Two most important factors:

Quality of the staff and educators (4.88)

Quality of the child development program (4.77)

Parents’ perceptions of a school’s qualitypredicted, was linked, to increased participation inJewish living and learning and the impact of thoseexperiences on the families’ Jewish behavior andattitudes (Ben-Avie et al, 2011)

8

#2 Engaging Families in Jewish Living and Learning: In#2 Engaging Families in Jewish Living and Learning: In--marriedmarriedand Intermarried Familiesand Intermarried Families

During this school year parents participated in the following school programs:During this school year parents participated in the following school programs:

26%

40%

16%19%

39%

13%

8%

16%

3%6%

14%

1%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

Adult Jewish learning Parenting programs Havurah

JECEI Schools Jews only N = 534 JECEI Schools Intermarried only N = 82

Palm Beach Schools Jews only N = 296 Palm Beach Intermarried only N = 91

9

#2 Engaging Families in Jewish Living and Learning:#2 Engaging Families in Jewish Living and Learning:InIn--married and Intermarried Familiesmarried and Intermarried Families

Increases in Non-Engaged Inmarried and Intermarried,Bailis and Shevitz, 2010, p. 20

% ReportIncrease

Becoming more involved in the Jewish community as a result ofenrollment of children at JECEI centers

+70%

Feeling good about being Jewish +68%

Providing a rhythm to family’s day, week, year through Jewish practicessuch as Shabbat and holidays

+67%

Feeling joy in being Jewish +64%

Feeling a strong sense of meaning in our lives +63%

Feeling more comfortable participating in Jewish practice +63%

Feeling part of the chain of the Jewish people from the distant past andinto the future

+61%

My family will join a temple, JCC, or other Jewish group +53%

Likelihood of child/ren attending Jewish camp in the future +43%

Likelihood of children attending Hebrew/congregational school +39%

Likelihood of children attending Jewish day school in future +26%

10

#2 ENGAGING FAMILIES IN#2 ENGAGING FAMILIES INJEWISH LIVING AND LEARNING:JEWISH LIVING AND LEARNING:

ININ--MARRIED ANDMARRIED ANDINTERMARRIED FAMILIESINTERMARRIED FAMILIES

Jewish FriendsFrom Bailis and Shevitz

Doing Jewish things with other families

◦ 81% of families reporting some increase

◦ 30% of families reporting a lot of increase

Increased likelihood of socializing with otherJews

◦ 67% of not previously engaged inmarried families

◦ 73% of not previously engaged intermarried

11

#3 SHARED LEADERSHIP:#3 SHARED LEADERSHIP:INCREASES ENGAGEMENTINCREASES ENGAGEMENTIN JEWISH LIVING &IN JEWISH LIVING &LEARNINGLEARNING

JECEI Leadership Teams

When we look only at parents who say that they arenow doing things “a lot” more as a result of JECEI,we see a large difference between the leaders andthe rest of the parents. More of the leaders havechanged a lot. On seven of the eight measures, therange of the differences between the two groupswas between 18% and 26%” (Bailis and Shevitz2010, p. 25).

12

Example of Shared Leadership

I brought up [building a sukkah from scratch]during the JECEI meeting and the teachersthought what a fantastic way to start theyear….What a great way to connect to ourchildren and families through a community wideexperience.

a JECEI Leadership Team parent member

QualityEarly

ChildhoodEducation

FamiliesEngaged in

Jewish Livingand Learning

SharedLeadership

13

HOW JECEI FACILITATESHOW JECEI FACILITATESTRANSFORMATIONTRANSFORMATIONCHANGECHANGE

#4 JECEI model of effectiveness increases over time#5 Educators need support to implement transformativechange#6 Articulating outcomes and principles of quality augmentsthe transformative change process

14

#4 JECEI MODEL OF#4 JECEI MODEL OFEFFECTIVENESSEFFECTIVENESSINCREASES OVERTIMEINCREASES OVERTIME

Teachers’ Understanding and Useof JECEI Components

AllCenters

NewerCenters

AdvancedCenters

Difference

Degree to which mostteachers follow the JECEIapproach

62% 42% 73% +31%

Degree to which ownteaching follows the JECEIapproach

65% 54% 72% + 18%

Degree to which moreteachers understand theJECEI approach

59% 43% 67% +24%

Own understanding of theJECEI approach

76% 62% 84% +22%

15

#4 JECEI model of effectiveness increases#4 JECEI model of effectiveness increasesover timeover time

Creating a paradigmshift to a new reality:

Formula

D xV x F > R

Dissatisfaction xVisionx First Steps >Resistance

“There is a growingbody of evidencethat the effectivenessof the programmingin JECEI centersincreases over time”

(Shevitz and Bailis,2010, p. 4)

16

#5 Educators need support to implement#5 Educators need support to implementthe JECEI transformation change modelthe JECEI transformation change model

Use or application lags behind knowledge

“higher proportions of teachers understandthe Reggio-inspired way of teaching andJECEI’s Jewish lenses than consistently usethem in the classroom”

(Shevitz & Bailis, 2010, p. 5)

17

#6 ARTICULATING OUTCOMES#6 ARTICULATING OUTCOMESAND PRINCIPLES OF QUALITYAND PRINCIPLES OF QUALITYAUGMENTSTHEAUGMENTSTHETRANSFORMATIVE CHANGETRANSFORMATIVE CHANGEPROCESSPROCESS

JECEI 13 Principles of Quality:Concretized the JECEI Approach

JECEI Accreditation Procedure: School Guide 2010 Principles of Quality and Evidence

JECEI Principle of Quality: Small group project work and documentation are part of thecurricular process of teachers engaging students in constructing the learning experience.

4.1 Engaging children in constructing the learning process

4.1.3 Teachers use provocations to encourage children’s exploration

4.1.4 Teachers use their observation of and/or conversations with children to informlearning experiences

4.3 Documenting children’s learning

4.3.1 Teachers regularly engage in the process of observation and documentation as a wayof facilitating learning and growth

4.3.5 Teachers document children’s exploration of Judaism and Jewish life

4.3.9 Teachers use documentation as a vehicle for communicating with parents about theirchild’s learning experience. JECEI 13 principles of quality

18

Implications for Jewish ECE andImplications for Jewish ECE andChange InitiativesChange InitiativesOutcomes

Excellence in Jewish Early Childhood Educationmatters: it is the path to increasing Jewishengagement.

Jewish early childhood education can be thegateway to Jewish engagement, both personallyand communally, for intermarried and in-married families that funders seek.

Change initiatives can help Jewish earlychildhood schools go from good to great withimportant results and benefits for all.

19

Implications for Jewish ECE andImplications for Jewish ECE andChange InitiativesChange InitiativesKey Factors for FacilitatingTransformative Change

Professionals partnering with parents in decision makingaround Jewish living and learning makes a difference inthe lives of the parents doing the planning, the otherparents, the school, and host institution.

Vision combined with indicators or benchmarks is apowerful combination for raising quality, transforming aninstitution.

Creating sustainable educational change – the stickinessfactor - a) takes time, b) focuses on the wholeinstitution, and c) requires support for teachers whograsp new approaches to translate them into theclassroom.

20