Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School Content 3 Institutional History - - PDF document

Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School

3 Institutional History 4 Who are we? 8 Student Demographics 10 Student Test Scores 12 Technology Integration 14 Successes & Challenges 16 Differentiation

Content

19 Finances 20 Marketing & Recruitment 22 Long-Range Planning

2

Institutional History

1949 1965 1972 1982 1998 2003 2006-07 2007 2007-08 2012 2014-15 2015-16 Akiba South Side Day School established (Orthodox) Solomon Schechter South Side School established by Congregation Rodfei Zedek (Conservative) Akiba South Side Day School and Solomon Schechter South Side School merge to form Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School (ASJDS) and begins

• perating in buildings owned by Congregation Rodfei Zedek

ASJDS preschool opens ASJDS purchases land and two buildings (Hoffman House and Preschool Building) from Congregation Rodfei Zedek Hoffman House replaced with new award-winning building designed by architect John Ronan Preschool building renovated Coleman Family Playground opens ASJDS begins participating in the B’not Sherut program Mike’s Place Preschool Playground opens Five-Year Strategic Plan approved ASJDS Received provisional membership in ISACS

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OUR MISSION We seek to promote academic ex- cellence and develop students with strong Jewish identities. By focusing

• n the individual gifts and needs of

each student, our teachers create a caring family of learners who are com- mitted to responsible citizenship, the performance of mitzvot and support for the State of Israel and its people. THE PRESCHOOL The Preschool is a community school that creates a safe, stimulating, and nurturing

• environment. From Reggio Emilio-inspired

classrooms to a curriculum that emerges from the students, our program reflects learning through play. Through secure rela- tionships and hands-on activities, children develop a sense of independence and au- tonomy, as well as an ability to understand the needs and concerns of others.

Who are we?

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THE KINDERGARTEN The Kindergarten is a community school that serves as the ideal bridge from Preschool to Elementary School, both for children who continue their education at Akiba-Schechter and for those who do

• not. Kindergarten is the perfect balance of

play and academics, and builds intangible, but fundamental skills: voicing an opinion, socializing, asking questions, thinking criti- cally, and working in a group.

THE DAY SCHOOL At Akiba-Schechter, we teach children— not subjects—giving them the skills of lifelong learning. Our child-centered ap- proach empowers teachers to be creative within a set of core pedagogical principles, such as project-based study. Our family-like environment, strong sense of community, and small student-teacher ratios help us focus on learning to love learning as much as acquiring knowledge. LOWER SCHOOL In grades 1-4, the focus is literacy in both General and Judaic studies. In multi-age classrooms, children in 1st /2nd grade read

• ne-on-one with a teacher daily. Open-

ended and collaborative assignments promote the fact that there is not one right

• answer. In addition to learning to read,

write and speak in modern Hebrew, chil- dren also gain literacy of holidays, the Torah portions, and biblical Hebrew.

Who are we?

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MIDDLE SCHOOL In Middle School, the focus shifts toward in-

• dependence. Through hands-on activities,

problem-based learning, and seminar-like discussions, students learn to ask good questions and find meaningful answers. Subject matter often transcends the class- room through large-scale projects like debates, mock trials, and historical re-enact-

• ments. High standardized test scores,

awards in statewide competitions, and numerous other scholastic achievements bear out the success of our approach. Core elements of our Day School include the Buddy Program, which promotes au- thentic inter-age relationships; the Bnot Sherut Program, which integrates informal Israel education into the school’s culture, and Facing History & Ourselves, which provides strategies for wrestling with texts, history and society. Through FH, ASJDS helps its students to be empathetic, reflec- tive upstanders.

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Skokie West Rogers Park Lakeview/Lincoln Park Hyde Park South Loop Other

45% 13% 18% 9% 7% 8%

P/T R!S!G! Age 2 Age 3 Age 4 KDG 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

NUMBER OF STUDENTS (Total: 267)

5 10 15 20 25 30 35

15 13 12 32

34

20 18 17 20 14 24 18 15 15

Student Demographics

Communities Represented 2015-2016 Enrollment by Grade

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1988-89 1990-91 1992-93 1994-95 1996-97 1998-99 2001-01 2002-03 2004-05 2006-07 2008-09 2010-11 2012-13 2014-15 2015-16

KDG-8 Preschool

Enrollment Over Time

19 8 3 10 15 2 7

Ida Crown Jewish Academy Chicagoland Jewish High School Fasman Yeshiva High School Hannah Sach Bais Yaakov CPS Selective Enrollment* U of C Lab High School Other Numbers represent students, not percentages.

Graduates, Last 5 Years

13/19 students who applied to CPS selective enrollment high schools were admitted to their 1st choice: Walter Payton, Jones, Northside, or Whitney Young. 6/7 students who applied to the U of C Lab High School were accepted. 100% of students who applied to Jewish high schools were admitted to their 1st choice.

50 100 150 200 250 300 350

Payton, 6 Whitney Young, 3 Jones, 3 Northside Prep, 2 Lane Tech, 1

*

Attendance Admission

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Akiba-Schechter administers TerraNova tests to students each year. It is a norm- referenced, nationally standardized achieve- ment test, with norms set to the time time of year in which the tests are taken (in this case, the .6 mark), which makes the appropriate grade equivalent to the grade level plus .6.

Measuring Up

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Nat’l GME*, Reading Akiba- Schechter Reading Akiba- Schechter Mathematics Nat’l GME, Mathematics *GME = Grade Mean Equivalent Grade Level Achieved

Grade 5 6 7 8 15 12 9 6 3

2015

Grade

Grade Level Achieved

5 6 7 8 15 12 9 6 3

2013

6.8 10.4 7.4 9.0 6.7 11.1 5.9 8.4 7.4 13.0 7.8 12.9 7.4 13.0 7.4 12.4 6.8 11.0 5.5 6.3 7.4 12.4 7.2 10.7 7.1 12.3 6.7 10.9 7.5 13.0 6.0 10.6

Grade Level Achieved

Grade 5 6 7 8 15 12 9 6 3

2014

7.1 10.7 7.2 9.4 7.1 12.2 6.7 9.7 6.3 11.1 6.1 9.8 7.4 13.0 7.4 13.0

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O

n the whole, Akiba-Schechter faculty and stafg have a measured approach to technology using it more often as a tool for learning or communication rather than an end in itself. Unfortunately, the use of technology in our curriculum and classrooms varies greatly across the grade levels and subject areas. Our strategic plan calls for “technology integration bench marked to the best schools” to be realized within the next 4-5 years. To date, we have been hindered by a historically sub-par internet reliability and limited funds for upgrading our equipment. We will benefjt from focusing on this area more intently in the coming months and years. We are in need of a comprehensive technology strategy with a budget and stafg training to go with it. That said, there are many highlights in our use of technology. Here are a few: Several classes (including the 7th/8th grade Hu- manities classes, a 5th/6th grade Science class, and a 5th/6th grade Chumash class) host student driven class blogs that are used to continue and further learning beyond the daily lessons. Several Middle School hebrew classes are taught using the Ulpan-Or online curriculum.

Technology Integration

Students learn the beginning of coding as early as 1st grade with the help of Micro-worlds software. 3rd/4th graders spend time each week learning to keyboard. Students in grades 3-8 are expected to use Mi- crosoft software including Excel and PowerPoint, website building programs such as Weebly, and movie making software such as i-Movie to com- plete various presentations and assignments throughout the year. Students in grades 5-8 rely heavily on Google Docs to work on drafts of written assignments both individually and in groups. Teachers readily provide comments, often in real time, within the Google Doc which streamlines the drafting and editing processes. At least 5 classrooms use Smart Boards as a regu- lar tool for instruction, but often not in more ad- vanced ways than a simple projector.

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Successes and Challenges

Student Successes

For the last three years, a student has been one of the top three finalists in the state competition of the Scripps Na- tional Spelling Bee. For the last several years, a student’s paper has placed 1st in the state in the Illinois Junior Academy of Sciences State Science Fair. Last year, several students went on to the state competition of National History Day. Of these students,

• ne of them went on to represent the school at the national

level in College Park, MD. This was the school’s second time participating in the competition.

Institutional Successes

Akiba-Schechter has undertaken several major efforts in both the academic and the institutional realm. Last year, the school became a partner organization with Facing History and Ourselves, a professional development

• rganization for teachers in the Humanities. Eight of our teach-

ers have attended workshops and several of them are directly integrating the FH curriculum into their courses. Almost all teachers are implementing FH strategies into their classroom. This year, ASJDS began the process of becoming a member of the Independent Schools Association of Central States. We are now a provisional member, await- ing final certification. This year, the Board of Directors passed a 5-year Strategic Plan that assessed the school’s strengths, weak- nesses, and opportunities for growth. For the last several years, ASJDS has participated in a longitudinal parent survey conducted by the third party Measuring Success. Last year, the school once again partnered with Measuring Success to conduct this survey, as well as ones directed to alumni and prospective par-

• ents. Finally, the school partnered with PEJE to conduct

the Day School Growth Survey. Akiba-Schechter’s Preschool and Kindergarten have long been recognized as leaders in the Reggio Emilia early childhood philosophy, which focuses on curriculum that emerges from the students, integrating the home and school atmosphere, and play-based learning. This past year, three ASJDS Preschool teachers were sponsored to visit Reggio Emilia, Italy to learn more about this

• philosophy. Then they were able to share their fiindings, as

well as their plans for integrating these findings into their curriculum, through a panel presentation.

Challenges

Akiba-Schechter’s greatest challenge right now is fund-

• ing. This is directly tied to our space needs, which have
• utgrown our facilities. For the last three years, ASJDS

has rented space from the synagogue next door. Unfor- tunately, this model is unsustainable. Schedules are structured to minimize each student’s time in the alternate

Akiba-Schechter’s greatest challenge right now is funding. Tiis is directly tied to our space needs, which have outgrown our facilities. Part of the rea- son our graduates are such caring people is that they mentor younger stu- dents and set positive examples. Tiis is crucial to our school’s mission, but increasingly diffjcult to do when students are divided by buildings.

space, in order to avoid feelings of disconnection from the school community. We pride ourselves on older and younger students working together, and a divided campus makes these kind of organic opportunities almost impos-

• sible. Part of the reason our graduates are such caring

people is that they mentor younger students, practice leadership, and set positive examples. This is crucial to

• ur school’s mission, but increasingly diffjcult to do

when students are divided. Space needs afgect recruitment as well. When showing prospective families the Preschool or Lower School, there is little opportunity for them to see older students or their classes. Even when parents only look at Kindergarten or the primary grades, they are always impressed by our older students. This rarely happens

• rganically now since families must actively go to another

building to observe 7/8th graders. Stafg morale is also affected by space needs. The Judaic staff feels disconnected from the school com- munity, since most spend their entire day at an alternate

• space. They feel little ownership of the classrooms at the

synagogue because they cannot create permanant space decisions, nor do they have the appropriate leeway to set up their classrooms. One of the school’s academic goals is to inte- grate Judaic and General Studies more actively. This is much more difficult when these two departments are physically separated and disconnected from each other. Students and staff waste much time moving between buildings, and more supervisory staff is needed to trans- port individual children between buildings. These, and many other considerations, afgect student and stafg recruitment. By 2017, renting space from the synagogue will no longer be an available option, and we will need to seek even more remote spaces to meet our current numbers. The need for funding--which will help support the building or purchase

• f additional space--cannot be overstated.

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Difgerentiation

At Akiba-Schechter, we are conscious of students’ indi- vidual needs and have always focused on meeting them--ac- ademically, socially and emotionally. Great care is given, when hiring, supporting and educating staff, to the importance of being sensitive to all students’ needs and different learning

• styles. This is something we are known for in the Jewish day

school community and in our general community. “Special needs” can mean anything from needing to learn English as a second language, to needing to move around periodically, or to being gifted and needing classes that are intellectuallychallenging. ASJDS’s philosophy has always been that all students should be receiving individual- ized instruction, which means the need for procuring “special needs” instruction is minimized. One of the ways ASJDS minimizes this is through its multi-age classrooms. In any normal classroom, children are seen as fitting on a limited spectrum. Teachers traditionally teach to the middle, remediating one end and enriching the

• ther. At Akiba-Schechter, we take the “real” norm--which is

that children are completely different there is no “middle”-- and make it the established norm. In other words, students naturally progress at their own rate, regardless of what sorts of

Difgerentiated instruction, the idea that teaching must look difgerent for every student, is at the heart of Akiba-Schechter’s philosophy, which is that we teach students, not subjects.

external demands are placed on them. The traditional graded classroom forces students to align their progress with an imaginary timeline. Those students who can’t, for a myriad of reasons, begin a spiral of failure. Conversely, students who ad- vance more quickly than the class “middle” soon grow bored and lose their love for learning. In our multi-aged classrooms, class instruction and assignments are structured to be more

• pen-ended and flexible in nature, so that they differentiate
• rganically. Consequently, the number of students who can’t

succeed within the program is limited. That being said, occasions definitely arise in which teach- ers need the guidance of additional professionals. From ELAN Educational Center’s inception years ago, Bryna Towb has visited our school once a week to support staff in their goal of differentiating instruction for all students. ELAN is a network

• f services for Jewish Children with learning difficulties, their

families, teachers, and school administrators. Three years ago, we hired an experienced Learning Specialist, who is now the case manager for many students re- quiring additional attention. The Head of School meets with her almost daily to discuss specific students. She, in turn, meets with individual teachers, groups of teachers, parents and students to differentiate curriculum and modify expectations to help students be successful. She also oversees students who received Title I services. Our school has received Title I services since they have been available through No Child Left Behind and the ATT. As a participant of REACH (Resources for Educational Achievement, Collaboration and Health) programs, ASJDS is now visited by speech and occupational therapists who work with students and consult with teachers. Additionally, the school has formed close relationships with

• utside support staff so that it can be a resource to parents for

additional services like educational evaluations, vision therapy, social support groups, and psycho-therapy. We deploy all of these resources, and others, to make sure our students are receiv- ing the individualized attention that is so crucial to our mission.

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Finances

The Budget

The 2015-16 (FY16) budget calls for income of $3,829,690, which includes 80.0% from tuition revenues, 8.5% from fundraising, 11.3% from grants, and 0.2% from other sources. Costs in 2015-16 are budgeted to be $3,858,019, including 74.3% for payroll, 7.2% for general/administrative, 0.7% for tech- nology, 7.5% building occupancy, and 1.7% financing costs (interest and related fees). Elementary expenses (7.6% of the budgeted costs) include the rental of off-site rooms and facilities from Congregation Rodfei Zedek.

Financial Aid

For many, the cost of private school education is prohibitive. Consequently, Akiba-Schechter provides 48% of its day school student body with some level of fjnancial aid. However, there is no formal reserve fund for fjnancial

• aid. In efgect, the school discounts tuition. This means

that out of the tuition billed, approximately 28% of it--

• r $724,973--is subsidized by the operating budget.

Development

Development at Akiba-Schechter is in transition as we work to establish and maintain a strong, sustainable development program for the future. Historically, annual development at Akiba-Schechter has been focused on event fundraising centered around an annual benefit dinner. In accordance with best practices and in an effort to meet the increasing financial needs of the school, the first-ever annual campaign was initiated this school year. The campaign ran from November 1 to December 31, 2015 and 78% of this year’s budgeted annual fundraising goal has been met. The annual fundraising event will shift to a more social function for school stakeholders to build community and celebrate the school. Over the last two years, this event has slowly modified from a traditional dinner and will continue to adapt in conjunction with the overall strategic changes in development at Akiba-Schechter. Development is one of the goals emphasized in the school’s recent strategic plan. Specifically, increasing fund- raising to at least 13% of the total budget. As ASJDS’s donor base is extremely small, new funds will have to come from

• utside of the community. Additional changes include:

Establish a board member fundraising or donation requirement Devote adequate financial resources toward Development Create a rainy-day fund Build an endowment to at least twice the annual budget In addition to annual fundraising, Akiba-Schechter is sup- ported through the generosity of grants from JUF, the Kehillah Fund for Jewish Education, ATT, Crown Family Phi- lanthropies, Avi Chai Foundation, and the Bernard Heerey Family Foundation. Support from these funders is critical to meeting the tuition assistance needs of current Akiba- Schechter families and prospective families wishing to send their children to Jewish day school.

Akiba-Schechter provides 48% of its day school student body with some level of fjnancial aid. 28% of tuition revenue--or $724,973--is subsidized by the Operating budget.

Those factors, in order of importance, are: Jewish development (a values-based education), academic excel- lence (measured by critical thinking and access to multiple attractive high school options) and teacher responsive- ness to parent and child concerns (individualized attention). ASJDS scores very well in the latter two, poorly in the first. Consequently, many of our marketing efforts are directed at “connecting the dots” on why Jewish education equals fami- lies’ desired outcomes for their children. ASJDS’s audience can be broken down into prospective families, who, our data tells us, are comparing us most heavily to other non-Jewish private schools; and current families, who are not necessarily “sold” on day school education but who are, of course, the “low-hanging fruit.” Our job is to make sure they continue from Preschool through the Grades. To do this, we must show the value proposition of Jewish day school education, but specifically, Akiba-Schechter. Show that this Jewish education equals all of the desired goals: (val- ues, academic excellence, individualized attention.)How? Com- municate more efgectively and frequently about the Judaic Program (via individual emails from teachers, more coverage of the intentionality of the curriculum in communica- tions like the website, Kibitzer, the Annual Report/Newsletter, “What’s Behind It?” seasonal postcards, social media, internal school signage, and ecards). Illustrate that an ASJDS education equals better access to top-tier high schools, better than other schools in our cohort. Collect and broadcast this data more frequently, via channels just mentioned as well as events like the Alumni Panel. Promote alumni accomplish- ments more actively, connecting the dots that an ASJDS

Marketing & Recruitment

Tie Marketing Plan is a direct response to the Strategic Plan’s SWOT Analysis and the Parent Survey. Both articulate our preceived strengths and weaknesses, as well as the major reasons a family chooses to send their child to day school.

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education leads to well -rounded, reflective, menschlich thinkers and leaders. Use above channels as well as alumni speaker events. Position ASJDS as a thought-leader in Jewish education via above channels, as well as more cov- erage in the press and more frequent online conversations in social media. Create “buzz” about ASJDS via a social media presence that networks, as opposed to broadcasts. Recruitment efforts drive and dovetail with all of the aforementioned goals. Most recently, recruitment is transitioning to a focus on retaining current families-

• specifically, on making sure Preschool families continue

into the Grades--and that all families in the Grades gradu-

• ate. These efforts include: the creation of a retention

committee that proactively reaches out to families in danger of leaving, a parent ambassador program, and more consistent and individualized communication between teachers and families. To attract prospective families, recruitment efforts have focused most recently on tapping into already exist- ing hubs for young families, for example: JBaby and PJ

• Library. By “soft-selling” our pedagogy and faculty at

these events, propsective parents make connections to

• ur Preschool and its personalities. Even more important,

when families attend an event that is incidentally hosted in ASJDS’s building, this provides opportunities for prospective families to see ASJDS without making any commitments.

How Can JUF Help ASJDS?

ASJDS could benefit from a number of services. Cohesive marketing of Jewish day school education, security funding, more early childhood recruitment efforts, and student support services like those offered by REACH. These might include funding positions for speech and occupational therapists, educational testing, a school nurse, and a school social worker. 22

Last year, the Board of Directors’ Long-Range Planning Committee undertook an audit of Akiba-Schechter’s educational, fjnancial, and administrative needs in

• rder to create a new 5-year Strategic Plan. Tie following grew out of that plan.

Maintain momentum in achieving our Development

• goals. In order to support all of the strategic goals that have

come out of the Strategic Plan, ASJDS needs new funding sources, specifically, it must increase fundraising to at least 13%

• f the Operating Budget.

Integrate technology more fully into the curriculum. This is an area in which Akiba-Schechter has traditionally lagged behind, mostly due to lack of funding. ISACS accredidation. The accredidation process for becoming an Independent School is well underway. ASJDS just recently received its provisional membership. Develop a plan to address our Space needs. ASJDS has outgrown its facility and will soon lose even the space it currently rents at an alternate facility. (This is a huge drain on resources and hinders recruitment efforts. See page 14 for more details on this, as well as page 19 for more information

• n the Development Plan to address this need.)

Long-Range Planning

Akiba Schechter Jewish Day School is a partner with the Jewish United Fund in serving our community

• Inspire. Challenge. Nurture.

5235 S. Cornell Avenue // Chicago, IL 60615 Phone: 773-493-8880 // Fax: 773-493-9377 www.akibaschechter.org