Supporting Newer Administrators, Internally and Externally

This article first appeared in the September 11, 2025 Prizmah Blog. Reprinted with permission.

by Maury Grebenau

Although Jewish day school leaders have all the challenges of other school leaders, they lack the type of training that is baked into the public school system; no specific license, coursework or training is expected. While some new leaders may navigate these challenges despite insufficient preparation and lack of support, some do not. Credible longitudinal data has yet to be collected on the extent of leadership attrition in non-head of school roles; nevertheless, in our current pipeline crisis it is clear that we can’t afford to lose talent.

My doctoral research and experience leading Jewish New Teachers Project’s Administrator Support Program point to the fact that marshaling both internal and external support is the most potent way to assure a new administrator learns the ropes in a way that does not burn them out and sets them up for success. The goal of supporting a new administrator is not to avoid rookie mistakes but rather to turn them into learning opportunities. This post details some of the most effective practices.

Internal Support

Internal support consists of support from the supervisor and also from peers. Supervisors of new administrators have an important role to play in setting up new administrators for success, crafting their responsibilities and giving them feedback.

Set them up for success by formally introducing them to the whole school community. Be clear about the roles and authority of the new administrator, and publicly express faith and confidence. Encourage them to advocate for their perspective.

Thoughtfully craft their responsibilities. With so much to do, an administrator’s role can frequently feel set in stone—we just need them to “do the job.” However, we should consider what will contribute to the long-term viability of an administrator. New administrators who are struggling with too many responsibilities often do not create sufficient space for creative thinking and relationship-building that contributes to job satisfaction.

Additionally, it is important to create a schedule that enables new administrators to do teacher observations and give feedback. This is the real work of instructional leadership and will quickly help the administrator learn about the real teaching and learning in the school as well as establish them as involved and value-added for the teachers. This may mean keeping a teaching load to a minimum. A portion of regular check-in meetings with their supervisor should be dedicated to sharing data from their teacher observations and other aspects of their role. Spend time together looking for patterns in the data and identifying strategies for support.

Take a long-term perspective when thinking about your administrator. Instead of being driven by the needs of the school, which often results in overloading new administrators, consider ways to ensure an introduction to leadership that paves the way for long-term success.

Apprenticeship. A handful of administrators we have worked with (and one in my study) had the opportunity to be apprenticed into their new role, spending a year growing their capacities before assuming the full slate of responsibilities. For many schools, this may be an impossible luxury, but if even certain aspects of the role can be staggered, it is helpful.

Coach them. Even when this is not realistic, supervisors should adopt a coaching mindset in relation to their new administrator. Coaching does not mean simply offering advice about what you would do in this situation. Help the new administrator understand the dynamics at play and the larger issues. Ask them good questions and help them unpack their own thinking.

Give granular feedback. Give new administrators feedback explicitly tied to Emotional Intelligence, identifying areas of strength and needed development. My research identified these areas as some of the most critical for new leaders. Although often neglected due to limited time, post-mortem discussions are opportunities to acknowledge growth and identify challenge areas, flattening the growth curve.

In addition to the supervisor, other administrators in the school can offer critical peer support to a new administrator as part of the internal support network. One powerful activity is a “problem (or dilemma) of practice” protocol, where an administrator shares a specific issue they are experiencing and discusses it with the leadership team. In addition to strengthening bonds within the team and contributing to creating a growth-oriented community, this practice models learning that embraces taking risks and making mistakes, acknowledging that many issues we face are complex adaptive challenges.

External Support

Even with the most supportive internal head of school and leadership team, it is important to complement internal support by setting a new administrator up with external support. Having an avenue of support that includes a perspective external to the school allows for more vulnerability and expanded thinking. Both my research and professional experience have revealed two aspects to be critical.

Coaching. As one of my research participants said, coaching contributed significantly to “turning rookie mistakes into opportunities to learn.” In our coaching of leaders, we have seen how focused coaching encourages self-reflection, changing behaviors and supporting new administrators in real growth.

Cohort. Being part of a professional cohort of others who are engaged in similar leadership works provides emotional support, including feeling less lonely, and also normalizes challenges, removing any self-imposed stigma. Additionally, speaking to others about challenges often leads to healthier perspectives, and creative solutions can emerge from the group.

As we continue to respond to the leadership-pipeline crisis in our Jewish day schools, it will be even more important to make sure we have clarity about the challenges of early leadership and how we can prepare and support these new leaders. Through preparation and support built with these challenges in mind, we can take steps to retain the talent we need to lead our schools into the future.

Judith is a Program Consultant at JNTP, where she serves as a facilitator and coach to early career administrators through the Administrator Support Program. Judith has been collaborating with NY-area Day School and Yeshiva educators and leaders to provide tailored professional learning and growth, across both General and Judaic Studies, for 20 years. She is passionate about understanding each learner’s context and co-creating solutions that make sense in their setting. Prior to her current focus on leadership and Professional Development (PD) at The Jewish Education Project, Judith was a K-8 classroom teacher and later a Principal at Westchester Day School. She can be reached at [email protected].

Lisa Peloquin is a Senior Program Consultant at JNTP, where she focuses on content development and materials preparation for JNTP’s Early Childhood and Administrator Support Programs.. Lisa holds a B.A. in Psychology, with a concentration in child development, from Penn State and a Masters in Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in community psychology, with a research interest in understanding how school communities can impact educational equity. Lisa can be reached at [email protected].

Rabbi Tavi Koslowe is a Program Consultant at JNTP, where he provides coaching to early career administrators through the Administrator Support Program. Tavi has been a teacher and educational leader for the last twenty years in lower, middle, and high school settings. He is currently serving as the High School Dean at the Leffell School in Westchester, NY and the co-director of The Idea Institute, where he supports teachers, administrators, and school leaders in furthering educational practice in Project Based Learning. Most recently, Tavi served as the Judaic Studies Principal of The Idea School in Tenafly, NJ and has held other school leadership positions at the Ramaz School in Manhattan, NY and Yeshivat Noam in Paramus, NJ. Tavi participated in JNTP’s Teacher Induction and Administrator Support Programs. He can be reached at [email protected].

Rachel Harari is an Associate Program Consultant at JNTP, where she co-facilitates new teacher training. She is also an Associate Lecturer at Columbia University and a middle school English Language Arts teacher at Yeshivah of Flatbush. Rachel is currently working on her PhD at Teachers College, Columbia University, within their Educational Leadership program. Through her work as a Department Chair for six years at Magen David Yeshivah High School in Brooklyn, New York, Rachel was inspired to study the role of the high school department chair in Modern Orthodox schools in New York City. Rachel received her M.S. in Special Education from Brooklyn College, and her B.S. in English Education from New York University, where she published her research on mathematics anxiety in elementary school students: “Mathematics Anxiety in Young Children: An Exploratory Study.” Rachel is a 2016 recipient of The Covenant Foundation’s Pomegranate Prize, which recognizes emerging leaders in the field of Jewish Education.

Lauren Katz is JNTP’s Director of Development, where she oversees the organization’s fundraising efforts and marketing and communications initiatives in an effort to advance JNTP’s mission and strategic goals. Lauren’s portfolio includes strategic planning, donor cultivation, engagement, and gift acquisition. She has an extensive background in Jewish non-profit management with a specific focus on fundraising and development, most recently serving as the Director of Marketing & Communications and Alumni Relations at SAR High School for over four years and at the Ramaz School for seven years as the Director of Alumni Relations. In addition, Lauren worked at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and UJA-Federation of MetroWest, NJ in the campaign and planning and allocations departments. Lauren holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and attended the University of Michigan School of Social Work and Jewish Communal Leadership Program. Lauren can be reached at [email protected].