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Starting THIS School year: Perspectives of school leaders

  • JNTP
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It’s true — we are past the initial COVID crisis mode. And, yet, we aren’t quite back to normal. For school leaders, this in-between reality has presented a unique set of challenges.  

Following are some of the biggest issues school leaders in JNTP’s Administrator Support program say they are grappling with this year. These leaders are part of JNTP’s two-year program for early-career Jewish day school administrators. To date, JNTP has worked with over 100 administrators from schools across denominations and across the country, either one-on-one or as part of cohorts.

Staffing. It’s never particularly easy to find the right people to fill every role in a school, but it’s now becoming almost impossible to do so in many places, especially outside of the New York metropolitan area. Administrators report that their schools are short-staffed, with teaching and assistant teaching spots remaining unfilled even this late into the school year. Some faculty may have left due to COVID vulnerability, while others may not be willing to teach in a school that does — or does not — require masking. In a bind, administrators are having to step in to teach, which removes them from their administrative duties and has them teaching without adequate preparation. The result? Administrators are less available to support teachers and help students and families who may need more attention. They are busy managing the daily needs of the school and don’t have time to plan or think beyond the immediates. Simply put, administrators are tending to more classroom details than they should be. Everyone loses when the right faculty isn’t in place at the start of a school year.

COVID policies. As we’ve all experienced over the past 20 months, there are competing and passionately strong opinions around COVID. School leaders have shared with us that they feel challenged to balance different constituencies across the school community who may fall on opposing sides of the masking and vaccine debates, while also following government mandates. In some cases, school medical committees along with lay leadership have implemented defined school policies around masking, quarantine, travel, and other COVID-related issues. But in some schools, policies and protocols may not be entirely clear, which can lead to confusion and more strong reactions that need to be managed by school leaders. School leaders say that they often find themselves having to respond, “I don’t make the rules,” to upset parents and teachers, which can undermine their authority. With many conversations focused on these policies, the critical relationships between parents and administration can also be strained and damaged, creating further challenges. 

Setting boundaries. One of the hardest parts of teaching and learning last year was that teachers and administrators had to be ‘on’ and accessible to their constituents at almost all times of the day and night. In cases of video classes, families had access to teachers’ and administrators’ personal spaces as well. For those with their own families at home, there was little time for self-care during ‘crisis mode’—both in their professional roles and as parents. This year, teachers and administrators need to take steps to re-establish normal boundaries and protect their personal time. Our participants have shared that this is hard for all involved when everyone is used to more fluid and increased access all the time…and when students, teachers and administrators alike are craving and excited about renewed in-person social interaction.

Social-emotional needs. It’s probably safe to say that everyone in every school community suffered last year one way or another when it came to their social and emotional needs. This year, students, teachers and administrators (and parents!) are feeling hopeful and excited about being back in person, but we are hearing from the field that there also is a sense of caution and apprehension about the future. Everyone is experiencing fatigue around wearing masks and/or policing mask wearing. There may be morale issues for teachers who have been overworked and, with staffing challenges, continue to lack the support they are used to and need. Teachers may also be missing colleagues who left due to COVID. Finally, there may be students and faculty who were truly negatively affected by the pandemic experience and continue to suffer emotionally.

What administrators are doing to address this year’s challenges

Administrators in our program express that they have been working to motivate and excite students and faculty to propel the year forward. Some of our participating schools invested in painting and updating spaces over the summer so that the buildings feel fresh and new. Many administrators share that their schools had special morale-building events to kick off the school year like concerts, trips, parties, creative programs, special lunches and so on. One school even featured a “Save Your Sanity” party for teachers, with a featured speaker and a festive atmosphere, including exchanging “gifts” of favorite teaching strategies. Other schools used the opportunity of a fresh start after the intensity of last year to introduce new procedures and programs, including one school that shortened the length of its school day and is piloting un-timed testing for all students. 

Ultimately, even with this year’s challenges, our administrators have kicked off this year with flexibility, empathy and cautious optimism for a slow return to normal. 

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Judith Talesnick

Program Consultant

Lisa Peloquin

Senior Instructional Designer and Coach

Lisa Peloquin is a Senior Instructional Designer and Coach at New Teacher Center, where she has written and delivered professional learning content to support early learning teachers, teaching assistants, and school leaders in addressing equity challenges. Lisa holds a BA 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 PhD in community psychology, with a research interest in understanding how school communities can impact educational equity. Lisa can be reached at lpeloquin@newteachercenter.org.

Tavi Koslowe

Program Consultant

Rabbi Tavi Koslowe is a Program Consultant at JNTP, where he provides cohort-based professional development and individual coaching to early-career administrators in our 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 tkoslowe@newteachercenter.org.

Eva Broder

Program Consultant

Eva Broder is a Program Consultant for JNTP, where she facilitates professional learning for new teachers in the Teacher Induction Program and trains veteran Early Childhood educators to mentor new Early Childhood teachers hired through the ElevatEd pilot program. Eva has served as a teacher in private schools throughout the NY area for over 15 years. During this time, she has provided support as a teacher mentor, working with individuals and groups to enhance their teaching practice, and has facilitated and trained teachers in the use of Professional Learning Communities. Eva currently works as a School Consultant for Professional Development at the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach (HALB). She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Yeshiva University and an M.S. in Special and General Education from Bank Street College. Eva trained as a mentor with JNTP in 2017-18. She can be reached at ebroder@newteachercenter.org.

Evan Weiner

Associate Program Consultant

Evan Weiner is an Associate Program Consultant at JNTP, where he facilitates mentor training. He has been involved with Jewish Education for over 20 years. Evan began his connection with JNTP as a new teacher and eventually became a mentor himself, mentoring teachers in both General and Judaic Studies departments. He has been an educational leader in both formal and informal educational settings, and has brought his JNTP training to elicit the best in his staff partners. Most recently, Evan served as Judaic Studies Principal, Curriculum Coordinator, and Instructional Coach at Ohr Chadash Academy in Baltimore before joining the JNTP staff. Evan participated in the YOU Lead educational leadership Program and JETSIsrael Edtech Incubator Program and holds a Masters in Education from Azrieli School of Education.

Rachel R. Harari

Associate Program Consultant

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

Director of Development

Lauren Katz is the Director of Development at JNTP. 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 lkatz@newteachercenter.org.