June 2026 Instructional Leadership

Rabbi Shimshon Gewirtz There is a longstanding debate over whether the best person to lead a car company would be a “car guy”—someone whose passion and expertise lie in the design or engineering of automobiles—or a […]

Rabbi Sharir Yablonsky In all schools, including ours, a great deal of meaningful learning takes place every single day. Rebbeim and teachers are teaching, students are working, and as school leadership, we are supporting. Yet even with all that activity, we often found it difficult […]

Mrs. Beth Napleton “I got into this work so I could make a difference with kids, so I could help them become inspired learners, people who are passionate about Judaism and living their values … and now…”  The head […]

Mrs. Brendy Siev I hope I don’t bore you by opening with this truism: The leader casts a long shadow. It’s so important that it merits repeating: The leader casts a long shadow. Each day, the principal’s behavior, decisions, and communication profoundly impact a school’s culture and staff morale. This does not mean that […]

Rabbi Dr. Maury Grebenau Research1 and experience confirm that instructional leadership is vital for school success. While performing observations of classroom teaching and conducting targeted feedback conversations with teachers designed to foster self-reflection are indispensable tools for […]

Rabbi Dr. Levi Druin A mother sits across from me the week after Rosh Hashanah. Her son is starting third grade with us. She is polite, tightly wound, and clearly waiting for the moment the conversation turns […]

Mrs. Chana Kashi Many years ago, when I was a young, naive teacher in my first year of teaching at Magen David Yeshivah in Brooklyn, NY, I felt I had found my calling. I loved teaching […]

Mrs. Lisa Stroll In schools, leadership is often measured by what we accomplish, what we oversee, and how effectively we manage the day-to-day demands of our roles. But in Jewish educational leadership, there is a deeper measure […]

Rabbi Yehoshua Krames There is so much to be proud of in the world of chinuch today. Educational initiatives have found their way into classrooms, and students are increasingly engaged in active learning. Whether in a day school […]

Rabbi Elisha Paul The traditional role of the principal is primarily an educational leadership role. This logically places the teacher-coaching and observation role at the top of the priority matrix for many principals who want to improve […]

Rabbi Shlomo Kolko I often recall the proverbial cold showers of my professional youth. In those heady days, as I approached my principalship, invigoration, passion, and determination outpaced experience and wisdom. I was ready to make my mark. The sign by my office could have read: “Beware: Overeager Principal!” In retrospect, it was the voices of reason and the reality checks that kept me from doing too much […]

Dr. Lea Goldstein What’s the recipe for great school leaders? Although talent, personality, and experience are commonly cited as being most important, a substantial body of research and practice indicates that effective leadership is primarily cultivatedthrough intentional and continuous refinement. In other words, leadership is […]

Rabbi Dr. Hillel Broder At our school, over the last two years, we have administered the Faculty Survey by ISM (Independent School Management) to all four of our divisions—preschool, lower school, middle school, and upper school. […]

Dr. Todd Whitaker “In a great teacher’s classroom, every student feels like the favorite.” I really believe this—that in their classrooms, great teachers make every student feel that way. Note, however, that this does not imply that the teacher feels each student is his or […]

Rabbi Dovid Breslauer (From a speech at shalosh seudos at the CoJDS Chinuch Conference in April 2026)  Those who teach Torah to children are engaged in such a valuable endeavor, yet they seem to be unappreciated. The Gemara in בבא בתרא (8b) applies the pasuk from Daniel (12:3), which says, ומצדיקי הרבים ככוכבים לעולם ועד״,” that those who make […]