This book aims to fuel and inform the increasingly urgent conversation surrounding day school sustainability and affordability with an eye towards finding pragmatic solutions. To do so, the book offers funders a survey of past, present and possible future initiatives that address the challenges of day school sustainability and affordability; A catalyst to the sharing and creating of innovative ideas with other funders, lay leaders and practitioners; A menu of opportunities to leverage investments in the financial sustainability and affordability of Jewish day schools; and Links and citations to other resources, further information and deeper research. Resources and citations are also listed at the end of each chapter.

By Daniel Held, Evan Mazin and Ayelet Seed, January 2016

Throughout North America, local Federations and Foundations support Jewish day schools. While a number of communities have facilitated multi-school tuition assistance initiatives, it is relatively recent that communities have launched middle-income affordability initiatives. These initiatives take many forms. The Tuition Initiatives and Discount …. Is a 2015 landscape study of tuition initiatives employed by day schools across North America. The CJE reviewed the websites of hundreds of Jewish day schools to discover how schools charge tuition and just as importantly, how these charges are presented. This is the first stage of the CJE’s research into affordability initiatives.

By Daniel Held, Measuring Success, Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE), February 2013

Parents’ perceptions of the school play a critical role in Jewish day school enrollment. The impact of parents’ word of mouth on day school enrollment is paramount. This White Paper reports on the largest study ever conducted of day school parents. All told, between 2007 and 2012, more than 22,000 parents (and 3,000 non-current parents) from 77 schools rated their satisfaction with their school by completing the Jewish Day School Parent Survey conducted by Measuring Success and funded and subsidized by PEJE. Analysis of the responses to the parent survey and information from other day school data sources uncover that perceived quality is the only factor with a significant relationship to enrollment. The data form a visible connection between parents’ perception of quality and their willingness to recommend the school to others.

by Steven M. Cohen, 1995

Assesses the impact of several forms of Jewish education upon composite measures of Jewish identity for teenagers and for their parents, controlling for each generation's parents' Jewishness and other factors.

Findings: More intensive forms of Jewish education and longer durations of education exert more impact on Jewish identity than their counterparts.

by Fern Chertok, Leonard Saxe, et al, (2007) published by PEJE and Brandeis University

The first national study exploring the near-term effects of a Jewish day school education. Comparing day school graduates to their non-day school peers. Findings: The study offers flattering conclusions for day schools in the areas of academic preparation in high school, academic performance in college, response to individual learning needs, integration into college life, Jewish campus involvement, and civic responsibility.

Children who spend summers at Jewish camp are more likely to be involved in communal leadership, be engaged in Jewish causes, and be emotionally attached to Israel than those who did not.

By Daniel Held. Ricci Postan, and Josh Satok, March 2016

While Jewish camp leaders expressed that there are significant advantages to both day and residential camps in developing a pipeline between them, we found that in many cases - and as a field - the relationship is being treated ad-hoc, without coherent vision underlying their efforts or a clear strategy to move campers through the pipeline. Through dialogue with camp leaders, we identified six strategies to maximize a partnered camp relationship: having common culture, common summer staff, cross camp programming, cohesive systems and structures, market and recruit together, and pricing strategies.0

By Steven M. Cohen and Judith Veinstein, Spring 2009

This report gives us the first clear understanding of how to communicate effectively with Toronto area Jewish families about the value and benefits of attending Jewish overnight camp. This study engaged more than 1,800 parents through qualitative consumer interviews in the Toronto area, and then through an online survey. Parents described the decision-making that contributes to their choice of summer plans for their children; this information was invaluable.

Published by eJewishPhilanthropy. By Dvora Goodman, Ed Segalowitz, and Natalie Walden, in partnership with Michael Miloff

Describing the UJA’s Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Education’s WoW! Project as an emerging transformation of congregational and part-time Jewish education.