ICJA Strategic Plan

Ida Crown Jewish Academy’s Strategic Plan has become a driving force in the school’s academic climate and in the institution’s future. From finances to curriculum, this plan is guiding ICJA to further the mission of academic excellence. The initiative is funded by a joint grant from the Institute for University School Partnership of the Center for the Jewish Future of Yeshiva University and PEJE.

In late October, ICJA staff welcomed Dr. Glanz for three days of working with faculty, administration and lay leaders with the goal to “collaborate with Ida Crown, to acknowledge the wonderful work being done here and to strive for even higher levels of success.” Dr. Glanz also visited ICJA last spring to observe classes and conduct interviews for a report on academic achievement.

Dr. Glanz introduced classroom observation tools to teachers who are supervisors and helped them practice using these tools. He also worked with faculty members on mentoring other teachers. According to Dr. Kevin Kirshenbaum, chair of the Strategic Planning committee, the greatest strength of the plan has been that “We’ve been able to set an overall strategy for continually raising the bar at ICJA. We’ve taken a step back to evaluate where we are in comparison to schools across the nation, and then set goals and priorities to ensure a strong future.”

Following are goals that have been set for the Strategic Plan in the 2009-2010 school year. Each goal includes an action plan to ensure that it is met.

1. In the first phase of the staff professional development plan, teachers are divided into three categories: new teachers, tenured teachers and teachers in need of assistance, with professional development plans tailored toward each group.
2. To ensure that the Academy continues to attract and retain outstanding teaching professionals, faculty members this spring will all participate in a survey to assess the strengths of ICJA’s working environment and to identify potential areas of improvement.
3.  Two curricular subjects are the focus of improvement per year, and this year Academy staff are working on improving the davening and math programs. The goal of the math improvement plan is to better align the subject matter with the ACT test by implementing longitudinal testing of underclassmen and tracking the students’ scores.
4.   In the area of fiscal viability, a finance committee is improving the scholarship process and looking for ways to raise additional funds through the development department.

For more information, contact 773.973.1450 or email icja@icja.org.

Mentoring Program

At the back of the classroom of new faculty member, Mrs. Molly Katz, sits seasoned ICJA teacher, Mrs. Caryn Engle. Mrs. Engle observes Mrs. Katz’s history lesson in order to provide feedback and ideas for the first-time teacher. As a mentor, Mrs. Engle also serves as Mrs. Katz’s role model and sounding board for ideas. “Caryn has been so helpful. She helps me come up with creative ideas of presenting material and helps me work through my questions,” says Mrs. Katz. The mentoring program, an initiative of ICJA’s Strategic Plan, benefits everyone involved. Mrs. Katz gets the extra support a new teacher needs in order to succeed. And for Mrs. Engle, the program allows her to stay involved in teaching as she takes time off as a mother. Similarly, Rabbi Zev Shandalov, a former ICJA teacher who made aliyah last summer, mentors new teacher Rabbi Danny
Kroll. While Rabbi Kroll teaches Judaic studies classes, Rabbi Shandalov observes him using Skype. “Research shows,” says Dr. Jeffrey Glanz, a renowned lecturer and educator from Yeshiva University, “that with the induction of mentoring in schools, teachers are more likely to be successful, to stay in that school, and the quality of what they do is tremendously higher.”