the L.A. Pincus Fund for Jewish Education in the Diaspora

Pincus Fund -> Guidelines -> Areas -> Research

Research on Jewish Education

During the past decades, vast resources have been invested in Jewish day schools, supplementary school programs, informal Jewish education, and teacher training. In contrast to the considerable efforts poured into these programs, there has been little systematic investigation of their effectiveness. Evaluation of outcomes has lagged far behind implementation of Jewish education programs, and often has been completely absent. Yet without thoughtful, well-planned evaluations, it is impossible to assess educational progress and to determine whether resources are being allocated effectively.

The Fund has supported a number of projects which have implemented assessments of educational programs. One outstanding example is the Pikuah project in Britain. This project, conducted by the British Board of Deputies, developed and implemented a system to assess the Jewish Studies curriculum taught in day schools. The program is coordinated with government inspection procedures for all schools in Britain.

Two projects in Uruguay examined the impact of Jewish education upon adult alumni of Jewish schools, and compared their Jewish identification and practices with those of other adults who did not attend Jewish schools. A project in France surveyed a representative sample of the Jewish community, examining socio-demographic aspects of their Jewish identification and practices. The Fund has supported other research projects in Hungary, Mexico, and worldwide.

The Fund's Board also has approved a special Evaluation Project to further facilitate evaluation of selected projects. An evaluation of teacher training institutions supported by the Fund, was conducted as part of this project, as was an evaluation of Hor'a Mutemet (Education for Excellence) programs in Jewish day schools in South America. The Evaluation Project has been extended in order to encourage schools to develop assessments of their Jewish Education programs, with a view to upgrading the teaching of Jewish Studies. The initial focus of this new facet of the Evaluation Project is Jewish day schools in France.

The Fund welcomes applications for projects which will conduct research in specific areas of Jewish education. Results should have implications for future implementation of educational programs