Paul J. Shaviv - The Jewish High School: A Complete Management Guide (The Principal Press Books on School Management, Book 1)

PRAISE FOR
THE JEWISH HIGH SCHOOL:
A complete Management Guide

CHIEF RABBI LORD JONATHAN SACKS

Long ago the Egyptians built pyramids, the Greeks built temples, the Romans built amphitheatres; the Jews built schools. That is why Judaism, alone among the civilizations of the ancient world, has survived. Paul Shaviv is one of the great Jewish educators of our time, and in this new book he has produced an indispensible guide to how to achieve excellence in Jewish education. It is a superb work, emerging from a lifetime of experience and success, and should be read by anyone who cares for the Jewish future. The Jewish world of tomorrow is being built in the Jewish schools of today, and thanks to this fine and practical guide, that future is already looking brighter.

Rabbi Lord Sacks

CHIEF RABBI OF THE UNITED HEBREW CONGREGATIONS OF THE COMMONWEALTH

RABBI JOSHUA ELKIN

Executive Director,

PEJE Partners for Excellence in Jewish Education

Paul Shavivs guide represents an invaluable and unprecedented contribution to the field of Jewish high school leadership and excellence. A highly respected and successful Jewish high school visionary and leader, Shaviv has distilled his vast experience and knowledge to create a comprehensive volume filled with vast practical wisdom and insight. I am overwhelmed by the range of topics that he has included in this unique resource. The book is jargon-free, and therefore useful not only to current and prospective high school leaders, but also to board chairs and board members, participants in training courses, and other Jewish communal professionals concerned about and interested in the intricacies of Jewish high schools. Shaviv is right to point out that this guide can help to combat the isolation that a high school leader can feel, given the fact that so many of these schools are the only Jewish high school in their city. I am also struck by his recognition that not everyone is going to agree with everything that he has written. He views this volume as a vehicle to open the discussion about what makes for effective and high quality leadership for our Jewish high schools across the North American continent, and indeed around the world. I believe that he has succeeded magnificently in doing just that.

ALASTAIR FALK

Director of Educational Leadership and former Headteacher

UJIA, London UK

I loved this book - one of the most interesting and informative books on leading a school I have ever read. It was like being guided through a school by a wise, witty and hugely experienced practitioner, ever alert to organizational and personal dynamics. Packed with intelligent insight and practical advice, it steers a fascinating path between reference guide and inspirational text, helping Principals embed the values that brought them into their work in their approach to the daily issues they face. Rarely have theory and practice been so interwoven, creating a book that is filled with practical solutions and a deep understanding of the Jewish underpinnings of the school as an organization. This is a book worth reading at all stages of a professionals educational journey. It is a genuinely essential read.

Dr. MARC N. KRAMER,

Executive Director, RAVSAK - The Jewish Community Day School Network

This book breaks new ground. It is a complete, practical guide to running a Jewish high school, and suggests to principals, administrators and board members the methods and philosophies - including the language to use for dealing with every important issue that a school leader is likely to encounter. This is going to be the standard reference book on Jewish school management from now on. All school leaders - novice or veteran, lay or professional - must have this book on their shelf -- if not on their desk.

RABBI Dr. B. BARRY LEVY

Professor of Bible and Jewish Studies, McGill University
Former Director of McGills Jewish Teacher Training Program

A lifetime of experience and practical, education-related wisdom are presented in this up-to-date, thoughtful, thorough, and articulate guide to leading a Jewish high school. Every actual or potential administrator, lay leader, teacher, and parent at either the elementary or secondary level should read and periodically reread it. It is a truly outstanding contribution to Jewish education.

Dr. ALEX POMSON

Senior Researcher,

Melton Centre for Jewish Education, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Paul Shaviv does everything he promises, and much more. He has crafted with extraordinary attention to detail what should become an essential resource for Jewish school leaders wherever they are in the world. Offering advice that is all the wiser for being forged in the white heat of experience, with writing that is always crisp and unambiguous, and by proving readily accessible scripts, models and examples, he has created an indispensable manual. Shaviv has provided a comprehensive guide to the bewildering challenges of the day-to-day, and at the same time has done something of great profundity; implicitly, he has made a compelling case for the indispensible contribution of intelligent, humane and Jewishly-literate educational leadership to the flourishing of Jewish life.

YOSSI PRAGER

Director, AviChai Foundation

This is a masterful compilation of issues and considerations facing principals and heads of Jewish schools, written by a long-time head of an outstanding Community day school, The Jewish High School will be a useful guide and reference tool for those interested in the details of day school leadership, especially new and aspiring principals.

ERIC M. ROHER

Partner and National Leader of the Education Law Group
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Toronto

Paul Shavivs The Jewish High School: A complete management guide is the only book of its kind which an educator or lay leader in a Jewish high school can turn to for comprehensive, accessible, thoughtful and practical advice on virtually every matter he or she may face. The administrators role is placed in its wider context, which is to provide compassionate and committed leadership to meet the religious, academic and social needs of his or her students. Every major issue is addressed in both a factual and interpretative manner, including guidelines for action which enable educators to anticipate issues and prevent problems. Shavivs book represents an essential beacon in assisting educators to navigator the challenging waters and rocky shoals of Jewish education. A major contribution of the book is to help educators become better and more effective leaders in guiding, managing and directing a Jewish high school.