Career Advice

Seeking a Leadership Position in a Schechter School

When you decide to seek a leadership position in a Solomon Schechter Day School, it’s important to be aware that you are embarking on a process of career transition that can be complex and challenging. Our experience assisting professionals with job referrals and placement has shown us that candidates who have held leadership roles in synagogues or other community agencies and who now seek a top management position in a Jewish day school, can be unprepared for the expectations that a search committee considers essential. Often they are surprised to learn that their considerable work experience and skills sets do not necessarily ensure that they will be the candidate of choice. This guide has been prepared to help you navigate your career transition. We recommend that you read the entire document.

Expectations for professional leaders

What is unique about the Head of School position?
The challenges of leadership in a Solomon Schechter Day School are manifold. The school expects their candidate of choice to exhibit accomplished educational leadership skills for effective work with the faculty, administrative team, students and parents. He or she must also demonstrate the ability to project an educational vision in the wider community. As a compelling advocate for the school and Jewish day school education, the successful candidate must be an individual who fulfills the dual roles of a visionary educator and chief executive officer. You will also be expected to be an outstanding communicator and a role model for the values that are core to the mission of the school.

What skill sets are needed?
The exact duties may vary within the job description of a specific position in a Solomon Schechter Day School depending on a number of factors, including the composition of the leadership team, school size, grades offered, and whether the school is new or has been in existence for many years. Search committees tend to seek a candidate who:

  • Possesses a high level of Jewish literacy, including knowledge of Jewish texts and practices
  • Has a solid knowledge and appreciation of Conservative Judaism and lives according to its core values and principles
  • Is a “dugma” or role model
  • Demonstrates excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Possesses familiarity with best practices in education, especially relating to the grade levels of the school
  • Understand the importance of mission and vision and how they are essential to advocacy, strategic planning and institutional advancement
  • Has had experience in personnel issues, including hiring and terminating employees, staff supervision and instilling a climate of professional growth and development
  • Has demonstrated success in working with boards, volunteer leaders, and members of the community
  • Can participate with competence in the budgeting process and play an effective role in fundraising and development efforts
  • Has a proven track record in building and leading an effective, collaborative administrative team
  • Has a familiarity with the composition and cultural dynamics of the local Jewish community
  • Fluency in Hebrew and synagogue skills are important assets but not every school requires that the Head of School has mastered them.

This list is undoubtedly daunting and isn’t exhaustive. We’ve heard it said that committees are looking for a person who embodies the qualities of God on a good day to head their day school!

How will the candidate be selected?
The search committee for the Head of School is led by a lay leader (or a Jewish professional acting in a volunteer capacity). It usually is comprised of some parents and non-parent volunteer leaders of the school (at least some of whom serve on the board of trustees), and possibly a faculty representative. Not infrequently, at least one rabbi from the community sits on the committee. Some schools will conduct initial interviews by telephone and bring to the school for personal interviews those applicants who have “made the first cut.” The serious candidate will be expected to meet with representatives of various stakeholders of the school (parent leaders, faculty, other administrators, high school students) during a visit to the school during a school day.

According to best practices in independent school governance, the Head of School is the board’s only employee. This means that the Head reports to the Board, and the Board votes on the Head’s contract. All other administrators will report to the Head of School.

Why would a search committee interview candidates for other key administrative positions, such as Principal or Judaic Studies Director?
Many Heads of School of large Schechter schools choose to establish a search committee when seeking a division director, principal, admission director or development director. These committees are designed to be primarily consultative, offering their feedback and observations to the Head of School who has the ultimate decision for the new hire. This process builds consensus, confidence and trust, all of which are especially important in a culture where the work of every member of the leadership team is visible and connects with the various stakeholders.

Career transitioning

Some important pointers
Few professionals in Jewish education have trained for the position of Head of School. This is due to the paucity of opportunities for specific preparation for this demanding career. Many professionals today have a number of sequential careers in their long working life. It is evident that professionals who choose to enter day school leadership after years of successful work in other related areas of education, such as Jewish communal service, public or private school administration, or the rabbinate have a multiplicity of reasons for deciding to make this change. The pointers that follow are intended to help those seeking to make a transition to a new position in Jewish day school leadership. Experience has shown that candidates who have been proactive in taking steps to demonstrate that they are on a path of serious professional development are more likely to be engaged for these leadership positions.

Pulpit rabbis
Rabbis lead their congregations by virtue of their deep knowledge of Judaism. They are used to being perceived in their public role as “dugma” (role model) and standard bearer. Accustomed to being recognized as the authority within their synagogue, some rabbis do not anticipate the adjustment involved in entering the more collaborative environment that characterizes many day schools. Rabbis have the advantage of years of experience working with boards comprised of lay leaders. This experience enables them to understand and navigate the politics of Jewish institutional life.

It is important that a rabbi seeking to become a Head of School has established credentials as an educator and is conversant with current educational issues and best practices related to learning and teaching in classroom settings. Additionally, one needs to be knowledgeable about and conversant with the fields of child development, curriculum development and evaluation, and the culture of day schools. It is very important to enjoy working with children as well as teachers. We have seen rabbis make the “first cut” in a search process, only to be disappointed by a committee’s conclusion that they lack the specific knowledge and experience desired in its Head of School, despite their expertise as Jewish leaders.

It is advisable for a rabbi contemplating a move into formal Jewish educational leadership to acquire some direct, personal experience in a school. There are several ways to do this:

  • Gain school-based experience as an occasional presence in the local day school, either as a teacher, presenter at school-based professional development sessions, tefilla leader, participant in a Shabbaton or even as a volunteer tutor. Rabbis need to demonstrate that their decision to pursue a career path in Jewish educational leadership in a day school follows careful deliberation and appropriate preparation.
  • Register to take a few courses (either on-line or at a local university) in educational theory or practice. This conveys a convincing message to a search committee that your decision to leave the pulpit rabbinate is deliberate and not a “fall back” position.(We recommend that you contact the Davidson School of Education at JTSA. Go to www.jtsa.edu.)
  • Explore your suitability as a candidate for the Day School Leadership Training Institute (DSLTI), an extraordinary professional development experience for aspiring Heads of Day Schools. Funded by the Avi Chai Foundation and hosted by the Davidson School of JTS, the experiential program prepares professional leaders for the complex work of the headship. Go to www.dslti.org or call Frances Urman (frurman@jtsa.edu) at 212-678-8041 to learn more about it.
  • Read relevant articles in the educational literature. One of the best ways to get a good sense of the current issues in the field is to join the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and subscribe to Educational Leadership, their monthly journal for education professionals. Go to www.ascd.org.

Note: A headship in a Solomon Schechter day school is no less time-consuming than the pulpit (although it has the advantage of not requiring you to work on Shabbat or on the hagim).

What are some effective ways to prepare for the interview?

  • You need to read literature in advance of your interview, at least in the areas of admissions and retention, marketing, fundraising and development, board governance, affordability and tuition assistance. There is a great deal of material available. All these are essential components of leadership of a Jewish day school and will likely be new for you to tackle. Making a commitment to to gain skills and competencies in new areas is important. Being proactive will make a positive impression on the search committee.
  • Some excellent resources on the Internet are www.peje.org, www.nais.org, www.isminc.com, www.isacs.org and www.jesna.org. Take the time to visit these websites and read the monographs in the areas that you know will be part of the job for which you are applying. It’s especially worthwhile to acquire a fuller understanding of the multifaceted and demanding role of the Head of School and the essential partnership with the Board of Trustees.
  • Prepare your resume and application early in the search season and submit them as soon as you see job postings that interest you. Applying for a position in December or in January shows a clearer intent than applying for a position in April or May.

General educators with public school or independent school experience.
Some public school administrators have made a successful transition to the day school environment while others have not. The key here is being able to transmit the seriousness of your Jewish commitment and your personal values. Additionally, it is important to establish your grasp of the environment and your understanding of the culture of independent schools, which Schechter schools resemble in many ways more than schools in the public sector. Gaining familiarity through consulting or serving on a volunteer committee of a Jewish day school would be extremely helpful to you.

The Head of School has more flexibility and greater discretionary judgment than their counterparts in the public schools in a number of arenas. Some of these are:

  • Curriculum. Lacking a centralized superintendent’s office, every Jewish day school makes curricular decisions based on an assessment of its mission, philosophy, student population, school goals and objectives and teacher expertise. The administrator with public school experience will have more choices to make about pedagogy, professional development, and teacher supervision and evaluation than you have probably done before. It is good to come prepared to discuss how you would deal with issues like these.
  • Collaboration with colleagues is a valued attribute and indispensable leadership skill in any school setting. In a Schechter school, you will be expected to lead in all the diverse areas of school life, including setting the Jewish climate, formulating employment practices, establishing working conditions for faculty and staff, and marketing your school. You’ll need to work closely with your team and draw on the full range of their expertise. You do not need to know everything yourself, but you will need to know how to access the experience and information that are essential to your success.
  • Working with committees of lay leaders and with the board of trustees will be new challenges for many educational leaders who transition to a day school. These expectations should be addressed directly during the interview process. It is advisable to formulate your vision of a successful Head of School/ Board of Trustees relationship to enable a fruitful discussion prior to signing a contract.
  • Access the USCJ Resource Guide (online at www.uscj.org) and read through the section for pulpit rabbis. Some of the preparatory comments hold true here as well.

Congregational School Directors
Every year some experienced educational directors of synagogue schools strive to enter the day school world. While an accomplished congregational school veteran with many years of experience might think that the move from a congregational school to a day school is a natural transition, there are new challenges and frustrations to anticipate. Search committees are often hesitant to consider the candidacy of a congregational school leader despite relevant experience in a school setting, familiarity with Judaism and Judaic curriculum, budget management skills and other competencies that appear to be transferable to the milieu of Solomon Schechter Day School. Concerns about the applicant’s breadth and depth of expertise in general education should be anticipated.

Schechter parents are as concerned about their children’s mastery of writing, math and science as they are about Hebrew, Tanakh, and Jewish holidays. The veteran congregational school director will need to establish his or her “bona fides” as an outstanding educator who has an integrated vision of what a day school student needs to know and be able to demonstrate by the time of graduation. You’ll also need to convey your understanding of the cognitive, affective, social, physical and spiritual domains of learning, as day schools strive to nurture the development of the whole child.

Here are some ideas that could strengthen your candidacy:

  • Attend some workshops or seminars about new initiatives in curriculum development. This would be an excellent indicator that you continue to be a learner who will do what is necessary to enrich your expertise in order to be a successful day school leader on the cutting edge of educational theory and practice. You’ll be a stronger candidate if you can demonstrate your familiarity with current research and practice pertaining to multiple intelligences, high stakes testing, ability groupings and tracking, and meeting the needs of diverse learners, to name only a few areas of controversy and debate.
  • Take some course to refresh your knowledge about learning differences and special needs. Every Schechter school grapples with decisions about how to meet the needs of these students and how to help them thrive, as well as how to set admission guidelines that state clearly which kinds of learning issues the school is not equipped to deal with.
  • Read the educational literature and follow the suggestions above. Spend time on relevant websites to become familiar with leadership issues pertaining to the many areas that a Head of School needs to master. Some of these will not have been a salient part of your job as a congregational school educational director but will definitely have a heightened importance in your role as Head of School.

General Information
We recommend that all candidates compose a cover letter that specifically addresses both your strengths and the areas in which you will seek further professional growth. The ability to be self-reflective is highly valued in educational leaders. Address in a forthright manner the reality that no one person can possess all the skills and competencies that are needed for day school leadership. This can be very effective as long as you express your commitment to learning what you will need to know and present a strategy for building a team. You will need to know that the school has the capacity to support the administrative structure that you will require. Assuming a position that entails more expectations than you can possibly meet will cause you more stress than is healthy.

Keep in mind that it is essential to spend time reading the materials on the school’s website prior to an interview in order to be as conversant as possible with its mission, vision, programs, and practices. If you are hired, you will be expected to be a compelling speaker about all of these issues. You can prepare in advance for your interviews by “doing your homework” prior to meeting with any of the committees involved in the decision to engage the new Head of School. This preparation will also furnish you with valuable information you will need to assess the degree to which the position offered may or may not be a good fit for you as you endeavor to make the transition to the position of Head of School or Principal.