A perfect guide to those wishing to understand the contemporary Jewish day school.
 
This book takes readers inside Jewish day schools to observe what happens day to day, as well as what the schools mean to their students, families, and communities. Many different types of Jewish day schools exist, and the variations are not well understood, nor is much information available about how day schools function. Inside Jewish Day Schools proves a vital guide to understanding both these distinctions and the everyday operations of these contemporary schools.
 

"Inside Jewish Day Schools presents a unique perspective on Jewish education in North America and the factors that contribute to successful learning within the community and within the school. But perhaps even more significantly, as one prominent Jewish educator mentioned to me, the book, with its analysis of the nine schools, presents a series of excellent case studies that can advance and improve the state of Jewish education." - Jerusalem Post

"The book does offer useful insight into the operations of the schools studied and their different approaches to the challenges they face. Researchers and those involved in day school education will find this aspect of the study most useful." - Choice

"“A black box is commonly thought of as a recording device. In other fields, the black box details the characteristics of a system’s internal workings. That’s what the reader gets from Pomson and Wertheimer. They report ‘on what happens inside Jewish day schools,’ asserting ‘every school we studied has a profound impact on the lives of people it touches.’ . . . Inside Jewish Day Schools is akin to a travelogue, the scenes, the settings, the missions, the amenities, and the challenges. Names, job descriptions, and stories are true. Style of leadership and quality of communication seems to determine success.” " - Israel National News

"“In Inside Jewish Day Schools: Leadership, Learning, and Community, Pomson and Wertheimer’s in-depth studies of these different schools reveal the complex set of activities at the heart of educating young people and the topography of concerns and desires informing these institutions. Their insights reveal the complexity of ‘good-enough’ Jewish education. . . . [This] book . . . exemplifies exactly the sort of rich and insightful scholarship necessary for nurturing vibrant, lived North American Judaism.” " - Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas

"“A highly enjoyable scholarly work that is also suitable for lay audiences. It provides rich and thoughtful insights into a sample of high-performing North American Jewish day schools that are making meaningful contributions to the socialization of North American Jewish youth.” " - Contemporary Jewry