Rabbi Aaron Fleksher, a rebbe at DRS Yeshiva High School in Woodmere spoke to students from Lander College for Men about going into chinuch.

Rabbi Aaron Fleksher, director of educational technology and a rebbe at DRS Yeshiva High School, attended “Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership,” a seminar at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Principals’ Center for emerging leaders. This weeklong institute is part of a larger, yearlong program to enable day-school leaders to improve their schools, with special focus on their Jewish mission and vision, sponsored and facilitated by the AVI CHAI Foundation.

Aaron Fleksher

The AVI CHAI Foundation, a New York-based private foundation dedicated to promoting Jewish commitment, sponsored Rabbi Fleksher and 15 other eligible day-school leaders to attend the seminar to help address the professional development of day-school leaders with a particular emphasis on their role in promoting the Jewish mission of their schools.

Participants attended lectures and discussion groups led by Harvard faculty, educational consultants, and school practitioners. The program focuses on the challenges facing new school leaders and supports participants as they develop skills for leadership. Rigorous study is combined with writing, reflection, and peer interaction, allowing participants to identify priorities and share ideas and solutions. In addition they attended AVI CHAI sessions, facilitated by Jonathan Cannon, former head of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, Maryland, applying what was learned at Harvard to the Jewish purpose of their schools.

“It was a wonderful experience for me,” said Rabbi Fleksher. “At Harvard, I attended lively, thought-provoking sessions exploring the components of what makes a good school. We learned how to enhance the quality of the school experience for everyone — students, teachers, and administrators alike. The AVI CHAI sessions for principals of Jewish day schools allowed us the chance to discuss those issues close to our heart — creating the most effective atmosphere for the Jewish and general education of our children. I am looking forward to bringing these new skills back to DRS.”

“Strong instructional leadership is critical to achieving AVI CHAI’s goal of enhancing the Jewish education provided by day schools,” said Mem Bernstein, chairman of AVI CHAI’s board of trustees. Through these institutes we aim to provide Jewish day-school leaders with an intensive opportunity to reflect on school leadership with leading academics and with practitioners from across North America.”

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