a sequence of actions toward improvement that will take place from 2019-2024
defined as putting our students’ spiritual, social, academic, and emotional well-being at the center of everything we do
PLAN for SUSTAINABLE EXCELLENCE
the action items are achieveable, and this secures the long-term future of the school
Maimonides will continue to advance and fulfill its vital mission to nurture educated and observant Modern Orthodox Jews. As new educational tools develop and new pressures emerge around how we can best serve our entire student population, Maimonides will assess the impact of this changing environment on its approach to teaching, learning, and engagement to ensure that we continue to elevate what we offer and how we deliver it.
To achieve this goal, Maimonides has developed the 2019-2024 Sustainable Plan for Excellence to guide its future growth.
“And, if you’ll ask me what Maimonides School stands for… Basically, the Maimonides School in my opinion -- and I try to implement this philosophy -- is based on the dialectical philosophy: a thesis and an antithesis. The thesis is: a Jew is a man. Like Rabbi Akiva said: “Choviv odom she-nivroh be-tzelem”, “Beloved is man, who was created in the image of God.” The antithesis is: the Jew is a unique being. “Chavivin Yisrael, she-nikre’u bonim la-mokom”, “Beloved is the Jew; he is called ‘the son of God’.” This philosophy lies at the very root of Maimonides School. We have a two-fold responsibility: First of all: to prepare the boy or the girl for a productive and useful life within the framework of modern society… Every boy and girl should be given the opportunity to pursue his or her studies at an academic level in any field of her or his choice. Secondly: to bring up every Jew with devotion and loyalty to our unique community, [with] faith in God, and [with] an unshakable commitment to our ancient traditions… We take both responsibilities -- the general educational responsibility, and the Jewish responsibility -- seriously, and we try our utmost to achieve positive results in both… The school revolves around … the dream of perpetuating a great tradition, and of integrating this great ancient tradition into the framework of modern life. You’ll ask me: can we succeed in our effort to implement a dichotomous task of training human beings and Jews at the same time? …So far we have done pretty well. There is no reason why we should fail in the future, provided that we will have the support and the encouragement of all of you. And I am confident that this difficult task can be accomplished. Do you know why I am so confident? Because there is no alternative! … What is the alternative: to lose another generation, as we have lost two already; or to retreat from modern society and not participate in the great cultural march of humanity, but just be a bystander?” Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zt”l, address at Maimonides School, 1968
PLAN for SUSTAINABLE EXCELLENCE
goals
1. Design a sustainable structure for a school of 350-375 students 2. Invest in our teachers’ and students’ educational experience 3. Increase the value proposition for our community
PRIORITY #1
culture Promote consistent Jewish values, student support and advocacy, clear expectations, and accountability for all teachers and students. It takes focus and attention to ensure that Maimonides embodies a culture that is consistent with Jewish values, is dedicated to the whole student, and creates an environment in which students can thrive. Addressing the challenges in culture will promote relevance, engagement, agency, and joy in everything we do. • Adjust academic leadership roles to better align with and focus on students’ needs • Foster a culture of “derech eretz” by reinforcing what it means to be a member of our Maimonides community, and crafting and implementing a consistent ECC-12 approach to respectful and honorable conduct at school • Optimize our staffing model for student support • Modify the Middle and Upper School master schedule to create opportunities for students to pursue learning areas of interest, and create more time for faculty and students to connect
A successful outcome will be an engaged and
inspired Maimonides population that takes pride in the school through graduation and beyond.
PRIORITY #2
teaching & learning Elevate the quality, consistency, and relevance of students’ and teachers’ experiences. Teaching and learning are the primary functions of any school. Maimonides has a greater challenge than most in balancing two curricula within the school day. This priority will focus on improving the learning environment and ensuring that our educational systems, structures, and processes support an optimal student and teacher experience, and position us for success. • Invest in our teachers to maximize impact on student learning by redefining the full-time course load • Elevate the quality, focus, and relevance of faculty professional development to reinforce student-centered aims • Value teachers who know and see every student; update evaluation criteria to champion a student-centered teaching approach • Modify the master schedule to create more time and space for learning outside core curriculum and decrease class cancellations • Invest in academic and student information software that enhances teachers’ impact on student learning ECC-12
A successful outcome will be an
elevated learning experience for students across all grades and classes.
PRIORITY #3
finance Achieve and maintain a consistently balanced budget. Maimonides is making a commitment to achieve and maintain a balanced budget to secure the long-term sustainability of the school. By building from a strong core where expenses are right-sized for the enrollment, the school will be able to grow from a position of strength. • Consolidate facilities and lease the Brener building • Adjust course sections based on enrollment • Restructure administration, staff, and processes to align with enrollment and increase overall efficiency • Launch a new capital/endowment campaign around our strategic priorities • Streamline financial aid to improve transparency and clarity for families, and address affordability where feasible
A successful outcome will be an
increasingly balanced annual budget 2019-22, and fully balanced by 2022-23.
PRIORITY #4
curriculum Strengthen the ECC-12 curricular roadmap. The strength of our Judaic and general studies is a key reason that students and families choose Maimonides. We seek to deliver the highest-possible quality dual-curriculum education by deliberately evaluating our current educational models to address what it means to be a literate and engaged Jew in the 21st century. • Define what all of our students should know and understand upon graduating from Maimonides in order to become a highly literate 21st-century Modern Orthodox Jew • Design the sequence of learning experiences and outcomes in and out of class to flow across all divisions, ECC-12 • Develop a curriculum ECC-12 and across disciplines that consistently reinforces essential writing skills
A successful outcome
will be a clear set of experiences and expectations for students of all ability levels that results in a literate and engaged 21st-century Maimo graduate.
PLAN for SUSTAINABLE EXCELLENCE
milestones CULTURE
• Updated approach to student behavior, academic integrity, and mutual respect (Spring 2020) • Restructured leadership and staff model (Fall 2020) • Articulated 3-5 year facilities improvement plan (Fall 2020) • Higher Parent Satisfaction Survey results (Winter 2021 and 2023) • Increased student retention (Fall 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
TEACHING & LEARNING • Updated teaching expectations (Fall 2019) • Revised teacher course loads (Fall 2020) • New school-wide student information system (Spring 2020) • Modified master schedule (Fall 2020) • Higher Parent Satisfaction Survey results (Winter 2021 and 2023) • Higher Student Perception Survey results (Winter 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) • Increased student retention (Fall 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
FINANCE • Updated financial aid policy and process (Spring 2020) • Successful capital/endowment campaign (Spring 2022) • Approved, balanced budget for 2022-23 (Winter 2022)
CURRICULUM • Updated curriculum recommendations for Judaic and General Studies (Winter 2020) • New writing curriculum, standards, and expectations across disciplines (Winter 2020) • Higher Parent Satisfaction Survey results (Winter 2021 and 2023) • Increased student retention (Fall 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)