Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education

NESS

Program Evaluation

Formative evaluation of the overall NESS Initiative, as well as each of its components, informs and guides the program as it moves forward. As was the case with the pilot program, the NESS staff meets regularly to discuss the successes and challenges experienced by each school in each aspect of the program and makes course corrections as needed. Summative evaluation assesses the effectiveness of NESS in achieving its goals. Criteria for success include: increasing the number of students who remain in school beyond their Bar/Bat Mitzvah and/or become or remain involved in some other manner of Jewish life, increased satisfaction and interest as expressed by students in religious school classes, increased job satisfaction and interest as expressed by teachers and education directors, and increased satisfaction with the religious school and with the religious school committee, as expressed by the lay and professional leaders of the schools/synagogues. 

Each programmatic component warrants individual attention, as does analysis of the alignment and interaction of the components. To that end, the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education has again engaged the Berman Center for Research and Evaluation of JESNA (Jewish Education Service of North America), led by Dr. Leora Isaacs, Vice President of Programs and Organizational Development, to conduct the evaluation of the Initiative. The focus and goals of the evaluation are tailored to each phase of the project.

• NESS Evaluation - Executive Summary
• NESS Evaluation - Full Report
  
  

Please direct all questions to Anita Block, Director of the NESS Initiative, at 215-635-8940, ext. 1235 or ablock@acaje.org.