Beth Tfiloh High School Principal Dr. Renee Koplon recently returned from Cambridge, MA, where she participated in
Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership, a seminar at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Principals’ Center for emerging leaders. This week-long institute is part of a larger, year-long 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.
Dr. Koplon and 17 other eligible day school principals from around the country attended 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.
Enhancing Leadership Skills
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, MD, applying what was learned at Harvard to the Jewish purpose of their schools.
"It was an amazing experience for me," said Dr. Koplon. "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 students. I am looking forward to bringing these new skills back to Beth Tfiloh."
"We are a community of lifelong learners at Beth Tfiloh," said Beth Tfiloh Director of Education Dr. Zipora Schorr. "Through her participation in
Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership, Dr. Koplon serves as a wonderful model of this core BT value."