-- ACCEPTANCE TO FIRST-CHOICE COLLEGE: The majority (67%) of all Jewish
college students surveyed are attending their first-choice college.
Students who attended Jewish high schools are gaining acceptance to their
first choice at the same rate as alumni of public and private high schools.
-- ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: College GPAs of former Jewish day school students
mirror those of students who attended public or private schools.
-- JUST SAYING NO: Former Jewish day school students are more resistant
to social pressures that lead to binge drinking and other risky behaviors
than their public and private school peers.
-- BURSTING THE SOCIAL BUBBLE: Jewish high school alumni develop diverse
social networks that extend well beyond their day school connections. Only
a small minority (11%) indicated that most of their friends continue to be
those they met in high school.
-- SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE: Students who attended Jewish day school for at
least six years are more likely to become involved in socially responsible
activities, such as community volunteerism and advocacy, than their public
and private school peers.
-- ASSUMING LEADERSHIP: More than one-third (36%) of former Jewish day
school students assume leadership positions in college, similar to
proportions of private and public school alumni (40% and 39%,
respectively).
-- STRONG ALUMNI CONNECTIONS: Jewish high school alumni feel a greater
connection to their former schools and classmates than students who
attended public or private schools.
-- BROAD CAREER POSSIBILITIES: Former Jewish day school students select
major fields of study across a broad spectrum, and they intend to pursue
graduate programs in proportions that are virtually indistinguishable from
that of students who attended public or private schools.
"This study makes clear that [Jewish] day schools effectively prepare
students for a wide range of universities -- including the nation's
most select schools," said Fern Chertok, senior research associate for
the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University.
"Undergraduates with a history of day school are launched into
trajectories of secular academic success and Jewish communal
engagement."
The study also found that Jewish day schools help students maintain or
strengthen their ties to Judaism while in college, regardless of their
denomination or the length of time they attended Jewish day school.
Students with at least some history of day school attendance reported
significantly more frequent participation in Jewish life on campus, as well
as a greater knowledge and understanding of Israel. Additionally, over half
of the students surveyed who attended Jewish day school have taken at least
one Jewish studies course in college. These results confirm that former
Jewish day school students are happy to be Jewish and make efforts to
expand their knowledge of the religion in college.
"My Jewish day school experience taught me the value of having a personal
relationship with my teacher, which is exponentially more important in
college, particularly in a lecture class of 200 students," said Hilary
Brown, a graduate of the Weber School in Atlanta who is currently enrolled
in the dual program with Columbia University and The Jewish Theological
Seminary (JTS). "I was also equipped with a solid foundation for my Jewish
identity, which meant that when I got to campus, I already knew what
community I wanted to be a part of. As overwhelming as freshman orientation
can be, it was a relief to arrive with an understanding of what was
important to me."
According to the most recent Jewish day school census (2003 - 2004), there
are more than 750 Jewish day schools across the U.S., with more than
200,000 students. Jewish day schools provide students with general and
Jewish education in an environment that fosters a positive connection to
Jewish values and traditions. Over the past 10 years, enrollment in Jewish
day schools has increased by approximately 21,000 students (11 percent),
with nearly 100 more schools open in 2003 - 2004 than in 1993 - 1994.
Methodology
These findings emerged from a study designed to determine the broad effects
of a Jewish day school education and to explore how it shapes the academic
and Jewish outcomes of students during their college years.
An online survey was created after conducting four focus groups comprised
of 32 undergraduates. Three of the groups were conducted on college
campuses during the academic year, while a fourth was held during summer
break at a Jewish Community Center in a metropolitan area. The participants
shared thoughts on their schooling and explained how it has affected their
college experience.
Between November 2006-February 2007, a diverse group of 3,312 Jewish
undergraduates completed an online survey for this study. Students
represented 146 different colleges and universities in the United States.
The majority (82%) of the sample was derived through college contact lists,
ensuring that comparison group information was available not only from
students who had attended day schools but also from peers who did not have
day school experience and currently attend the same colleges and
universities. The sample was balanced for gender, with females comprising
just over half (57%), and it featured equal representation from all four
undergraduate years.
About The Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies -
Brandeis University
The mission of the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies is to conduct
scholarly work that can enhance understanding of the Jewish community. The
Center is a multi-disciplinary research institute and an integral part of
Brandeis University's distinguished programs in Jewish studies and communal
service. Research conducted at the Center focuses on studies of American
Jewry and Jewish institutions and is widely disseminated.
About PEJE
The Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE), founded in 1997
by Michael Steinhardt and Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, is a collaborative of
visionary Jewish philanthropists who seek to create a vibrant and
sustainable Jewish future through strengthening the Jewish day school
movement in North America. In its first nine years, PEJE's model of making
grants, providing expertise, and advocating for the day school movement
reached more than 150 elementary, middle, and high schools and invested
more than $20 million in the field. PEJE has contributed to the opening of
more than 60 new Jewish day schools.
Through a collaborative strategic planning process, PEJE's original vision
and mission of creating a more active, committed, literate, and sustainable
Jewish community through strengthening the day school movement and opening
new day schools has been expanded to include a targeted goal of increasing
enrollment in new and existing Jewish day schools.
PEJE's strategy to achieve this goal is based on the logic that the ability
to attract more families to day schools is contingent upon the capacity of
each school to sustain growth and all it entails: excellent quality of the
educational product, sufficient financial resources, effective volunteer
and professional management, and collaborative relationships within the
community.
Contact Information: Contact: Glen Schwartz Fleishman-Hillard, Inc. P: (781) 413-6146 Email Contact