Abstract
A vision of schools where teachers as well as students grow was the impetus for the
design and implementation of the Boston Mandel Teacher Educator Institute (MTEI). In
August 2002, the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Boston with support from the
Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the Mandel Foundation, and the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education at Brandeis University joined together to launch an innovative professional development project aimed at improving the quality of teaching and learning in Jewish schools in the greater Boston area. The central goal of the program
was to develop school-based teams of educational leaders who would design and
implement intensive, sustained learning opportunities for teachers, thus enhancing the
professional climate for teachers and the learning opportunities for students.
We launched this two-year intensive program with eleven schools: 3 day schools, 7
congregational schools and 1 after-school program. Representing all the denominations,
the program brought together educators who rarely have the opportunity to work together
in an ongoing way on issues of professional development and school improvement.
These educational teams learned about new approaches to school-based professional
development so that they and their colleagues could augment their own professional
growth and enhance their students’ engagement and learning.
This report is divided into five sections:
1. Rationale for the Boston MTEI Initiative
2. Research on Boston MTEI Schools
3. Boston MTEI: A Description of the Program
4. Effects of the Program
5. Next Steps