Schechter Day School Network
| Formation | 1965 |
|---|---|
| Type | organization of Jewish day schools that identify with Conservative Judaism |
| Purpose | to promote: "the continued growth and vitality of its member schools, which serve a broad Jewish population and are characterized by Conservative thought and practice, high academic achievement and social responsibility, in a culture of joyous spiritual engagement, caring and community." |
| Headquarters | 820 Second Avenue, New York, New York 10017 |
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Formerly called
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the Solomon Schechter Day School Association |
The Schechter Day School Network, formerly the Solomon Schechter Day School Association, located at 820 Second Avenue, New York, New York, is the organization of Jewish day schools that identify with Conservative Judaism. The network provides guidance and resources for its member schools in the United States and Canada.
The express mission of the network is to promote:
the continued growth and vitality of its member schools, which serve a broad Jewish population and are characterized by Conservative thought and practice, achievement and social responsibility, in a culture of joyous spiritual engagement, caring and community.
The Association of Solomon Schechter Day Schools dates back to 1965, created as part of an effort to create standards and promote cooperation between the existing Conservative day schools and promote the establishment of new schools.
Among the network's major achievements is the publication, in conjunction with the Melton Research Center, of the MaToK curriculum for the teaching of Torah in elementary schools that combines the commitment to tradition, Hebrew language, and inquiry.
The network provides mentoring for new school heads; a fellowship that helps place a recent recipient of a rabbinical degree or graduate degree in Jewish education into an educational leadership position in one of the Schechter schools; placement services; consultation in such areas as the teaching of prayer; regional conferences on educational subjects for teachers and administrators; and support for curricular and marketing initiatives.
The first Conservative day school, Beth El Day School in Rockaway Park, Queens, opened in 1951. During the 1950s and 1960s, additional schools opened throughout the country as parents began to seek schools that combined high general academic standards, authentic Jewish study and life, and open intellectual inquiry in all areas of study.
The first school to adopt the name of Rabbi Solomon Schechter, the founder of Conservative Judaism in its 20th century form, was the Solomon Schechter School of Queens, New York City, which opened in 1956. In 1966, Solomon Schechter School of Westchester opened in White Plains, New York. The Hillel Day School in Farmington Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007.
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