Recent research offers insights into the demographics, behaviors, and attitudes of day school alumni, highlighting the importance of day school education.
Every ten years, the Jewish United Fund (JUF) sponsors a study to understand the unique needs of the Chicago Jewish community. The 2020 Metropolitan Chicago Jewish Population Study included a new set of questions to understand how day school alumni and non-day school Jewish adults engage in Jewish life differently. Findings indicate that day school alumni exhibit a stronger Jewish identity, greater commitment to the Jewish community, and more positive attitudes toward Israel.
The following is a summary of key research findings and highlights how JUF collaborates with local day school leadership to apply outcomes based measurement to their work.
Day School Alumni: Chicago Landscape
The 2020 Metropolitan Chicago Jewish Population Study provided a snapshot of the landscape of day school alumni in Chicago.
- 12% of Jewish adults living in Jewish households (est. 30,000 individuals) are day school alumni.
- 15,390 Jewish households include day school alum.
- Among day school alumni, equal proportions identify as Orthodox (35%) and Conservative/Reform (35%). The remaining 26% identify as non-denominational, and 4% identify as other.
Day School Alumni: Jewish Identity, Community, and Israel
Jewish Identity
Jewish day school education fosters deep and meaningful social connections, positively contributing to Jewish continuity. Compared to non-day school Jewish adults, a significantly greater proportion of day school alumni:
- Consider their children Jewish (95% vs 62%)
- Consider themselves Jewish by religion (89% vs 73%)
- Marry someone Jewish (62% vs 45%)
Community
Jewish day school education sparks deep and consistent community engagement across the lifespan. Using the Index of Jewish Engagement, when compared to non-day school Jewish adults, a significantly greater proportion of day school alumni:
- Are highly engaged in many aspects of Jewish life (71% vs 39%)
- Indicate that most or all of their friends are Jewish (66% vs 39%)
- Are current synagogue members (59% vs 33%)
- Feel "very much" that being Jewish is a part of daily life (57% vs 29%)
Israel
Jewish day school education cultivates a love for Israel and instills a lifelong commitment to supporting and engaging with global Jewry. Compared to non-day school Jewish adults, a significantly greater proportion of day school alumni:
- Feel emotionally "very attached" to Israel (65% vs 27%)
- Feel "very much" a part of the worldwide Jewish community (45% vs 26%)
For the data points above representing “feeling” statements, only the highest response category is shown.
A Community Initiative: Redefining the Value Proposition for Day Schools
Jewish day schools in America were established to preserve Jewish identity and provide high-quality Jewish and secular education. Given the ongoing rise in antisemitism, it is crucial to strengthen community infrastructure that supports Jewish youth as they navigate their Jewish identity, community involvement, and relationship to Israel. This underscores the importance of re-defining the value proposition of day school education.
Based on this research, JUF encouraged its affiliated schools to use outcome-based evaluation to demonstrate the value of day school education. To support this effort, JUF developed the following Jewish life outcome statements, which schools have affirmed, to reflect the intended impact of day school education on students and families.
Day School Education: Jewish Life Outcome Statements
- Students gain age-appropriate Jewish literacy skills.
- Students demonstrate a love of Jewish learning and a strong Jewish identity.
- Students develop lifetime friendships steeped in Jewish experiences.
- Students can articulate the story of the Jewish people.
- Students feel a special relationship with Israel and are connected to the Israeli people.
- Students gain new or increased Hebrew skills.
- Students become Jewish leaders in their communities.
- Students/families continue to engage in Jewish experiences after the day school experience.
- Students/families feel connected to the experience of Jews around the world.
- Families develop new friendships within the school community.
This year, JUF asked schools to reflect on these outcome statements and share their work around impact, measurement, and outcome achievement. Key findings from school progress reporting include:
- All outcome statements were measured by 50+% of schools.
- Some outcome statements were measured by as many as 85% of schools.
- Outcome statements #1 and #2 were the most frequently measured.
- Outcome statement #9 was the least frequently measured.
Example indicators and data collection strategies being used by schools to measure Jewish life outcomes are as follows
Acceptance rates
Schools track acceptance rates for high school, college, and gap year programs to understand enrollment trends.
Assessment
Formative, summative, and performance assessments are used to monitor student progress and compare to national benchmarks.
Financial trends
Schools analyze fundraising trends to assess their financial health and community support.
Focus groups
Town halls or office hours offer a platform to engage with parents. Group discussions can explore attitudes, feelings, and beliefs, providing a deeper understanding of the school community's interests and needs.
Interviews
Exit interviews with graduating students provide firsthand accounts of their experiences.
Observations
Staff meetings allow teachers to share experiences, helping to identify areas for improvement and highlight successful strategies.
Participation rates
Schools track participation in Jewish learning activities in both in-school and out-of-school settings to measure engagement.
Surveys
The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is used to assess satisfaction, engagement, and/or learning outcomes.
Many JUF day schools have reported capacity to advance this work. We are currently exploring ways to integrate this effort into our broader Jewish Engagement & Education Impact area of JUF's Shared Outcomes initiative, a partnership with local Jewish organizations aimed at working collaboratively with community organizations to define and measure outcomes in specific impact areas.
Next Steps
The stability, growth, and advancement of our day school system remain ongoing JUF priorities. We achieve this through coordinated initiatives, including leading community planning efforts like the day school value proposition work, building system capacity through annual funding, strategic grant making, and convening school professionals, and launching new initiatives to strengthen the system.
By sharing insights from our local research with the national field, I pose the following question: How can we leverage this research to enhance the value proposition of day school education for the broader Jewish community?