Jewish New Teacher Project (JNTP), which helps Jewish day school educators gain and maintain their classroom skills, is becoming part of Prizmah, an organization that unites Jewish day schools and yeshivas in North America.
“This is a pivotal moment for Jewish day schools,” said Paul Bernstein, CEO of Prizmah. “Strengthening the educator pipeline is central to Prizmah’s strategy and to the success of the Jewish day school field, and bringing JNTP’s proven, research-based programs into our platform allows us to grow talent at scale. Together, we can better recruit, develop, and retain the educators and leaders our schools need. This step not only advances Prizmah’s work. It strengthens the entire field.”
Formerly, JNTP was part of the New Teacher Center, for more than two decades. While there was a Jewish day school division, the work mostly focused on public schools. According to Nina Bruder, JNTP’s CEO, after leaving the New Teacher Center in 2025, they wanted to find a new home in the Jewish community.
“From the beginning, Prizmah was the top and most obvious partner,” she said. “We used this year to really dig deep and have a very thorough process. We concluded that this makes the most sense, and the best home for the work we do, which is supporting day schools all across the country.”
“From the beginning, Prizmah was the top and most obvious partner,” – Nina Bruder
JNTP works with people who are new to teaching and the administration side of day schools. They train in-school mentors who meet weekly with the teachers, help them develop skills, conduct biweekly classroom observations, do goalsetting, and observe student work, lesson planning, and parent-teacher conferences. The organization also assists people who have been promoted for the first time and have to now supervise staff members.
“No amount of grad school training can prepare anyone for the day in, day out of working in a school,” said Bruder. “What our work does is help people think and react and plan for what work is like on a daily basis. We individualize it for each teacher or administrator.”
The organization’s training can help teachers and administrators stay in their roles—and thrive.
“There is a high rate of burnout in education in general in America, and an entire generation of teachers are expected to retire soon,” said Bruder. “With economy the way it is, and job opportunities that allow you to work from home, fewer people are going into teaching. [With our help], they can be supported and have positive experiences.”
JNTP is in 22 states and Canada as well. Locally, they have worked with Pressman Academy, Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Brawerman school, Sinai Akiba, Wise School, and Yeshivat Yavneh.
According to Bruder, her organization’s goal is to make teachers and administrators feel supported every step of the way.
“My dream is to make sure every school has trained mentors, and all new teachers and administrators get the support they need in their careers,” she said. “When you make a change and you’re doing something for the first time, it can be scary. Rather than make it up as you go, you can get the research-based support and be successful.”
The JNTP-Prizmah partnership is taking place when Jewish day school enrollment is up; according to a new report from Prizmah, Jewish day school enrollment across the organization’s network in North America has grown to 101,000 students in the 2025-26 school year, which is an overall increase of 7,000 students over the past five years.
“Day schools create communities of belonging, growth, and inspiration,” said Bruder. “Nothing is more influential on the life of student than their teacher, and second to that is their administrator. Creating joyful, purposeful, and inspiring environments where people spend most of their waking hours is so important. Day schools help people grapple and grow and ground in the Jewish community and world they face when they leave school.”
Bruder is looking forward to starting critical work with Prizmah schools.
“Prizmah brings a national platform, a vast network of Jewish day schools, and the infrastructure to scale impact,” she said. “The sum will be greater than its parts. We are excited to amplify our respective and combined strengths in supporting the teacher pipeline and educational and leadership excellence.”
