Grant contest will award Jewish day schools new classroom technology

Jewish day schools in the Los Angeles area have until April 1 to take part in a unique contest that will award grants of up to $25,000 for cutting-edge classroom technology and programs.

The Technology for Schools Grant Contest, open to day schools across the country, is a new program run by the nonprofit Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE). Based in New York, CIJE has provided computer software, SMART boards and advanced science lab technology to 115 day schools nationwide since 2001 in a bid to boost enrollment by improving the quality of academic instruction.

“We’re in the midst of an ever-growing technology age, and students need a competitive edge in order to succeed in today’s global economy,” said CIJE president Jason Cury. “The only way Jewish schools will survive is if parents can be sure their children will get the best education they can get.”

Schools can take part in the grant contest by raising funds for CIJE, with the top two donor schools winning prizes of $25,000 and $18,000, respectively. The third-place prize of $10,000 will go to the school that garners the highest number of individual donations, regardless of the total amount raised.

Grant money can be used for a variety of CIJE programs, including computer-assisted learning software; interactive SMART white boards; interactive Hebrew language instruction software; and state-of-the-art science, math and engineering curricula.

CIJE’s initiatives complement the work of PEJE (Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education). While PEJE offers leadership and financial advisory programs to strengthen day school administrations and boards, CIJE focuses on the curriculum, providing classroom tools and sending educators out to help schools integrate new technology into their lessons.

Locally, day schools including Shalhevet School, Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy and Yeshivat Yavneh have received educational technology from CIJE.

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