Educational and Instructional Philosophy
CESJDS students engage in an exemplary and inspiring education in both general and Judaic studies in a dynamic and inclusive community. We foster the development of each student’s full identity and provide opportunities for them to understand their role and responsibility in the greater world. Our school is a place where Judaism is integrated in all facets of school life and where the dual aspects of the general and Judaic studies curriculum strengthen, challenge, and reinforce the other. At CESJDS, rigorous academics and robust co-curriculars are situated in a school community that embraces values that will serve students for a lifetime.
Intellectual debate, integrity, and a commitment to make the world a better place are central to our formal and experiential curriculum, helping provide a foundation from which students can base their answers to life's ongoing questions and challenges. Our students experience a joyful, pluralistic approach to Judaism, study our tradition's ancient wisdom and texts, and develop their own Jewish identities as we prepare them to engage the world through Jewish values, all while studying secular subjects at the highest levels.
Our outstanding faculty who are subject experts, caring individuals, and master educators dedicated to the values of the school and to their students are essential to ensure an exceptional experience for each student. The relationships faculty build with students are a critical aspect of the school’s culture and ability to help each student thrive.
CESJDS’s educational philosophy to teaching, learning, and curriculum is based on the following principles:
- A whole-child approach focused on the academic, social-emotional, spiritual, and physical development of students.
- Curriculum and instructional strategies that foster students to become independent, creative, and critical thinkers.
- Love of learning that prepares students for a lifetime of meaning, purpose, civic engagement, and caring.
- Rigorous academics thoughtfully balanced with social, emotional, and spiritual learning.
- Engaging Jewish learning that is rooted in timeless and essential Jewish values and wisdom provides a unique way to teach skills and habits through a culture of questioning, interpretation, and embracing different perspectives.
- Empowering students to take charge of their own learning, to learn how to craft and share their own unique voice, and to develop effective communication skills to participate fully in the world as ethical, compassionate, and responsible global citizens.
- Educational excellence is maintained and grows with a commitment to research-based practices and ongoing professional development for faculty.