To develop a master teacher training and mentoring program within the context of a comprehensive program for the development of synagogue education.

The grant funded the training of master (mentor) teachers in synagogue schools to support new (mentee) teachers. The mentors and mentees gathered once a month for two hours, were in touch between sessions, and attended two dinners each year to get to know one another. The mentees identified issues they wanted to work on and then addressed them with their mentors one by one. Over the course of the grant period, 32 novice teachers received mentoring.

As a result of the program, there has been a culture shift within the community of school administrators. They now see the value of the mentoring relationships to new teachers. School administrators are now willing to pay several hundred dollars to enroll new teachers in the program.

This project also produced an internal handbook based on mentoring materials adapted for the synagogue school context.