2015 • 5775
Recognizing Innovative Local Educators
who make a Lasting Impact on the Lives
of Jewish Children
Be a Part of the North American Awards Program
A Step By Step Guide:
Your community is invited to participate in the
Grinspoon* Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education for 2015
Recognize an innovative educator from your community
(*formerly the Grinspoon Steinhardt Awards)
OVERVIEW:
In partnership with your community, these prestigious awards have recognized over 700 outstanding Jewish Educators,
in over 78 different communities across North America in the past 15 years.
Successful innovations engage learners and result in evidence of learning. We encourage your Award committees to think
about how educators demonstrate innovation within the framework of the Grinspoon Awards requirements.
“Innovation occurs when something about the teacher, the learner, the setting, or the curriculum intentionally changes.
The intention behind this change could make the educational setting feel less like a traditional learning environment,
thereby changing students’ mindsets and expectations.”
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Eligible Regional winners will demonstrate:
 Current employment as a Jewish educator, grades P-K to 12, with contact hours
 Ability to develop and implement creative and engaging instructional activities
 Ability to inspire, motivate and challenge students
 Effective planning skills
In addition, eligible North American winners will demonstrate:
 Ability to effectively communicate instructional processes and methodologies so that they can be used by
other educators
 Ability and willingness to assume a peer mentoring role
 Creative use of available grant and mentoring
COMMUNITY PROCEDURES:
If your community does not have an educator awards process, follow these steps in order to establish one. Please note:
You may decide to honor more than one educator so that the Grinspoon Awards become among other awards in your
community:
 The awards process should be carried out by a point person at the local central agency for Jewish education or,
where no central agency exists, at the local Federation.
 The point person should establish a committee which is representative of the entire educational community.
67 Hunt Street, Suite 100, Agawam, MA 01001 ~ Phone (413) 276 0741 ~ Fax (413) 276 0804 ~ www.teacherawards.org
2015 • 5775
Recognizing Innovative Local Educators
who make a Lasting Impact on the Lives
of Jewish Children
 Convene your committee to establish the timeline and criteria for selecting innovative educators in your community.
We encourage your award committees to think about how they understand innovation within the framework of the
Grinspoon Awards requirements. Criteria that arise out of such a conversation should be communicated to the
educational community so that all involved understand the basis of the evaluation.
 Construct a timeline that ensures the ability of the committee to collect and submit all materials for the Grinspoon
Awards application on or before March 11, 2015.
 The Harold Grinspoon Foundation will confirm each nominee. Nominees need to meet the requirements of this
awards program.
 Need additional guidance? Consult other communities that already participate in the Grinspoon Awards to find out
how they established their awards process. To get connected, contact Martina Zobel at TeacherAwards@HGF.org.
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS:
Local communities must be able to grant the award winner a minimum $1,000 cash prize. Communities can add
criteria for eligibility as long as those criteria do not conflict with the Grinspoon Awards criteria. If your community
has a preexisting award that already meets the Grinspoon Awards criteria, that winner would be an eligible nominee
for these North American Awards.
If you are looking for ways to fund the Grinspoon Awards in your community, there are several ways to raise this money:
 Involve local philanthropists
 Establish an endowment for continuity of the Awards through the central agency or Federation
 Build the cost into your annual budget
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Once your community has established its awards committee, agreed upon local criteria, and secured funding, follow
these steps to ensure your community’s participation in the North American Grinspoon Awards:
Disseminate application materials to the centers of learning in the community. These applications can be downloaded
after December 2, 2014 at www.hgf.org/grinspoon-awards
 Email completed application kits to your central agency/Federation point person for local committee review.
 Determine your regional nominee to be submitted to the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
 Email completed Application Kit for your regional nominee to TeacherAwards@hgf.org, on or before March 11,
2015
67 Hunt Street, Suite 100, Agawam, MA 01001 ~ Phone (413) 276 0741 ~ Fax (413) 276 0804 ~ www.teacherawards.org
2015 • 5775
Recognizing Innovative Local Educators
who make a Lasting Impact on the Lives
of Jewish Children
NORTH AMERICAN WINNER SELECTION PROCESS:
All applications of the Regional Nominees of the Grinspoon Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education will be judged by
the North American Awards Panel on the following criteria:
 Innovation/originality/creativity
 Educator consistently designs and implements new approaches in their classrooms in order to increase the
engagement of their students and the effectiveness of the lessons and concepts.
 Educator successfully increases the engagement, participation and inclusion of under-engaged student
populations (children with special needs, children of unaffiliated families, post-b’nai mitzvah age
adolescents etc.)
 Skillful application or reinforcement of 21st century learning skills
 Evidence of student engagement & demonstrated student learning
 Evidence demonstrating that students achieved the learning objectives
Award announcements for both Regional and North American Winners will be made on April 21, 2015.
HONORING COMMUNITY WINNERS:
A key component in creating an awards culture for your community is honoring your Award winners publicly. If you do
not currently have a recognition process in place, here are some suggestions about how to honor your educators:
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Create a plan for publicly recognizing your educators through special communitywide dinners, ceremonies, staff
meetings or school events.
Honor each selected teacher with a gift of recognition. Special details may include a press release and photo
distribution, money, governor’s citation, etc. The Harold Grinspoon Foundation will provide a plaque and publication
opportunities on a new e-journal for Engaging Practices in Jewish Education.
Collaborate with several educational centers on celebrations to maximize community funding and attention
Invite parents, students, peers, guests of award winners, and community members to participate in a celebration
For more information about this application process, contact
Martina Zobel at TeacherAwards@HGF.org or (413) 276-0741.
The Harold Grinspoon Foundation must receive completed application kits
and all supporting documentation by March 11, 2015.
Materials must be submitted from the central agency or Federation
67 Hunt Street, Suite 100, Agawam, MA 01001 ~ Phone (413) 276 0741 ~ Fax (413) 276 0804 ~ www.teacherawards.org