The Translation of Theory into Educational Practice

The essays in this volume offer distinctive visions of an ideal Jewish education. They address thoughtfully – and variously – such questions as What should successfully educated Jews know and feel? How should they behave? What is their responsibility to the Jewish community and to humankind?

This chapter makes three assumptions that are foundational to our project. The first is that vision makes a difference, and that differing visions result in different kinds of Jewish education. But visions incorporate more than theoretical propositions; they embody as well the translation of these propositions into practice.

Although the visions developed in our project have elements in common – some surprising – their differences are consequential. A visitor to an early childhood program based on Isadore Twersky's vision would not mistake it for a program based on Moshe Greenberg's vision. The mission of a teacher, according to Menachem Brinker, conflicts with the mission of a teacher in Michael Meyer's view.

The second assumption is that for these visions, or any others, to be implemented, they need to include an understanding of the real-life settings – schools, community centers, adult education programs, and summer camps – where education takes place. Vision cannot be separated from implementation. The act of incorporating vision in a complex reality releases its power and reveals its limits.