Questions:

1. My agency does not have money to spare. Where should the $1,000 come from?

2. My community already offers a named teacher recognition award. Are we still eligible to participate?

3. The new online Awards application is confusing to me. What are the new procedures?

4. How do I know if my community is participating?What can I do if my community has not been a part of the Awards in the past?

5. How are teachers nominated to receive this Award?

6. How can I choose just one teacher from my many outstanding employees?

7. When is the deadline for the awards?

8. When will I know if the teacher I nominated won?

9. How do I get more information?

10. Can I nominate a teacher?

Answers:

My agency does not have money to spare. Where should the $1,000 come from?

The money should preferably come from a local philanthropist. The title of the local award can be shared with the local donor, the Grinspoon Foundation and the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life. If you are having trouble identifying a local donor, please contact Marcie Yoselevsky at JESNA: (212) 284-6895 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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My community already offers a named teacher recognition award. Are we still eligible to participate?

Yes! Communities that award a minimum of $1,000 with eligibility criteria compatible with those of the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards, may also submit their local recipient for nomination to the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards. If selected, the nominee will receive the matching $1,000 from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life. When the local recipient also is selected for the national Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards, the title of the local award will be shared by the local donor, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life. However, communities with existing teacher recognition awards are encouraged to establish a second educator award under the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards guidelines, by investing in an additional $1,000.
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The new online Awards application is confusing to me. What are the new procedures?

The new online application was designed to make the Awards application process easier for all involved parties. Central agency and/or federation executives are responsible for downloading the application and forwarding Parts A, B, and C to schools administrators. The administrator then fills out Part A, and forwards Part B to the nominated teacher. The administrator also forwards Part C to a secondary nominator. Once the school administrator receives back the completed Parts B and C, he or she then returns them together with Part A (to be completed by the Executive) to the central agency or federation by the assigned deadline. The executive then forwards all four completed Parts to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . In addition to the instructions on this site, there are also individual instructions listed at the bottom of each Part. If you have any problems accessing these documents, please contact Marice Yoselevsky at (212) 284-6895 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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How do I know if my community is participating? What can I do if my community has not been a part of the Awards in the past?

To find out if your community is participating, please call your central agency or, if no central agency exists, your federation. Click here to see a directory of central agencies. Click here to see a directory of federations in each community. Any community that has a central agency for Jewish education or a federation is eligible to participate in the Awards. If your community is not participating, and you have a teacher of excellence you would like to nominate, please work with your central agency or federation to take part in the Awards.
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How are teachers nominated for the Awards?

JESNA, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, and the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life have sent out Awards packages to central agencies for Jewish education and federations across North America. Click here to see the entire 2010 kit.

In participating communities, parts A and B of the application are then sent to schools for the principal or administrator and nominated teacher to fill out. Each school may nominate one teacher. The completed application from each school is then sent back to the agency for consideration. A local selection committee will review all submissions and forward the winning application form to JESNA.
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How can I choose just one teacher from my many outstanding educators?

The Grinspoon Foundation, Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, JESNA and your local agency understand that it can sometimes be difficult for a principal to single out one teacher of excellence from among a qualified staff. Some schools who participated in the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards have used the following methods to ensure that no teacher feels the selection process was arbitrary:

• Form a committee of school administrators and/or board members to help select the teacher. Ask teachers to vote for other teachers in the school who meet the criteria for the Awards.Solicit nominations from parents and students in the school community Consider recognizing multiple educators every year; each one receives something notable (a plaque, cash, public recognition, etc.) but only one will be a recipient of the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards.

• Have every school in your jurisdiction nominate a teacher and assure them all of an award. Recognize one teacher from each school annually. Then select one of these teachers who meets the local and national criteria to be the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards winner.

The Awards provide meaningful recognition for outstanding Jewish educators in your community, provides an opportunity for continued professional development and an opportunity for local and national Jewish communities to bring Jewish educator recognition and value to the attention of the general Jewish community.
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When is the deadline for the Awards?

Your local central agency or federation has determined a deadline for submission of applications. All completed Awards nominations must be emailed in their entirety to JESNA no later than May 21, 2010.
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When will I know if the teacher I nominated won?

A list of Award-winning teachers will be released in mid-June to your local agency, the winning teacher and the winning teacher's school.
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How do I get more information?

For more information, please call your local central agency for Jewish education. If your community does not have a central agency, please call your local federation. Click here to see a directory of central agencies. Click here to see a directory of federations in each community.
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Can I nominate a teacher?

Teachers may be nominated ONLY by their principal or school administrator. Nominations are then submitted to the local central agency for Jewish education or, where no central agency exists, to the local federation.
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