Eighty-two percent of Jewish students drop out.
If this statistic applied to secular education, parents and educators alike would consider themselves in a crisis situation. There would be a huge outcry, studies galore and a series of initiatives to address the crisis.
Actually, this figure represents the percentage of local students once enrolled in full-time or supplemental Jewish elementary education who drop out of formal Jewish education by their senior year of high school.
Skeptics may quibble with this statistic. There are several smaller programs for which the Coalition for Jewish Learning, the education program of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, does not have the statistics.
But, in truth, the number of students currently enrolled in formal high school programs in our community includes full-time day school students, so the actual drop out rate may be even higher than 82 percent. Either way, the number of teens continuing their formal studies through twelfth grade is low and causes real concern among those who care about the future of Jewish life.
Thankfully, our teenagers have not entirely abandoned Jewish life. The excellent youth programs sponsored by the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, SHIFTY, NCSY and others have large enrollments. Many excellent Jewish camps involve our youth and have a positive impact on them. Although these worthwhile, socially oriented programs all have Jewish educational components, they are not formal education programs.
So, we must ask whether the community is concerned about the low number of students who continue their formal Jewish education and if there are ways we can improve the present situation.
Finding what works
CJL has tried to address this situation. Its first attempt, in 1998, focused on organizing an intensive two-evening-a-week program that emphasized Hebrew and text study. The program was never launched because only two families enrolled their children.
In 2000, CJL initiated Merkaz (originally Machon), a one-evening-per-week program that offered a range of study options such as teen ethical dilemmas, medical ethics, art, Hebrew and Jewish literature.
The goal was to offer a program for high school juniors and seniors as well as for younger students who wished to supplement synagogue-based programs. Excellent teachers taught these classes, and the titles were compelling enough that several adults expressed interest in them.
Although initial interest in Merkaz was strong, over the years participation declined. This fall, only six students enrolled, and we have reluctantly concluded that at a time of tight budgets, this program cannot continue.
Ironically, students who have participated in the program over the years have expressed enthusiasm about their classes. Evaluations consistently showed that the classes were well received.
However, our communication with teens tells us that their schedules are extremely packed — almost frenetic. They have challenging homework assignments and part-time jobs, and participate in many positive activities, such as sports, plays and musicals.
Apparently, formal Jewish study has fallen off the teens’ and parents’ radars as they prioritize the many available options.
The Coalition for Jewish Learning invites interested community members and educators to participate in a think tank to consider whether there is another educational format that would appeal to a larger group of students. We will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. in the CJL boardroom in the north building of the Karl Jewish Community Campus.
We hope that through dialogue and collaboration we can discover a way to reach out more creatively to our teens — to find the magic formula that will attract them and fit into their crowded lives.
Alternatively, we may have to reconcile ourselves to the possibility that only a small number of local Jewish teens wish to participate in formal Jewish study by the time they are high school juniors and seniors.
If this is the disturbing reality, we will abide by it. Yet, we must ask: Does anyone outside the core educational establishment share our concern? If so, please join our deliberations or share your ideas by phone letter or e-mail.
Steven Baruch, Ph.D., is executive director of the Coalition for Jewish Learning, the education program of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. For more information, contact him at 414-967-8327 or stevenb@milwaukeejewish.org .
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