Welcome to the toolbox

Welcome to The Toolbox, a collection of resources from over 20 years of the Experiment in Congregational Education’s (ECE’s) work with nearly 200 congregations around the country. In The Toolbox you can explore ideas, tools and materials and find inspiration to help you innovate and transform Jewish learning in your congregation.

How the toolbox works

The Toolbox resources answer three essential questions: Why Change, What to Change, and How to Change.

Looking for a specific resource? You can use the search box (top right) to search for a topic, author, title, or keyword or use the Tag Cloud (at right). Come on in and browse!
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Browse the Toolbox

Click on a question/area below or use the search box above.

  • Why Change

    Addresses motivations for change, and provides a vision of education as it could be. Includes articles, speeches, and other materials.

  • What to Change

    Examples of vision statements, model descriptions, and case studies

  • How to Change

    Guidebooks, diagram/logic charts, protocols, and text studies.

About Change

Innovation brings change as new ways replace old. Change is often welcome (ever had a brand new car?) but it can also be challenging to navigate, especially in synagogues where tradition means a lot. Innovation happens on purpose--inertia is strong unless there’s a compelling reason to change. And motivation alone isn’t enough unless you know what needs to change and what to do instead. Even then, a great idea is not enough. The process can be as important as the product. Knowing how to manage a sound process of change can make the difference between lasting change with far-reaching impact and small changes with vanishing effects. Want to learn more about change? Learn More