Excellence is a tricky word. It sounds aspirational, but it can also feel intimidating.
Too often, we associate it with perfection – a standard so impossibly high that striving for it seems futile. But true excellence isn’t about perfection at all. It’s about continuous improvement and a commitment to getting better. It’s about pushing limits and embracing the process of learning and growth.
This distinction is critical, particularly in Jewish day schools. Schools are, at their core, institutions of learning – not just for students but for educators, administrators, and the entire community. When we frame excellence as an ongoing pursuit rather than a fixed state, we create an environment where innovation thrives, where risks are encouraged, and where setbacks are seen as stepping stones rather than failures.
Excellence vs. Perfectionism: A Necessary Reframe
Perfectionism gets a bad rap, and for good reason – it’s very often a mode of procrastination that leads to paralysis. Schools that strive for perfection may find themselves avoiding innovation because they fear getting it wrong. Excellence, on the other hand, is about setting high standards while understanding that growth comes through iteration. It embraces the idea that failure is not the opposite of success but rather a key part of the journey.
Excellence is about the process. Not the final destination.
Katherine Morgan Schafler, in The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control, challenges the common narrative around perfectionism, suggesting that it can be harnessed for good. But I prefer a different framing: the pursuit of excellence. This language shifts the focus from an end goal to an ongoing process – one that Jewish day schools can embed into their culture, curriculum, and leadership.
Measuring Excellence: OKRs and the Power of Focus
If excellence is an ongoing process, how do we track progress in order to feel like we’re actually getting somewhere? This is where Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) come in. Popularized by John Doerr in Measure What Matters, OKRs help organizations set ambitious, measurable goals that drive alignment and focus. In the corporate world, they serve as a clear metric for success. But in education – where success is harder to quantify – OKRs become even more critical.
A school’s pursuit of excellence should be intentional and measurable. A strong OKR system can:
Clarify what excellence means within the school’s unique mission and vision
Create alignment across faculty, administration, and leadership
Provide a framework for reflection and iteration
For example, instead of a vague goal like "enhance student learning," a well-structured OKR might state:
Objective: Improve student engagement and critical thinking in Judaic studies.
Key Result #1: Implement and assess a new inquiry-based learning model in at least 50% of Judaic studies classrooms.
Key Result #2: Increase student-reported engagement in Judaic studies by 20% on end-of-year surveys.
Key Result #3: Provide targeted professional development on inquiry-based learning to 100% of Judaic studies faculty.
These types of goals ensure that excellence is not just an abstract ideal but a tangible, evolving target.
Actionable Steps: How Schools Can Embrace the Pursuit of Excellence
Define Excellence for Your School
Excellence isn’t one-size-fits-all. Schools must articulate what it means in their unique context. Is it about deep Jewish learning? Cutting-edge pedagogy? A strong sense of community? Define it clearly and ensure that every stakeholder—from teachers to parents to students – understands the vision.
Set Stretch Goals
Doerr talks about moonshot goals: ambitious targets that push organizations beyond their comfort zones. Schools should embrace this mindset, setting bold yet achievable goals that drive meaningful progress.
Create a Culture of Iteration
Excellence is about learning from both successes and setbacks. Schools should normalize reflection, using processes like “stop, start, continue” to assess initiatives regularly and refine them over time.
Align Leadership and Faculty
A pursuit of excellence requires buy-in at every level. Leadership teams should model this mindset, demonstrating a commitment to ongoing learning and professional development.
Communicate the Journey
Excellence is not a quiet pursuit. Schools should actively share their commitment to growth—through newsletters, parent meetings, social media, and faculty discussions. When excellence is talked about and celebrated, it becomes part of the culture.
Jewish day schools are uniquely positioned to cultivate a culture of excellence. By shifting the mindset from perfectionism to the pursuit of excellence, by setting clear and measurable goals, and by fostering an environment of continuous growth, schools can elevate their impact—not just for students, but for the entire community.
Helping Jewish day schools define, measure, and sustain excellence is at the core of my work. I partner with school leaders to create clarity around their vision, set meaningful and measurable goals, and build the structures that support ongoing improvement. Through strategic project management, thought partnership, and systematic approaches, I help schools move from aspiration to action -- ensuring that excellence isn’t just an idea, but a lived reality.
Because excellence isn’t a final destination. It’s a way of being.
And the most successful schools are the ones that commit to walking that path every single day.
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