The Gruss Life Monument Funds, Inc. (Gruss Foundation) provides funding for Yeshivot and Jewish day schools in New York City and Long Island, New York. In 2001-2002, the Gruss Foundation launched an initiative to improve secular education for elementary schoolchildren in 41 Yeshivot and Jewish day schools in the New York City and Long Island areas. As part of the initiative, each school received a computer laboratory, the SuccessMaker Enterprise electronic courseware system, and support from a supervisor and two Education Program Liaisons (EPLs). In addition, each school provided an onsite lab manager.

In Yeshivot and Jewish day schools, students spend between 10 and 20 hours a week on general studies, with the remainder of the week being dedicated to Judaic Hebrew studies. A program was needed during the challenging general studies time frame to maximize teaching and learning, and raise test scores in reading and math. The Gruss Foundation identified software and sent requests for proposals to Yeshivot and Jewish day schools inthe New York area. The foundation then reviewed proposals, visited the schools, and made its selections for funding. In September 2001, the Gruss Foundation placed 15 servers, 250 desktops with SuccessMaker courseware, and 450 site licenses in the schools.

This courseware configuration included five Foundations courses in math and language arts: Initial Reading, Reading Readiness, Reader’s Workshop, Spelling Skills, MathConcepts and Skills, and Exploreware courses in Math Investigations ® , Reading Adventures Primary ™ , Reading Adventures ™ and Reading Investigations ™ . There are now a total of 41 labs with an average of 25 computers in each lab, and more than 9,000 students in kindergarten to fifth grade using the courseware. Students work on SuccessMaker Enterprise two times per week in math and reading for 40 minutes each session. The labs are run by site managers, with staff development provided by the Gruss Education Center. Teachers, principals, and site managers were all trained on the SuccessMaker Enterprise courseware, and Staff Development helps teachers strategize based on reports generated from the courses. Four educational programliaisons work with the schools to assist in the program’s implementation. EPLs act as liaisons between the Gruss Education Center, Pearson Digital Learning, and participating schools. During the summer the EPLs prepared documentation for site managers, and received extensive training from Pearson Digital Learning on the program’s Exploreware courses. Several schools are incorporating SuccessMaker Enterprise into their teaching and producing very positive results.Yeshiva of Flatbush is individualizing its instruction, and beginning to integrate the SuccessMaker curriculum with the traditional classroom curriculum.

Teachers agree that the software:

•Contributes to student academic proficiency

•Supports classroom instruction

•Saves teachers time

•Motivates students

•Allows students to work independently

SuccessMaker Enterprise continues to be positively received in Yeshivot and Jewish day schools. First-year student achievement across the schools confirmed the value of the initiative and the improvement of basic education. Students working in aSuccessMaker Enterprise LabTwo proud SuccessMaker Enterprise students show off their reports.