In 1992 Stuart Kelman edited a groundbreaking collection of research articles entitled What We Know About Jewish Education. This compendium was particularly useful at the time because there was little research being conducted in the field of Jewish education, and the results of what research was being done were not readily available. Sixteen years later, echoing Kelman’s book, What We Now Know About Jewish Education provides a useful snapshot of not only the current field of Jewish education, but also how the field of Jewish educational research has evolved. The sheer growth in quantity of authors (sixty-six compared to thirty-two in the 1992 volume) is but one indication of the changes that have taken place in the field in the intervening years.
The core of the book, arranged in sections based on Joseph Schwab’s four common places of learning — Learners, Educators, Curriculum, and Contexts — is sandwiched between an opening section on issues in Jewish education and closing sections on planning and change. In addition to the wealth of information found in each article, readers can delve more deeply into each subject through the annotated bibliography, supporting references, and online resources.
