PRIORITY-1 RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Knowledge for the next generation
Advisory Board
Rabbi Dr. Jerry Lob
Dr. David Pelcovitz
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hirsh Weinreb
 The Priority-1 Research Institute is the first dedicated center for scholarly research on the challenges facing the social, psychological, and educational development of youth in the Orthodox Jewish community. The Institute conducts and publishes high-level studies on the social and educational experience of Jewish youth, aimed at offering real understanding of today’s challenges, and brings together the brightest and most dedicated professionals to offer practical solutions.
The core philosophy of the institute is that the only effective solutions are those that are based in the real life experiences of the children, parents, teachers, and administrators who currently combat these challenges on a daily basis. Detailed primary research into these daily experiences is our best chance to develop real expertise for the future.
The institute is directed by Rabbi Dr. Yakov Lowinger (Johns Hopkins University), who is conducting several studies of long term interest for the future of Jewish education. In addition, an Advisory Board of prominent scholars and mental health professionals has been formed to oversee the work of the Institute. The Board will review all the research published through the Institute and also analyze current literature published by other organizations on topics of interest to the Institute. Thus the Institute plans not only to promote its own research, but to serve as a clearinghouse for all the important work being done in the field. An inaugural event marking the opening of the Institute is planned for 2010.
The Institute mirrors the outlook of Priority-1, which works to ensure that future generations of Jewish youth grow up in a world where they are truly valued and respected, and where they are emboldened to successfully resist the dangerous, and too often deadly, temptations of the larger culture. While Priority-1 has instituted its unique approach in its schools, and has had success through its training seminars and conferences in influencing other institutions, the time has come for the production of serious research on the issues facing our youth and schools. This research will help to create alternative educational methods that may be vital in turning the tide of young people abandoning productive lifestyles. It will also pinpoint key risk factors, which will enable us to offer schools a realistic and acceptable plan to institute an alternative curriculum for troubled students based on the most pressing needs.
This unique, knowledge-based approach will address all major aspects of the problem: prevention, detection and early intervention, and crisis intervention. It will combine the meticulousness of scientific research with the Torah sensitivity and proven credibility of Priority-1. It is thus truly a project for our times.
GOALS
- To inform the growing discussion about Jewish “children at-risk” with reliable data and information
- To develop practical solutions to pressing issues in Jewish education
- To foster a balanced perspective, weighing the needs and perspectives of children, parents, and schools
AREAS OF STUDY
- The subjective daily experience of struggling Jewish youth and the people who educate them
- A review of mainstream and alternative educational techniques for dealing with the issue, with recommendations for change
- Long-term cohort studies on struggling Jewish youth, their classmates, and family members
WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS RESEARCH?
- Parents of children who are struggling with identity or educational achievement
- Schools committed to preventing the incidence of dropouts and other major crises, and improving outcomes for children currently in crisis
- Designers of innovative educational and social services for this population
- Policy makers and organizations involved in finding long-term, realistic solutions based on actual knowledge and experience
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