JKHA/RKYHS is fully accredited by the prestigious New Jersey Association of Independent Schools, the gold standard of accreditations (www.njais.org). Our exceptional Yeshiva, comprising pre-K-12, is the only Orthodox school in New Jersey accredited and recognized by NJAIS. We join a respected community of elite, private New Jersey schools that meet the standards of this national organization.
In endorsing our membership into this impressive cadre of educational institutions, the NJAIS committee cited specific impressive attributes of our school: our commitment to academic excellence, our fidelity to our mission, our concern for student learning, our passion for achievement, and our high standards in every realm of our school’s program.
The accreditation process itself was a two-year long introspective study and reflection on every critical component of our school. Members of the faculty met in small and large groups over the course of two years to assess and evaluate all aspects of our educational program: academic, social, emotional, religious, commitment to Zionism, personnel, school finance, counseling and health, governance and technology. Teams of teachers and administrators reviewed all curricula (English, language arts, religious education, social studies, history, mathematics, science, world languages, visual and performing arts, and physical education) as they looked at best practices for school leadership and our articulated standards for instructional success.
The result of our two-year self-study was a finely crafted 250-page report that meticulously described the strengths and aspirations of JKHA/RKYHS. NJAIS team members carefully read the self-study, immersing themselves in the story, program and culture of JKHA/RKYHS. They spent the three subsequent exhaustive days observing classes, interviewing students, talking to parents, inspecting safety protocols, and scrutinizing the building and campus while checking for accuracy in reporting and our commitment to our mission.
In summarizing the visit of the 16 professionals from private schools across New Jersey, the chair of the visiting committee stated: “The entire Team came to the same agreement: you have internalized and are living your mission statement”. The refrain from the visiting committee was that Kushner Academy is a Kiddush Hashem (a term that our non-Jewish visitors learned during their visit).
We can be deeply proud of our school community: the faculty, the students, and the administration. Our exceptional faculty highly commended by the visiting committee. Our engaged and spirited students welcomed our visitors with aplomb and grace. Our administration from every division led many aspects of the self-study and adeptly arranged the visiting team’s schedules. The team lauded our governance structure for supporting our vision and commended our lay leaders who are partners in our noble and holy endeavor. Our school can take pride in this major achievement.
