Until 2004, very little was known about the field of community Hebrew high schools. Grassroots efforts had led to a few gatherings, but each school operated in isolation, and there were very few shared resources or communication between directors. In the fall of 2004, the Institute for Informal Jewish Education (IJE) at Brandeis University received a grant from the Legacy Heritage Fund Limited to bring about improvement in this neglected field of Jewish education for teens. By the summer of 2006, a committee of directors worked with IJE staff to plan a permanent network. This professional network was managed by Devorah Silverman at JESNA and provided schools with essential means of learning, communication and growth on an ongoing basis. With the dissolve of JESNA in 2010, NAACCHHS has been run as an independent group, directed by Shari Weinberger, former director of NAACCHHS schools in both Stamford, CT and Providence, RI. No longer receiving funding or support, NAACCHHS continues to be a national group of Jewish teen educators who are leading the way in their field.
