The Rashi School Appoints Needham Resident Emily Charton as Next Head

Rashi’s search process was conducted by a dedicated Search Committee which included current Board members, past Board Presidents, and three faculty members, along with the input of parents, faculty, administrators, staff, students, past Board members, leaders of peer institutions, and other stakeholders in the community.

Charton comes to Rashi with 18 years of both classroom and administrative experience in elementary and middle school education, including seven years teaching English and 11 years of school leadership. She is currently the principal of the Claypit Hill Elementary School in Wayland. She previously served as the assistant principal of Eliot Elementary School in Needham and the principal of Jewish Community Day School (JCDS) in Watertown. Prior to JCDS, Charton taught English at Boston Collegiate Charter School before being elevated to principal. Over the course of her career in academic leadership, she has been known for building and managing high-performing administrative teams, driving educational excellence, and motivating the faculties and communities she has served.

“Emily brings a unique combination of personal skills and professional experience that will carry our school to new heights,” said Rashi Board of Trustees President David Grossman. “She embodies Rashi’s mission and values, and her educational philosophy of creating ‘educational opportunities that spark growth and development for both the mind and the heart’ is strongly aligned with Rashi’s. We know she will represent Rashi well in the Jewish community and beyond.”

“I am deeply honored to have been selected as your next Head of School,” stated Charton. “The days I spent immersed in the Rashi community illuminated the vast intellectual curiosity, deep Jewish values, and strong familial relationships that are the foundation of an impressive educational institution. We will work together to strengthen Rashi and continue to provide our students with an education and community that inspires them to become future Jewish leaders who make impactful positive change.”

Charton earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master of Arts in English education from New York University. She lives in Needham with her husband and their two daughters.

About The Rashi School

The Rashi School is Greater Boston's Reform Jewish Independent School for Grades PK-8. In our warm and inclusive community, children are appreciated for who they are as they learn and develop. The school's unique integration of rigorous secular academics and Jewish learning, commitment to differentiated instruction, and mission rooted in social justice nurtures students’ curiosity to learn, to ask and answer tough questions, and to critically evaluate multiple perspectives. With kindness as their core, Rashi students go on to top high schools and universities and become Jewish leaders who work to make the world a better place.