The Educational System Of Israel

Israel witnessed rapid changes during the last five decades of its existence as an independent state. Geopolitical developments, particularly the continuous conflict with its Arab state neighbors, affected all spheres of life including education. Demographically, changing patterns of Jewish immigration has transformed the Jewish population several times from predominantly European in the late 1940s to Middle-Eastern during the late 1950s and 1960s and back to European following mass immigration from the former Soviet Union in the late 1980s and 1990s. These demographic changes, including waves of immigrants from Ethiopia, have raised issues of equality in educational policies. The authors of this book provide historical backround and analyses of Israel's educational system that they believe is on the crossroads of still another transformation as a result of the prospects of peace in the region.

Each year, Israel's young men and women are drafted into compulsory military service and are required to engage directly in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This conflict is by its nature intensely complex and is played out under the full glare of international security. So, how does Israel's education system prepare its young people for this? How is Palestine, and the Palestinians against whom these young Israelis will potentially be required to use force, portrayed in the school system? Nurit Peled-Elhanan argues that the textbooks used in the school system are laced with a pro-Israel ideology, and that they play a part in priming Israeli children for military service. She analyzes the presentation of images, maps, layouts and use of language in History, Geography and Civic Studies textbooks, and reveals how the books might be seen to marginalize Palestinians, legitimize Israeli military action and reinforce Jewish-Israeli territorial identity. This book provides a fresh scholarly contribution to the Israeli-Palestinian debate, and will be relevant to the fields of Middle East Studies and Politics more widely.

Information on the educational systems of Israel and the Occupied Territories (West Bank and the Gaza Strip) and guidelines on placing students from this region in U.S. high schools and colleges are presented. After describing the country and territories, attention is directed to preschool, primary, and intermediate education; secondary education; teacher training and the education profession; nursing and other health professions; overseas student programs in Israel; technological education; higher education; and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Profiles of technical and higher education institutions in Israel and the Occupied Territories cover degrees/diplomas, admission requirements, college programs, and school characteristics. General information on Israeli higher education includes: college organization and administration, the grading and credit systems, examinations, and degree programs. Guidelines for admissions officers focus on the admissibility and appropriate level of placement of students from Israel and the territories in U.S. schools. A glossary and list of postsecondary technological/vocational schools are appended. (SW)

Society, Schools and Progress in Israel is a comprehensive account of the role of education as a driver of social change and progress in Israel. Educational concepts, institutions, and practices in Israel are discussed, along with its society, polity, and economy. Legislation and the politics of education in the country are also explored. This book is comprised of seven chapters and begins with a historical and institutional background on Israel's educational system, including social stratification, government and politics, and economic development. The following chapters describe administration, the school system, family influences, and background social forces. Pre-school education, primary education, schools for working youth, post-primary and secondary education, academic secondary education, and vocational and agricultural education are described, together with higher education and the teachers. The final chapter examines some major problems in Israeli education, including those relating to equality, minority groups, and the identity of Arabs and Jews. This monograph is intended for students of sociology, government, politics, and education.

Israel's education system disadvantages it's Arab citizens. I show how this occurs, and why it is in both the Jewish and Arab interests to address this problem. I describe the structure of Israel's education system, and it's convoluted funding mechanisms, particularly the processes which bring private funds into the system. I describe unequal funding for the Jewish and Arab sectors to the extent the published data allows. I show that as there are less private funds in Arab hands, increased reliance on private funds reduces the quality of education offered to Arab students compared with Jewish counterparts, and widens the performance gaps between them. At the present level of privatisation, the poorest Arab municipalities lack sufficient revenue to maintain adequate schools and educational experiences for their students. I show that decisions to increase the significance of privates funds in the system and downloading central government functions to local school administrations has intensified and will continue to intensify the unequal status between Jews and Arabs in Israeli society. I defend the conclusion with evidence of unequal inputs into the educational system and various calculations of performance outputs of Jewish and Arab students. I consider the special situation of Arab women and how traditional pressures as well as governmental programming obstruct their ability to reach their full educational and social potential in Israeli society. I assess Israel's education system in the context of how Israel views itself, and also as reported to various United Nations bodies pursuant to Israel's international obligations. I explain why Israeli strategies to assist its Arab minority to achieve its full potential in Israeli society would be in Israel's self-interest and in the Jewish self-interest. I conclude with specific recommendations for legislative and administrative reforms to bring the educational system into line with what Israel says it wants to achieve. I show that the suggested changes will help close the performance gaps between Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel, contribute to the development of a stronger Israeli economy and are likely to attract greater loyalty to Israel from Israel's Arab citizens.

Study of the educational system in Israel, with particular reference to secondary education and teacher training - includes historical and geographical aspects. Bibliography pp. 175 to 181.

This volume describes and analyses the structure of Israel's education system from a political and policy-making perspective.