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Wo - 1 d
Israel's Schools from page 35
really help them excel," said Hagit Gal, a
science teacher at the Gderot School.
Additional personal attention to stu-
dents and a new range of subject mat-
ter, which the school is enjoying thanks
to the pilot reform program, have
helped engage students, she said.
Education Minister Limor Livnat began
implementing the program in the autumn
at dozens of schools, mostly in poorer
parts of the country. The schools are to
follow the recommendations of the
Dovrat committee, which was charged
with addressing the decline in Israeli
schools, specifically low achievement in
math, science and literacy on internation-
al tests.
At the Gderot School — where students
come from a relatively high socio-eco-
nomic background compared to other
schools participating in the pilot program
— the reforms have been welcomed by
most.
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36
January 5 2006
Winds Of Change
"As a principal I always have visions and
dreams for N,vhat I want to do, and some of
those dreams I have been able to realize
this year," said principal Vider, noting that
teachers now have extra time and
resources to' focus on both gifted and
struggling students.
She also is excited about the extra
courses the school can offer, from a toy-
making class based on principles of
physics to music lessons and math
enrichment for top students.
One reason for the decline in education
is the inability to attract enough top
young people to the teaching profession.
Though salaries for teachers have never
been high in Israel, the profession used to
attract some of the brightest and most
dynamic people. Especially during the
early years of the state, there was an ideo-
logical focus on creating a well-educated
younger generation. In addition, salaries
in other fields were low then as well.
Now, however, bright university gradu-
ates have promising horizons in high-tech
and other industries, and relatively few
choose to go into teaching.
Starting teachers receive about $666 a
month. The Dovrat Committee recom-
mended raising starting salaries to $1,000
a month.
The committee on reforms was headed
by Shlomo Dovrat, a millionaire who
made his fortune in high tech. He and his
committee members consulted lArith hun-
dreds of experts over 15 months, but they
drew fire from teachers' organizations for
not including teachers on the committee.
The Dovrat report is similar in some
ways to President Bush's "No Child Left
Behind" plan from 2001.
That plan also tried to bring a busi-
ness-like approach to the classroom, hold-
ing teachers and principals accountable
for students' success and making the
entire educational system more results-
oriented.
In addition to seeking a raise in salaries
to attract and retain quality teachers, the
Dovrat reforms recommend extending
the school day, a controversial issue in
Israel. They recommend changing the
school week from its current six-day week
of five hours per day to a five-day week of
eight-hour days, arguing that a longer
school day produces more focused and
intensive learning.
The reform program also seeks to
develop a core curriculum, requires closer
surveillance of student performance and
aims to reduce bureaucracy by giving
schools and principals more autonomy in
budget and personnel decisions.
Shmuel Har-Noy, the Education
Ministry coordinator in charge of imple-
menting the Dovrat recommendations,
said he's optimistic that gradual improve-
ment is possible.
The reform program "gives answers to
main problems," he said.
The government refuses to reduce class
size — it could cost millions of dollars —
frustrating education experts who see
large classes as a barrier to quality educa-
tion. Hebrew University's Gumpel, howev-
er, says the beneficial effect of smaller
classes has yet to be proven by research.
Gumpel believes the most important
change is to bring discipline back to the
classroom. He said all teachers need to be
trained in classroom and behavior man-
agement so that students know there will
be repercussions for disruptive behavior.
Yael Shamir, 17, a student at Lady Davis
Amal High School, spent two months last
year on an exchange program with the
Milken Jewish Community High School, a
private Jewish day school in Los Angeles.
She was taken aback by the discipline and
rules the American students followed, and
by how seriously they took their studies.
In Israel, she said, "people don't invest
in school for their future."
Mirroring Society
Like Israeli society at large, Israeli schools
have tended to be more relaxed than rule-
heaVy. In recent years, however, behavioral
problems have intensified as parents have
become more lax about discipline and
authority at home, educational experts
say.
In turn, some children come to school
with less respect for the authority of
adults, including teachers.
Violence in Israeli schools mostly
entails students bullying each other in
physical, emotional or sexual ways.
Stoller; the civics and history teacher in
Tel Aviv, has adopted a "tough-love" style
in his classroom. 0