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MichelleRoss
DianeGodfrey
GCU114
3/22/15
Educationworldwidevariesgreatlyinmanydegrees.Hereyouwillreadabout
educationinIsrael.Iwillfocuson3topicareas.1)Everychildinschool,2)Qualityof
learningand3)Globalcitizenship.ThesearetheprioritiessetbytheUN(United
Nations)SecretaryGeneralsGlobalInitiativeonEducation.TheIsraelipublicschool
systemincludesthefollowinggradelevels.Primaryschool:grades16,MiddleSchool:
grades79andUppersecondaryorhighschool:grades1012.Israeladheresto
internationalconventionstowhichitisasignatoryandmaintainsaspecialsetoflawsto
protectchildren.Thelawrequiresatleasttenyearsofcompulsoryeducationandprotects
childrenfromlaborandsexualexploitation.Thesystemrecognizesdifferentrulesinthe
adjudicationofjuveniles.(Levush,Ruth.2007)
Thereareseveralspecificlawssetinplacetomakesureeveryonereceivesan
education.ThecompulsoryEducationlawstatedthateducationinIsraelisrequiredfor
childrenagedthreetofifteen.Oruntilthatindividualhascompletedtenyearsof
schooling,startingatagefive.Inspecialcases,suchasachildbeingeducatedprivately
orifonecannotbeintegratedintoaregularschool,thelawwillgrantexemption.
Accordingtothesamecompulsoryeducationlaw,studentsagethreeupuntilseventeen
havetherighttoafreeeducation.Thespecialeducationlaw,establishestherightfor
childrenwithphysical,mentalemotionalorbehavioraldisabilitiestoreceivean
education.Notonlythat,butaneducationthatisproperlysuitedtotheirneeds.Under

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thislaw,specialeducationisprovidedtochildrenagesthreethroughtwentyone.More
recentlythelawincreasedthenumberofspecialeducationhours,lengthenedtheschool
dayandestablishedtherightforchildrentoreceiveparamedicalservicessuchas
occupationalorspeechtherapy.Thefreeeducationtosickchildrenlawallowsforthe
ministerofeducationtodetermineaprogramforchildrenwhoarehospitalizedorsickso
theywillstillreceiveaneducation.Inordertoqualifyforthis,onemusthavetostay
homeoroutofschoolforatleast21days.Educationunderthislawwillbeprovidedto
thesechildreneitherattheirhomeorthehospital.
Thequalityofeducationisjustasimportantasmakingsurethesestudentsare
actuallyintheclassroom.TheStateEducationLawsaysthateducationwillbe
provided,asarule,bytheStateonthebasisofaneducationalprogramthatissupervised
andapprovedbytheMinistryofEducation.Thelawrecognizestwostreamsofeducation
(thisisdisplayedbelowinachart):Stateeducation,andStatereligiouseducation.
Althoughparentshavetherighttochoosethestreamofeducationwhichtheirchildren
willattendtheyarenotallowedtochoosethespecificschooltheirchildrenwillattend.
Thelocalschoolboardreferschildrentoschools,inaccordancewiththepolicyofsocial
integration.(Levush,Ruth.2007).

Israelmakesitaprioritytoactivelyeducationitscitizens.Accordingtothe
researchfromOECD,(OrganizationforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment)
Israelshighschoolgraduationratewasanastonishing92%,whichiswellabovethe
worldwideaverageof84%.Mosthoursoftheschooldayaredevotedtoacademicstudies
only.Whilethesubjectmattertobecoveredisstandardthroughoutthesystem,each
schoolmaychoosefromawiderangeofstudyunitsandteachingmaterials,providedby

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theMinistryofEducation,whichbestsuittheneedsofitsfacultyandpupilpopulation.
Withtheaimtoenhanceastudentsunderstandingoftheirsociety,eachyearaspecial
topicofnationalimportanceisstudiedindepth.Themeshaveincludeddemocratic
values,theHebrewlanguage,immigration,Jerusalem,peace,andindustry.
HighschoolsinIsraelpreparestudentsfortheIsraelmatriculationexam,also
knownasbagrut,similartoourSATs.Theseexamscovervariousacademicareasof
study,whicharestudiedinunitsofonetofiveonanascendingscaleofdifficulty.
Studentswithapassingmarkonthemandatorymatriculationsubjects,whichare
Hebrew,language,English,mathematics,scripture,history,statestudiesandliterature
whohavebeentestedonatleast21units,andpassedatleastone5unitexam,receivea
fullmatriculationcertificate.InIsrael,83%ofadultsaged2564haveearnedthe
equivalentofahighschooldegree,higherthantheOECDaverageof75%.Thereislittle
differencebetweenmenandwomen,as82%ofmenhavesuccessfullycompletedhigh
schoolcomparedwith84%ofwomen.Intermsofthequalityoftheeducation
system,theaveragestudentscored474inreadingliteracy,mathsandsciencesinthe
OECDsprogramforInternationalStudentAssessment(PISA0).Onaveragein
Israel,girlsoutperformedboysby11points,aslightlylargerdifferencethantheaverage
OECDgapof8points.
Tomylastpoint;GlobalCitizenship.Forthoseunfamiliarwiththisterm,itis
someonewhoidentifieswithbeingpartofanemergingworldcommunitywhoseactions
contributetobuildingthiscommunitysvaluesandpractices.Sincethestatelawhas2
streamofeducation,onebeingstatereligiouseducation,theyarepromotingjustthatand
buildingtheircommunity.Asstatedabove,alongwithtraditionalacademicstudies,each

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yearaspecialtopicofnationalimportanceisstudiedindepth.Themeshaveincluded
democraticvalues,theHebrewlanguage,immigration,Jerusalem,peace,andindustry.
Thisiswiththeideathatastudentsunderstandingoftheirsocietywillimprove.

InSeptember2012,theOrganizationforEconomicCooperation&Development
(OECD)publishedareportshowingcomparativeeducationdataamongthe34OECD
membernations.Accordingtothereport,Israelrankedsecondintermsofpercentageof
populationaged2564thathavegonetoschoolposthighschool,behindonlyCanada.

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AsIdiscussedinmyreport,TheIsraelischoolsystemismadeupofseveraltracks.The
statessecularschoolsservethemajorityofstudents,bothJewishandnonJewish.Hereis
thebreakdownofwhatisstudiedbythesestudents.

Bibliography

EducationinIsrael.(2011,May22).RetrievedMarch25,2015,from
http://fulbright.org.il/en/?page_id=1286
Children'sRights:Israel.(n.d.).RetrievedMarch25,2015,from
http://www.loc.gov/law/help/childrights/israel.php
Children'sRights:Israel.(n.d.).RetrievedMarch25,2015,from
http://www.loc.gov/law/help/childrights/israel.php
Israelisthe2ndmosteducatedcountryintheworld:Whyandhowdidwe
getthere?(n.d.).RetrievedMarch25,2015,fromhttp://rothberg.co.il/israel
isthe2ndmosteducatedcountryintheworldwhyandhowdidweget
there/
(n.d.).RetrievedMarch25,2015,from
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/education/pages/educationprimary
andsecondary.aspx