Ten Lies, Half-Truths and Prejudices of the Israeli Education System (original) (raw)
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Israeli Education Policy since 1948 and the State of Arab Education in Israel
This paper analyses Israeli policy towards Arab education in Israel and its consequences. Drawing upon literature on the colonial nation-state, and ethnic indigenous minorities, the study distinguishes three educational policy shifts since 1948: (1) Arab education under military administration until 1966 (2) the policy of integration 1967-1991 (3) the peace process since 1992, the quest for autonomy and Arab education’s present ‘on hold’ status. Using the analytical framework suggested by Hodgson and Spours (2006), I first analyse political eras; then describe the state of the education system, the policy-making process and its consequences for the educational space and system outcomes. These concepts and methods are used to narrate historical developments of the Palestinian Arab education system in Israel, to critique state policy-making and identify future challenges. The findings demonstrate contingent relations between ethnicity and the state. The paper concludes by discussing existing educational policies and suggesting recommendations for the future.
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This paper explores whether there are significant differences in educational opportunities between social groups in Israel, defined by religion, ethnic origin, gender, or family background, and if so, to what extent. We found that 60 percent of Jewish students were eligible for the matriculation certificate, 21 percentage points higher than the proportion of non-Jewish students. Within the Jewish population, differences in the rates of eligibility for the matriculation certificate were found between ethnic groups, with a higher rate of eligibility for the matriculation certificate among those of Western origin (Ashkenazim) than among those of Eastern origin (Sephardim). Interestingly, this ethnic gap in educational success is wider between second generation Israelis than between first generation Israelis, and wider than the ethnic gap between those born abroad. These results are even more pronounced among female students. However, the gaps between those of Western origin and those o...
Another Look at Persistent Inequality in Israeli Education
The AlmaLaurea working paper series is designed to make available to a wide readership selected works by AlmaLaurea staff or by outside, generally available in English or Italian. The series focuses on the study of the relationship between educational systems, society and economy, the quality of educational process, the demand and supply of education, the human capital accumulation, the structure and working of the labour markets, the assessment of educational policies. Comments on this series are welcome and should be sent to pubblicazioni@almalaurea.it.