Study Visit To The US For Experts & Practitioners

As the foundation’s focus shifts to expanding the pipeline of excellence, and broadening and deepening our work in junior high school, we are eager, together with the foundation’s partners, to learn the best way of working with junior high schools to advance excellence in five unit tracks and form our policy and specific strategy in order to do so. Therefore, in order to learn from some of the foremost education experts in the world, and gain a closer and more intimate perspective with cutting edge research and practice, we are proposing to embark on a 5-day study tour to the United States. The small delegation of Israeli experts is comprised of long-term foundation partners who contribute to determining curriculum and testing, and the pre-training and professional development of teachers.

We propose to invite three experts from Israel to attend the American Education Research Association (AERA) conference, which is held in New York City in April 2018. The conference is a hub for most of the leading education researchers and practitioners in the US, and therefore provides a convenient setting for arranging face-to face meetings. The delegation will include Dr. Talli Nachielli of Levinsky College of Education, an expert in junior high school mathematics teaching, teacher training and professional development;  Dr. Michal Ayalon of Haifa University, an expert in mathematics learning and learning materials; and Prof. Idit Yerushalmi of the Weizmann Institute, expert in physics teaching and learning in junior high school. In addition, we will invite a representative from the Education Ministry to join the delegation (self-funded) in order to create a small, bonded group around the subject.

In addition to the AERA conference, the delegation will spend two days in New York, meeting researchers and practitioners who are closely familiar with junior high school mathematics and science from the perspectives of pedagogy, system and classroom. These include Deborah Ball (Teaching Works), Pamela Grossman (CorePractice Consortium), Linda Darling Hammond, Mark Windschitl, Jonathan Osbourne, Michael Fullen, Santiago Rincón-Gallardo, and Paul Newton.

The visit will address the following questions:

1. What are appropriate standards and measures for science and mathematics excellence in middle schools in high performing education systems?
2. Which practices for effective teaching methods are employed in these systems and how teachers are trained to use these methods?
3. How do schools relate to international tests, such as PISA and TIMSS as success predictors and to what extent is the national curriculum aligned with these tests?
4. How do schools organize to support a focus on excellence and to smooth the transition from junior high school to the advanced learning tracks in high school?
5. Are there unique characteristics for achieving excellence goals in disadvantaged or diverse communities?

Upon their return, the delegation will jointly write a detailed report summarizing their meetings around these questions, including their insights and recommendations.  The report will be shared with the professional community, will be available online free of charge and will assist the foundation in preparing for the Advisory Council meeting in November 2018.

* The text presented above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation Board / Grant 285