Updating Goals Of ‘Sheatufim’

The ‘collective impact’ coalition around excellence in mathematics and the sciences is acknowledged as an important element in the national effort to increase five-unit graduation rates in high school in Israel. The convening of dozens of stakeholders from government, industry, academia and the civil sector to jointly focus on a shared mission has had a contribution. It provided the necessary support, backing and encouragement for both policy and practice, while raising the public’s confidence in the endeavor.

The ‘5p2’ collective impact initiative, which was established four years ago, is now reaching a crossroads. It began as a convener, connecting participants on a voluntary basis, to engage in analyzing data on the decline of educational excellence in Israel. Then, it defined a shared vision and goals, and advocated the government to take the lead and push for implementation. When the government stepped in, ‘5p2’ stayed the course to reinforce and assist the effort.

During 2017, the initiative’s steering committee conducted a deep dive into the lessons learned and future needs regarding achieving excellence in mathematics and the sciences. This strategic process led to the development of an updated roadmap, focusing on increasing the pipeline of talent in Israel, while emphasizing two new directions:

1. Intervening in the social periphery, where the increase so far has been slower than in the center. A government program in 12 cities has been prepared and a regional collective impact initiative in three localities is underway.
2. Creating a focus in junior high schools so that more students are prepared to major the five-unit track. First steps are now being planned, looking into curriculum, teaching and testing.

Sheatufim, the nonprofit organization that coordinated the initiative has turned to the foundation for additional modest support over the next three years. The funding for the effort, which initially relied mostly on grants by the Trump Foundation, is now shared with multiple funders. The grant will be used to maintain the delicate collaboration, to support the two new directions, and to create longer-term capacities, such as an annual conference and report on the status of mathematics and science teaching in Israel.

* The text presented above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation Board / Grant 264