TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM

In recent years, several important changes have taken place in the education system: the trend in the demographic composition of pupils has changed significantly; the resources at the disposal of the education system have grown considerably; and with regards to the work force, all of the primary and a large portion of post-primary education teachers are now part of the most recent educational reforms (“New Horizon” and “Courage to Change”). The professional education qualifications of teachers have improved, and the great majority of them now have higher education. The learning achievements of Israel’s pupils have also improved, as is evident from the results of the Meitzav tests, matriculation exams and international testing. Furthermore, the achievement gaps between pupil populations have narrowed, including those between Jewish and Arab Israeli pupils. Improvement is also evident in the educational environment of schools. Despite these changes, the financial allocation per pupil in Israel is still low relative to the OECD countries, and despite the narrowing of gaps between various population groups, they remain among the largest of the OECD countries. There is still a long way to go until the quality of what the education system provides to its pupils and until pupil achievement, in both learning and educational terms, meet the standards of the countries that Israel seeks to emulate.  Nachum Blass, senior researcher, Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel. State of the Nation Report 2014 348 1. Demographic Trends In the past five years, there has been a decrease in the share of ArabIsraeli and Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) pupils in the education system. Since these two populations are characterized by weak socioeconomic backgrounds, this change has had a large effect on the system. This section will examine the effect of the demographic changes on preschools and on primary education in light of the implementation of the Trajtenberg Committee’s recommendations. Preschools. In the past 15 years, there have been large changes in the rates of Arab Israeli and Haredi children attending preschool. From 20002010, there was an increase in the two groups’ share of the preschool population mainly due to the Compulsory Education Law, which was first implemented in weaker socioeconomic localities where many Arab Israelis and Haredim reside. In contrast, during the last five years, the share of Arab Israelis and Haredim in preschools has declined, due to a combination of further implementation of the Trajtenberg Committee’s recommendations as well as changes in natural growth patterns. The most prominent change was recorded in 2013, when the number of children attending State preschools rose by 22,000 – from 150,000 to 172,000. Most of the increase in 2013 came from children who did not attend preschool in the past, or who attended private preschools and transferred to State preschools following the implementation of the Trajtenberg Committee’s recommendations. Nonetheless, it should be noted that in the three years prior to the recommendations’ implementation, there was already an increase in the growth rate of enrollment in State education, as opposed to a significant decline in the growth rate of enrollment in Haredi preschools. Examining the period before implementation of the Trajtenberg Committee’s recommendations shows that between 2000 and 2006, the number of pupils in Arab Israeli and Haredi preschools rose by 61 percent and 47 percent, respectively, whereas the number of pupils in State and State-religious preschools rose by 1 percent and 6 percent, respectively. In contrast, between 2006 and 2012, the number of pupils in 349 Trends in the Development of the Education System Arab Israeli preschools declined by 1 percent and the number of pupils in Haredi preschools rose by 16 percent, while the number of pupils rose by 20 percent in State preschools and by 22 percent in State-religious preschools. Grades 1-6. The picture in grades 1-6 points to a change of direction in the composition of the primary education population. The change is evident starting in 2010, and consists mainly of stabilization (and indications of a slight increase) in the share of pupils in Jewish education, and a decline in the share of pupils in Arab Israeli education. In examining the share of Arab Israeli pupils in this age group, two distinct periods can be discerned: between 1999 and 2008, there was an increase from 24.2 percent to 28.2 percent, and between 2008 and 2013, there was a drop from 28.2 percent to 26.4 percent. There are also two distinct periods characterizing the share of pupils in Jewish State-run education: a continuous decline from 47.7 percent in 1999 to 39.9 percent in 2011, followed by a slight recovery and a rise to 40.7 percent in 2013. The trends in State-religious education paralleled those of Jewish State education. The share of pupils in Haredi education over the last three years remained stable at 18.8 percent, in contrast to the continuous rise between 1999 and 2011, when the share of pupils in Haredi education grew from 13.4 percent to 18.8 percent. The data indicate that these demographic changes are apparently not due to an exceptional change in a single year, but rather, a trend that began near the end of the previous decade and continues to the present. It goes without saying that this trend may not continue, but these findings suggest that the rhetoric and tone of the public discourse concerning the demographic composition of the education system and its possible future consequences should adjust to match the facts. 1 In Haredi education, primary education is customary through eighth grade, so for comparison purposes, only grades 1-6 were examined. State of the Nation Report 2014 350 2. Resources Available to the Education System