Study and Database of School-based Indicators of High-Tech Matriculation 2012-2024

In 2022, the Trump Foundation approached the Aaron Institute for Economic Policy at Reichman University to conduct an in-depth study on employees in Israel’s high-tech industry. The study examined approximately 400,000 high-tech workers, focusing on their high school specializations and academic education.

The research findings revealed that the largest group of high-tech employees in Israel had studied a unique combination of five-unit tracks in high school, including mathematics, English, physics, and/or computer science – referred to as “high-tech matriculation.” This insight formed the basis for recommendations by a public committee and a government decision aimed at expanding Israel’s high-tech sector.

The Ministry of Education is at present preparing for the large-scale implementation of the government’s decision. The government program focuses on opening excellence classes in middle schools and significantly increasing the number of high-tech matriculation graduates across the country with an emphasis on female students, disadvantaged populations, and the Arab community. The goal is to reach approximately 15% of 12^th graders graduating with a high-tech matriculation within a few years.

To support the extensive efforts required for the national program’s implementation, the Trump Foundation has once again engaged the Aaron Institute to conduct an updated in-depth study. The aim of the study is to help the program focus on schools with a high potential of increasing their rate of high-tech matriculation.

Key research questions include:

1. What are the status and trend of the high-tech matriculation index across all Israeli high schools over the past thirteen years?
2. What are the characteristics of schools with the highest percentage of students on this track and those that have shown the most progress in the last thirteen years?
3. What is the potential for expanding high-tech matriculation in Israeli schools, and what barriers exist?

The study aims to define “school potential” based on the number of students in each school who are missing only one subject to qualify for a high-tech matriculation certificate. It will distinguish between students studying physics and those studying computer science while also mapping the other five-unit subjects they are enrolled in. Additionally, the research will highlight gender disparities in these subjects.

Throughout the research process, meetings, interviews, and roundtable discussions will be held with government policymakers, academic researchers, and education professionals. The study’s outcomes will include a school-level database that is accessible, open, and searchable, on a designated website. Additionally, a comprehensive research report will be shared with the professional community.

* The text above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors / Grant 612