The Branco Weiss Institute will conduct applied research in partnership with four schools that they hope will ultimately lead to better support for high school students from teachers and parents
A recent study commissioned by the foundation on the learning experiences of high school students of advanced-level mathematics, pointed to the important role of their teachers and parents. It revealed that parents tend to push their children to select the advanced track, even in cases in which the teacher has recommended otherwise, based on past achievements and diagnostics. They do so because they consider the advanced mathematics track to be prestigious and a key which will open doors to future army service, higher education and employment.
Students who participated in this study reported that in their mathematics class they meet tremendous learning challenges for the first time in their lives. These students were at the top of their class, and accustomed to effortless success. Suddenly they are confronted with difficulty; they are required to develop resilience and to work hard on a continuous basis. As a result, many of them drop out. When asked about their needs, they expressed their desire for greater alignment and better communication between their teachers and parents and support in helping them overcome the challenges they are facing in their learning.
As a result of these findings, the foundation turned to the Branco Weiss Institute, to examine this issue deeply, and to explore how productive relations between teachers and parents could be encouraged. The Branco Weiss Institute will study academic research on the subject to identify and analyze relevant intervention programs world-wide, learn the specific needs of students, teachers and parents in Israel, and recommend possible future steps. The focus of work will be on the learning of mathematics, however it will be worthwhile to use the opportunity and look into the same issue regarding physics studies as well.
For this purpose, the Branco Weiss Institute proposes to partner with four high schools, interview their principals and the 5-unit mathematics and physics teachers, and to observe them teaching, in staff meetings and PTA interactions. In addition, and in order to obtain a thorough perspective, in-depth interviews will be conducted with six mathematics and physics master teachers of the 5-unit level, as well as three focus groups of parents and two focus groups of students.
The learning process will be led by a professional team comprised of mathematics and physics master teachers, an expert in teacher-parent engagement, and with the participation of parents. The process will culminate in a report presenting a literature review, a presentation of relevant programs in other countries, an analysis of needs and preferences of teachers and parents in Israel, and a set of recommended steps. These recommendations will hopefully generate the development of tools and programs which will lead to better support from teachers and parents, so that more students are able to successfully complete their studies in the advanced mathematics and physics tracks in high school. The final report will be shared digitally and will be presented in a conference in order to spread interest and receive feedback from the professional community.