In 2012 the Trump Master Teacher Award was launched in order to recognize excellent teaching of mathematics and the sciences. The award aims to convey to the public a clearer sense of what constitutes quality teaching. Our intention is to reward and celebrate master teachers of mathematics and the sciences, and introduce them to the […]
The expected imminent retirement of many mathematics and science teachers is both a challenge and an opportunity for Israel’s education system. In order for talented people to enter the shoes of veteran teachers, according to our strategy, talented people will need to be persuaded that they are making the right career choice. They will need […]
As part of the Ministry of Education program for doubling the number of 5-unit mathematics students in Israel, they stated a goal to double the number of 5-unit mathematics teachers. To this end, the Ministry is leading a new two-year program to expand the certification of experienced mathematics teachers to teach the five-unit track. The […]
The Trump Foundation is unique in the sense that it is highly concentrated to achieve a very specific measurable goal – to improve teaching so that more students graduate their high school studies with mathematics and science majors. The foundation’s portfolio reflects this focus, and although each project acts independently, they all share the same […]
The Arab society of Israel represents 20% of the population, and has unique educational characteristics that distinguish it from the Hebrew speaking school system. Arab students learn in a separate education stream, in Arabic, and have a relatively low eligibility for matriculation (45%), with a high variation between ethnic and religious communities. The percentage of […]
Almost five years have passed since the Trump Foundation was established, and our portfolio of grants and projects has grown, developed and diversified. With over 143 grants, which have already been approved, our partner organizations are aiming for a mutual goal to increase the number of excelling students. Each of them brings its unique expertise, […]
Israel is facing a growing shortage of math and science teachers, especially in post-primary schools, and moreover, those who teach five study units in the track. As a result of this shortage, many high schools are forced to close or consolidate classrooms, or employ teachers with training or backgrounds who are insufficient to teach these […]
With the imminent retirement of a large number of Mathematics and Science teachers, the coming years will witness a growing shortage of teachers in these disciplines. In order to sustain and improve Israel’s performance in education, this shortage will need to be filled by new highly talented and well-trained teachers. Talented people, however, will only […]
Much of the material from across the world of education on effective and high-quality teaching is only available in English. These books and articles represent cutting edge knowhow on teaching practice, particularly on methods to implement clinical classroom proficiencies, which are very much needed in Israeli schools and particularly for mathematics and science teaching in […]
he new wage agreements for teachers will gradually raise salaries by 50%, increase teachers’ time in school, introduce bonus payments for excellent teachers, and will lead to more individualized attention for each student. Over the next few years, working conditions for teachers and their career paths are likely to change, creating a strong need for […]
The way teachers are perceived by the Israeli public affects the quality of teaching, the relationship between parents and schools, and the level of public trust in the education system as a whole. Improving the public image and social status of teachers is an essential part of educational reform. Hakol Hinuch was established in 2008 […]
The Ministry of Education recently decided to appoint a special coordinator in each of its eight districts to lead and supervise the national effort to increase the number of students graduating high school with mathematics and science majors. The Ministry explains that through these coordinators it will be in a better position to implement the […]
The Trump Foundation’s Theory of Change assumes that if ‘clinical teaching’ is practiced in classrooms, then more students would choose, retain and succeed in the advanced five unit learning track of mathematics and the sciences. Clinical Teaching is defined by the foundation as a student-centered approach to teaching, which relies on diagnosing each student’s capabilities […]
Herzliya is a city of 100,000 residents which is located north to Tel-Aviv and is considered one of Israel’s top performing cities. The city’s education system, which serves 17,000 students in six high schools, is also renowned for its high level of teaching and learning. However, with such potential and capacity it is surprising to […]
In the previous school year, the Central District of the Ministry of Education launched a new program to increase the number of five unit graduates in mathematics. In collaboration with the Branco Weiss Institute, supported by a grant of 750,000 NIS from the Trump Foundation, the District opened 12 new classes for excelling 10th grade […]
The Trump Foundation’s portfolio currently comprises 78 active grants, which operate to advance our strategy. These programs are at various stages of development, pilot testing and implementation, and serve diverse communities across the country. They include training and tutoring of new teachers, professional development of acting teachers, professional communities of practice, and many others. The […]
ORT is Israel’s largest school network, which had traditionally specialized in vocational education, however in recent decades it has shifted its focus towards mathematics, the sciences and technology. The network includes 77 secondary schools and in the current school year 52 of these schools have offered 5-unit mathematics classes, resulting in 9% of its 12th […]
In the teacher residency training programs, student teachers are tutored by two different institutions. On the one hand, they gain practical teaching experiences in local schools, closely supervised by master teachers. On the other hand, they study educational theory with the college academic staff. The alignment between them is crucial, so that the teaching students […]
To be a truly excellent sportsman requires many hours of practice, effort and investment. Similarly, achieving success in 5-unit mathematics, requires perseverance, exertion, and time. However, while Israeli youth revere excellence in sport, music and physical preparation for military service, and acknowledge the clear connection between investment and achievement; when it comes to high school […]
One would assume that parents have a reduced influence on children in their teenage years; however, focus groups we conducted in 2012 showed that this is not the case and that parental encouragement and expectations remain very important. A comprehensive study conducted in 2015 by the Ministry of Education reinforces this notion, as it reveals […]
In 2012, the foundation approved a grant to the Shiur Acher organization to pilot test a program integrating volunteers from the high tech industry to serve as teaching assistants in mathematics and sciences classrooms. The goal of the effort was to provide teachers with in-school assistance to give more individual attention to each student, ascertain […]
Leaders of educational organizations operate in a complex eco-system, which can often make it difficult to implement changes and advance new policies, especially if they lack good connections, and expert knowledge of long-term strategic planning. In order to lead system-wide changes, to affect public perception and to turn around nationwide trends, such as the decline […]
In 2015, the Ministry of Education launched a public media campaign titled “Give Five,” encouraging students to choose five-unit tracks in mathematics; and set a national target to double the number of students enrolling in the five-unit track. Indeed, many teachers report that their classes are significantly larger than in the past, but that they […]
Here and Now was founded two years ago in order to translate the content and tools of the international Khan Academy project into Hebrew. The Khan Academy project offers video-based tutorials as well as practice-based assignments to allow for more personalized learning. With a seed grant from the Trump Foundation, the advanced mathematics elements in […]
The Branco Weiss School network was founded 15 years ago to focus on weaker socio-economic populations. Today, it is a small, periphery-based network of 8 fully-owned schools with 7,364 students, and another 4 schools for which they provide pedagogical instruction. Last year 878 students graduated 12th grade, of which 95 (approximately 11%) took the 5-unit […]
The Central District, one of eight districts of the Education Ministry, serves 320,000 students of 56 cities and local and regional authorities, and is responsible for 132 high schools which offer upper secondary studies. In 2013, 14,120 of its students participated in the mathematics matriculation, of whom 2,120 (15%) took the advanced five-unit exam and […]
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 […]
Over the last five years, in line with the national trend, schools in the North of Israel have experienced a drop in the rate of students graduating the advanced five-unit mathematics track. While the national percentage of those who graduated 12th grade fell from 14.1% in 2008 to 10.7% in 2012, in the Northern District […]
The formal learning of teachers typically occurs outside the classrooms, in college and university, although it is more effective when it is performed on the job and when it is based on practice. Therefore, even when teacher learning is conducted in an external environment, such as in lectures, seminars, workshops and communities of practice, it […]
In an effort to engage more students in physics studies, teachers are continuously seeking new and innovative teaching methodologies. They find out that their students are very different in their preferences and interests, as well as in their learning style and pace. Some students are independent learners and seek intellectual challenges, whereas others need more […]