English is an essential tool for the modern job market, particularly for professions who work with global markets. It is no surprise that almost all of the employees in high-tech companies in Israel, had graduated their high school studies at the advanced five-units level in English, alongside very high rates in mathematics, physics and computers. […]
Five-unit computer science studies in high school has been found by the Aaron Institute’s research, to predict, among a package of mathematics, physics and English, future employment in high-tech. However in 2022, only 10,800 twelfth grade students graduated the matriculation examination in computer science, a constant number for over a decade. This figure correlates with […]
For the past 29 years, the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) has convened an annual conference to discuss important issues facing the Israeli economy and society. This is a unique framework that attracts the participation of government ministers, high-ranking officials, business executives and civil society leaders. The conference sessions are well planned, based on studies and […]
The public committee to increase human capital in high-tech, chaired by Dadi Perlmutter, recommended, based on research conducted by the Aaron Institute, to significantly expand and diversify middle school excellence classes and high school graduates of “tech matriculation” (combining five-units in mathematics, English, physics and/or computer science). This recommendation is based on an understanding that […]
During 2022, the Trump Foundation has been convening a series of events for the general public and the professional community in order to mark ten years of collaborative work promoting excellence in education in Israel. To date, we have organized a special prize ceremony for the tenth year of the Trump Master Teacher Award, launched […]
With a vibrant high-tech scene that strengthens its economy, Israel prides itself on being the “Startup Nation”. Consequently, when asked in public opinion surveys, Israeli parents and students reflect this notion in practical terms. For example, they constantly rank computer science as the third most important subject in school, after English and mathematics. This response, […]
In order to prepare for a transformation in the instruction of middle school mathematics in Israel, the foundation took upon itself a catalyzing role. Since 2018, we seeded the creation of new learning materials, concentrating on developing high levels of applied mathematical thinking. We have been encouraging the opening of excellence classes across the country, […]
In 2016, the foundation approved a 2,800,000 NIS grant to the Weizmann Institute to develop and pilot test a program to teach middle school mathematics-based physics. The program aimed at high achieving middle school students, relying on their advanced mathematical knowledge and skills. Initially the program faced challenges in recruiting teachers, and only 68 teachers […]
Israel’s phenomenal success in high tech is a remarkable achievement. From 2017 to 2021 the rate of employees in high-tech grew from 9% to 11.9%, with one in six young Israelis working in a tech job. During the pandemic’s lockdowns, the high-tech sector in Israel grew by 11.4%, leading the Israeli economy to maintain stability […]
In recent years, hundreds of mathematics teachers across the country have become familiar with teaching applied mathematics. They participated in designated in-service training programs that exposed them to new content developed by the foundation’s partners. Many of them then joined professional learning communities in order to learn how to implement the content in their classes. […]
Five units in mathematics in high school is the most effective predictor in Israel for future careers in science and high-tech. Doubling the percentage of graduates of the five-unit track, which reached 16.6% in 2021, has succeeded in moving the needle, leading to upward trends in university degrees in engineering and computers and in the […]
In recent years, the Trump Foundation has seeded the development of a rich portfolio of challenging learning materials in mathematics for middle schools. The new material aims to address specific applied mathematical skills that were not part of the national mathematics curriculum. However, they are aligned with innovative science, technology, and global standards for education […]
Ashdod is a large city in southern Israel with a population of 250,000 residents, 30% of whom are ultra-Orthodox Jews. The city has 29 secondary schools of which only 15 prepare students for the matriculation examinations, while 13 of these schools offer a five-unit track in mathematics. In 2013, Ashdod ran a municipal program with […]
The results of the PISA international assessment reveal how some of the highest performing education systems in the world, such as in Singapore, Poland and Ontario, successfully elevated the level of teaching and learning to include more reasoning and modeling in their curriculum. The mathematics curriculum and testing in Israel, on the other hand, still […]
The Rural Education District of the Ministry of Education administers schools that are not run through a municipality. It includes 174 high schools, 87 boarding schools (mostly in kibbutzim and regional councils), 46 youth villages, 33 religious schools and 8 vocational and agricultural schools scattered across the country. With such diversity and geographic spread, it […]
To learn real-world mathematical thinking problems in middle school, a unique skillset is required. These skills are new to both students and teachers in Israel, since in the regular, traditional curriculum the tasks are almost free of the need to make interferences, focusing the students on applying technique and abstract thinking. In contrast, applied tasks […]
In May 2022, immediately after Israel’s Independence Day, and following intensive preparations, the foundation launched the first Israel Excellence Week. The idea was to collaborate with a variety of organizations and to jointly recognize and celebrate Israeli excellence in a series of professional and public events. When we started the initiative, we did not know […]
In May 2022, immediately after Israel’s Independence Day, and following intensive preparations, the foundation launched the first Israel Excellence Week. The idea was to collaborate with a variety of organizations and to jointly recognize and celebrate Israeli excellence in a series of professional and public events. When we started the initiative, we did not know […]
From its establishment in 2014 and until today, “It’s Time for Education” continues to be the largest digital magazine addressing education in Israel. The online community includes veteran and aspiring teachers as well as others interested in mathematics and science education. In 2021, 433 teachers wrote online content for the magazine, which was read by […]
Established in 2010, Darca is a school network with 37 schools, attended by 24,450 students located mainly in the geographic periphery of Israel. The network collaborated with the foundation several years ago in order to increase the rate of graduates from the five-unit track in mathematics from 11% in 2013 to 18% in 2018. In […]
The Northern district of the Ministry of Education operates schools with a heterogeneous population which includes Jews, Arabs, Druze and Bedouin students. The district’s 151 middle schools are attended by 62,000 students. In 2014, the district and the Technion partnered with the foundation to help increase the rate of high school students graduating from the […]
At the foundation’s initiative, during the last few years 450 high-order applied mathematics tasks were developed for excellence classes and high ability groups in middle school. The implementation of these tasks in classrooms poses multiple challenges for mathematics teachers, as it requires conceptual, pedagogical and organizational changes on the teacher’s part. Many of them find […]
The philanthropic approach which the Trump Foundation embraced at its outset is a spinoff of what is known as “catalytic philanthropy”. First introduced in 2009 by Mark Kramer, the catalytic approach calls upon foundations to mobilize an ecosystem of stakeholders to operate in tandem in order to solve social problems together. It requires foundations to […]
Alqasoum is a regional council in the northwestern Negev providing education services to more than 60,000 Bedouin citizens who are widely dispersed in small villages. The council is on the lowest end of the national socioeconomic scale. The education system is organized in such a way that children arrive daily by public transportation to one […]
The city of Ramat Gan, in the center of Israel, is home to some 160,000 residents. Its education system consists a total of 28,780 students, with seven high schools divided into four large schools for grades 9 through 12 and three smaller schools for grades 7 through 12. Of the ninth grade students, 14% (194) […]
With the initiative and support of the Trump Foundation, leading developers in universities and education organizations are preparing an arsenal of new learning material for middle school students. The new material targets high ability students in mathematics who study in excellence classes, and its content is aligned with the advanced 5-6 proficiency levels of the […]
The foundation’s roadmap in middle school operates to expand and strengthen the circle of excellence in mathematics and the sciences. Since 2018, we have seeded a portfolio for the development of advanced level learning assignments, the preparation of teachers and the opening of additional excellence classes across the country. This effort relies on partnerships with […]
Bu’eine Nujeidat is a local council in the Northern District of Israel compiled of two villages (Bu’eine and Nujeidat), with approximately 10,300 residents and a diverse Arab population. The council residents are on the lower end of the national socioeconomic scale in Israel. There are two middle schools and one high school, attended by 1,136 […]
Yeruham is a local council in the Southern District of Israel in the Negev desert, with a population of approximately 12,000. The council has three middle and high schools that serve 1,006 students. They include one school for boys, one for girls and one school for both religious and secular students, of higher and lower […]
Reineh is an Arab local council in northern Israel (located between Nazareth and Kfar Kanna) with some 19,200 residents of generally low socioeconomic status. 1,186 students attend the council’s two middle and two high schools, including 644 at middle school. There is one excellence class, which 19 (10%) ninth grade students attend. In 2020, 12.6% […]