Survey on the Israeli Public Perception of Teaching

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 choose teaching as a career if they feel that it is a worthy profession; if they enjoy public trust and respect; and if they are convinced that their work yields results. In countries that are now succeeding in education this is indeed the case, and teaching is perceived as an attractive profession.

Today, Israel is experiencing a subtle shift from a general critical public perception of teaching towards a sense of hesitant optimism. It is hoped that government wage agreements, which gradually increase teachers’ salaries by fifty percent, will attract talented people to become teachers, while performance results showing a slight improvement in student achievement will contribute to the appeal of the profession. However, beyond circumstantial anecdotes there is no contemporary data measuring public perception in this matter. The Israeli public typically complains about the state of education in Israel, but when asked about their own experiences, tends to be more positive and supportive.

The Trump Foundation has adopted a strategic track to help harness talent into the teaching profession, specifically targeting Mathematics and Science teachers in secondary schools. While acknowledging the limits of philanthropic intervention in this complex issue, the foundation staff nonetheless understands that it is a vital element in securing access to quality teaching. To this end, and as part of identifying appropriate venues for philanthropic assistance, the foundation staff proposes to conduct a public opinion survey to assess perceptions and attitudes towards teaching, with a focus on Mathematics and Science teaching.

The survey will be conducted by a professional company and will include questions relating to the assessment of teaching quality and the willingness to become (or to recommend to a relative to become) a teacher. The survey will include a quantitative sample of Israeli society as well as focus groups of parents and students, and it will allow for comparison across localities, gender, age, education and ethnic backgrounds. Results will be compiled into a report to be shared with the professional community and the general public, and will be used by the foundation as base-line data, enabling assessment of its impact in this area over a period of several years.

* The text presented above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation Board / Grant 54