Training 360 High School Principals to Increase High-Tech Matriculation Rates in their Schools

In recent months, the Ministry of Education has been preparing an updated implementation plan for the government resolution to increase high-tech matriculation rates in high schools. The original resolution, passed in 2022, set a very ambitious national goal of reaching 17% of high school graduates by 2028. However, implementation to date has progressed slowly. In order to increase the pace, the Ministry convened a professional task force, which conducted broad cross-sector consultations to devise an operational plan. The plan is now pending approval by the Ministry of Finance, with the intention of launching in the upcoming school year.

The Ministry of Education is already operating 380 excellence classes, 140 of which are new classes created over the past two years. In the updated operational plan, the Ministry aims to open an additional 400 excellence classes over the next two years. Once this expansion is completed, nearly all middle schools in Israel will offer students the opportunity to join an excellence track that includes advanced mathematics as well as physics and computer science.

Each six-year secondary school joining the program will be required to offer students the opportunity to study five-unit mathematics, physics, and computer science in high school. The Ministry’s plan includes financial incentives for participating schools to increase the number of students who complete the full high-tech matriculation package, as well as targeted incentives to raise the participation of female students in this track.

Principals of participating schools will be expected to review their school’s baseline data, set annual and multi-year targets to raise the rates of high-tech matriculation, and position high-tech matriculation as a comprehensive, well-defined package for high school students. Each school will need to prepare a work plan that includes hiring of new teachers, staff development, use of financial incentives, timetable adjustments, progress monitoring, and engagement of parents and the wider community.

To assist principals in leading this process, the foundation and the Ministry of Education approached the Avney Rosha Institute for School Leadership. Established in 2007 by the Ministry of Education and the Rothschild family’s foundation (Yad Hanadiv), Avney Rosha operates under the non-profit organization Center for Educational Technology (CET) and serves as the national institute for training school principals and developing school leadership.

Avney Rosha proposes to train three annual cohorts of principals (both middle and high school) whose schools are participating in the national program. Each cohort will include 120 principals, divided into four groups of 30. Each cycle will begin with a national launch conference, followed by three intensive training days, four group-based professional development workshops, and participation in a professional learning community.

To support this effort, the Ministry will recruit and fund 15 experienced or retired school principals who will serve as professional mentors. These mentors will be trained by Avney Rosha during the upcoming summer and participate in six seminars over the course of the school year. Following their training, each mentor will meet with eight school principals once a week for at least one year.

The plan proposes three training cycles over three years, reaching a total of 360 school principals. Following consultation with Avney Rosha and the Ministry of Education, the foundation’s team recommends beginning with two cohorts, training 240 principals.

* The text above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors / Grant 610