The Educational Program

The Israel Democracy Institute is working to create a common civic language in the State of Israel, as a Jewish and democratic state. We hope such a language will make a significant contribution to the formation of a unifying collective identity and help confront the deepening cleavages in Israeli society. We believe that the education system has a central role in assimilating democratic norms in society and, therefore, we are committed to helping it provide the best possible education for democracy and citizenship to all students in Israel. The early and constant engagement with the dilemmas that touch upon Israel's identity, conduct, and values will guarantee a high level of democratic socialization and will cultivate involved, responsible, and active citizens.

How the Educational Program Was Conceived

Israel is contending with essential questions of identity surrounding its conception as a Jewish and democratic state. The State is also caught between a prolonged security problem and growing social gaps. In this state of affairs, it is of paramount importance to build a feeling of cohesion around the core values that represent the common denominator of the entire Israeli society. We believe that such cohesion can be achieved by discussion aimed at creating understanding among the various groups in Israeli society.

In 2001, the IDI launched an initiative to agree upon and write a constitution for Israel. The Constitution by Consensus Project served as a platform for the thorough discussion of central issues in the State of Israel. As part of the process of writing the constitution, a public council headed by Honorable Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Meir Shamgar was created. This council included representatives of most of the groups that compose Israeli society. The council included 90 members – politicians, senior academics, clerics, public, cultural and business figures, and many others.

As part of this project, principals, teachers, and students engaged in the study and discussion of the necessity of a constitution for the State of Israel. The process of creating a constitution served to instigate public discourse on the importance of investing in education for democracy and citizenship, and on the effect such an investment has on the fortitude and quality of the democratic regime. We realize that exposing students – young people on the threshold of their civilian lives – to the values, dilemmas, and issues arising from this process touches upon the very essence of Israeli society, and can strengthen a sense of belonging and the desire to contribute and make an impact.

The Program

This year, 2008, is the seventh year of the IDI educational program, which is implemented in cooperation with the Pedagogic Secretariat, the joint staff for the implementation of the Shenhar-Kremnitzer reports, the chief Civic Studies inspectors, the Society and Youth Administration and the Sakta-Rashi Foundation. In order to achieve the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning, we made the strategic choice to promote processes in the education system by the judicious use of the Institute's strengths.

The following are the goals that we established at the beginning of the process:

1. To emphasize the importance of Democracy Studies and Civic Education from kindergarten through12th grade and to place them on the agenda of the education system.
2. To involve youth in the discussion of the constitution and include them in a historic process that will have a paramount influence on shaping their future and the future of Israeli society .
3. To create a pluralistic climate to allow honest and deep discussion among the various sectors of Israeli society.
4. To write educational materials that encourage deep study, critical thinking, and ethical discussion about important issues in Israeli society, such as democracy, human rights, and the constitution.
5. To expedite the implementation of the Kremnitzer Committee Report Recommendations (1996).

During these years, the educational program has earned a good reputation among decision makers at the Ministry of Education and among  participating schools. The cooperation between the Institute and the schools gave rise to creative initiatives at several levels: at school, in the community, and in the locality.

The Institute's educational program currently operates in 107 schools in different sectors of society. At the end of the first year, the schools participating in the process develop work plans that are customized to meet their special needs. These  plans include a systematic study of the Institute's programs and the encouragement of civic involvement and educational-social activity. Some of the schools offer Civic Studies at a matriculation level of 2-5 study units.

The program focuses on a number of channels:

School Staff

• Enrichment of the knowledge of teachers, principals, and leadership groups in Israel and abroad through in-service training programs and conferences about democracy, human rights, freedom of speech, leadership, active citizenship, and the constitution.
• Support and coaching for initiating and developing unique models at schools.

Teaching Materials

• Development of excellent teaching materials that emphasize active instruction and experiential learning .
• Enrichment of high school libraries and teaching staff development centers with select IDI publications.

Ministry of Education

• Cooperation with the ministry to identify the needs of the education system, and to build a variety of customized models for communities and schools in order to deepen and expand Democracy and Civic Studies.

Activities to Date

Living Democracy
"Living Democracy" is our flagship project. It was initiated in 2007 in cooperation with the Sakta-Rashi Foundation, the Ministry of Education, and mayors. This multi-annual, holistic, local project has been implemented in three communities: Netivot, Hurfeish, and Tamra.

Goals

1. To create continuity in Democracy and Civic Studies from primary school to the 12th grade.
2. To offer Democracy and Civic Studies for all students in all sectors and social strata.
3. To implement a program that combines academic studies, values education, and civic involvement in the community.

Assumptions

1. The level of violence drops in schools that adhere to democratic values – tolerance, human dignity, and openness.
2. A consistent investment in education for democracy, in creating a climate of respect for students' and teachers' rights at school, and in maintaining systemic transparency in the school while simultaneously allowing the students to experience civic involvement will contribute to improving Israeli society and the quality of life of its citizens.

Activities in the 2007-2008 school year 

• Establishing a municipal steering committee with the participation of municipal officials, inspectors, and principals. 
• Offering regional and local study programs for principals and teachers. 
• Supplementing the Democracy Studies of eight hundred 10th-graders with the use of IDI materials. 
• Implementing active citizenship projects among students, including staging a mock trial with the participation of Honorable Former Supreme Court Justice Dalia Dorner in Netivot, adopting a special education school in Tamra, mentoring primary schools, and arranging Jewish-Arab encounters. 
• Project evaluation by Prof. Asher Arian, a Senior IDI Fellow.

Activity in schools

• We exposed a broad circle of educators – inspectors, principals and teachers – to the need to deepen and expand Democracy and Civic Studies in the schools.  
• We held seminars and advanced study programs for youth leadership groups from Israel and abroad, student councils, and youth movements on a variety of subjects including leadership, civic involvement, the democracy index, human rights, and the constitution. 
• Students from the Law Students Association at Tel Aviv University were involved in teaching students' rights discourse and democratic concepts. 
• We ran a youth parliament of students from schools in the pilot group, facilitated by IDI research fellows. 
• We enriched the libraries of high schools in the pilot groups and in pedagogical centers all over Israel with IDI publications.

Increasing the number of schools that incorporate civic and democratic education

• We created a network of productive relationships and cooperation with the professional branches of the Ministry of Education that are in charge of Education for Democracy. 
• We established ten groups encompassing 170 schools. In the first year, principals and leadership teams participated in an IDI in-service training program that included lectures and workshops.
• Preceding the second year, under the guidance of IDI instructors, each school created a unique program that combined values assimilation, academic studies, and civic involvement  to inculcate democratic values through educational and social initiatives. 
• In order to assimilate the IDI study program, we hold national, regional, and local courses and intense three-day programs at Beit Yatziv in Beersheva to train principals and teachers. 
• We develop and support unique school-based initiatives such as leadership groups, discussion, groups and mock trials.

Conferences

• In December 2003, we held a national conference on “Freedom of Expression” in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. 
• In December 2004, we held a national conference on “Criticism of the Government and its Boundaries” in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
• In December 2005, we held a national conference on “The Image of the State of Israel in the 2000s: The Desirable Social-Cultural Model for Israel.”
• In May 2006, we held a conference at the Institute for participants in an international seminar organized by Beth Yatziv on the topic of “A Decade Since the Kremnitzer Report – Admitting the Challenges that Face the 21^st Century Citizen and Educating in Light of Them.” 
• In January 2007, we held a national conference in Acre on “Creating an Israeli Civic Language – Difficulties and Opportunities” in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Shenhar-Kremnitzer Report Implementation Committee and with the participation of the Minister of Education.

Developing teaching aids and enrichment programs for teachers and students

To assimilate the subjects of democracy, constitution, consent, human rights, and freedom of speech, we have developed teaching aids:

1. Guide for Civics Teachers: the guide offers a wide, rich variety of materials on topics shared by the official curriculum and the Constitution by Consensus Project, and includes texts written in the public council along with other IDI publications.
2. Lecture briefings: documentation of principals' meetings held during the 2001-2002 school year, from the Schools Write a Constitution Project.
3. Anthologies: we published two anthologies of selected articles from Parliament, the IDI’s information center periodical.
4. "Rights, Constitution and Consensus in a Jewish and Democratic State": this series of lesson plans presents an educational program that aims to augment the formal curriculum in Israel, and to provide high school students with an understanding of the basic concepts of democracy, constitution, agreement, human rights, and the right to equality.
5. "The Heart of Democracy: Freedom of Expression and Its Limits": this series strives to enrich both teachers and students with knowledge of the different aspects and issues concerning freedom of expression and its limits. The lesson plans raise dilemmas and tensions between the freedom of expression and other values, such as national security, public sensibilities, and privacy. The series combines suggestions for a variety of activities, films, and songs that may be of utilized, as well as many newspaper clippings and court verdicts from Israel and other countries. 
6. The Educational Program’s website: the website provides a wide variety of materials related to different aspects of democracy, good citizenship, constitution, and rights. It includes briefings from the Educational Program’s teacher training sessions, publications, and videos from seminars, articles, and lesson plans.

Goals for the Coming Years

1. Continuing development and promotion of the holistic community project, the Living Democracy Project, project in the 2007-2008 school year: all the schools of Hurfeish are participating this year; in Tamra, two middle schools and two elementary schools are joining the project; in Netivot, two religious high schools, the religious high school for girls, and three elementary schools are participating. 
2. Offering guidance and enrichment to the professional team that is leading the change in Civic Studies: this school year, Civic Studies comprises two matriculation units instead of one. This change provides an opportunity to influence the teaching of civics and offer professional assistance to the group leading the change.
3. Writing and developing quality teaching materials: this year, we are working on writing a series of lesson plans entitled "The Democracy Index as an Educational Tool". 
4. Developing the Educational Program’s website and creating communities to assist civics instructors and teachers in response to the increasing demands of the subject.
5. Equal exposure to the Living Democracy Project of schools in all sectors of society and their integration in the program. 
6. Development of unique pedagogical models, such as mock trials.
7. Dialogue and cooperation between different groups in Israeli society – Arabs and Jews, and the religious and the secular.
8. Evaluation of the Living Democracy Project.

*Click here to view a PowerPoint presentation about the Educational Program.