The Vision

We, at the Israel Democracy Institute, are 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 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 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 construct 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 a discussion aimed at creating understandings among different groups in Israeli society.

In 2001, the IDI launched an initiative to write an agreed constitution for Israel. The "Constitution by Consensus" project served as a platform for the thorough discussion of the central issues in the Sate of Israel. As part of the process of writing the constitution, a public council headed by 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, business figures, and many others.

As part of this project, principals, teachers and students engaged in study and discussion of the necessity of a constitution for the State of Israel. The process of forming a constitution served to instigate public discourse on the importance of investing in education for democracy and citizenship, and the effect such an investment has on the fortitude and quality of the democratic regime. We realized that exposing students – young people on the verge 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 have 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 out 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.

Following are the goals we set at the beginning of the process:

1. Emphasizing the importance of democratic studies and civic education from kindergarten to 12th grade and placing them on the agenda of the education system
2. Involving youth in the discussion of the constitution and including them in a historic process that will have a paramount influence on shaping their future and the future of Israeli society
3. Creating a pluralistic climate to allow honest and deep discussion among factions and sectors of Israeli society
4. Writing educational materials that encourage deep study, critical thinking, and an ethical discussion about issues in Israeli society, democracy, human rights, and constitution
5. Expediting the implementation of the Kremnitzer committee report recommendations (1996)

During these years, the educational program has gained 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 on several levels: at school, in the community, and in the locality.

The institute's educational program currently operates in 107 schools in different sectors. The schools that participate in the process form, at the end of the first year, work plans that are customized for their special needs. These  plans include a systematic study of the institute's programs, 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

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

Teaching materials

• Developing excellent teaching materials that emphasize active instruction and experiential learning
• Enriching 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 build a variety of customized models for communities and schools in order to deepen and expand democratic 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. Creating continuity in democracy and civic studies from primary school to the twelfth grade
2. Offering democracy and civic studies for all students in all sectors and social strata
3. Running 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, 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 and 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 principles 
• Offering regional and local study programs for principals and teachers 
• Supplementing the democracy studies of 800 10th-graders with the use of IDI materials 
• Implementing active citizenship projects among students, including staging a mock trial with the participation of the 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 democratic and civic studies in the schools and expand them. 
• 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 constitution. 
• Students from the Law Students Association, 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 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 10 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. Ahead of the second year, each school created a unique program to inculcate democratic values through educational and social initiatives under the guidance of IDI instructors, combining values assimilation, academic studies, and civic involvement. 
• 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 about “freedom of expression,” in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. 
• In December 2004 we held a national conference about “criticism of the government and its boundaries,” in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
• In December 2005 we held a national conference about “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 21st century citizen, and educating in light of them.” 
• In January 2007 we held a national conference about “creating an Israeli civic language – difficulties and opportunities” in Acre, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Shenhar-Kremnitzer report implementation committee. The Minister of Education took part in this seminar.

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 Agreement, and includes texts written in the public council alongside other IDI publications.
2. Lecture briefings: documentation of principals meetings held during the 2001-2 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 which aims to augment the formal curriculum in Israel and 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 surrounding 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 of a variety of activities, films, and songs that can be of used; many newspaper clippings; and court verdicts from Israel and other countries. 
6. The educational program’s website: the educational program’s website provides a wide variety of materials related to different aspects of democracy, good citizenship, constitution and rights. On the website, you can find briefings from the educational program’s teacher training sessions, publications, and videos from seminars, articles, and lesson plans.

Goals for the Coming Years

1. Development and promotion of the “Living Democracy” holistic community project in the 2007-8 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 comprise two matriculation units instead of one. This change is 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 where civics instructors and teachers in response to the developing demands of the subject
5. Equal exposure to the program of schools from all sectors of society, and their integration in the program 
6. Development of unique pedagogical models, like 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.