Project Director: Professor Eyal Naveh
Research Staff: Mr. Yuval Kremnitzer, Dr.Nitzan Lebovic, Mr. Amir Sokolowski, and Dr. Naomi Vered
When the State of Israel dismantled the ideological sections of the official system of education and reduced support for youth movements' activities, it deprived, albeit unintentionally, the educational system of any political orientation. For many youngsters who graduated from the Israeli education system, politics became a negative term, associated with power, corruption, mediocrity, ineptitude, and the inability to achieve a better professional career. The result of such an attitude towards politics is extremely dangerous to the survival of Israeli democracy.
The goal of this project is to re-introduce political activism back to the school system through developing means and content of political participation as an integral part of the school curriculum. It does not seek to promote a specific political agenda of a certain party, but rather revive the political option as the only way of public life in a democracy.
This project seeks to develop:
- A curriculum for political activism that will be integrated into the school system, either as a separate field study or through the studies of history, civic education, and social sciences.)
- A suggested structure for participatory politics of students, teachers, and parents within the daily activities of the school community.
The recommendations of this project which will emerge following dialogue between Ministry of Education officials, school principles, teachers, youth movement activists, pupils, and parents, will appear as a publication and will hopefully be introduced into various levels of the school system as a basis for political education.
The field of political education will be mapped, focusing on three specific areas:
The current status of political, social, and informal education in the Israeli state school system, both curricular and extracurricular.
Bibliographical research on political education, community activism, and participatory politics.
Research on programs of political education in various democracies in Europe and North America, especially the situation in Germany and in certain districts in the United States and Canada.