Meisharim-Turnaround Schools

Meisharim filtered
Challenge
There are some 450 primary schools (of a total of 2,500) defined as underperforming, of which 160 have extremely low achievement levels. This signals a systemic failure that impairs success in higher grades, higher education and in the work force, and limits opportunities for social mobility
Vision
Advancing social mobility among Turnaround (Meisharim) school graduates, increasing effectiveness of other similar school interventions and promoting fairness in Israeli elementary school education
Goal
Catalysing a measurable, sustainable improvement or ‘turnaround’ in underperforming elementary schools that serve students from low socioeconomic backgrounds by developing accessible knowledge, models and practices for effective intervention

‘Then you will understand what is right, just and fair — every good path.’ (Proverbs 2:9)

The Turnaround Schools Strategy – ‘Meisharim’ is a joint venture of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance and Yad Hanadiv, operating since 2019. The initiative seeks to create sustainable changes in underperforming elementary schools that serve students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

The process of implementing school change is accompanied by Third Sector organisations with relevant theories of change and appropriate capabilities: Branco Weiss, the Israel Centre for Educational Innovation, Alliance – Kol Israel Haverim (KIAH) and Tovanot B’Hinuch (Insights in Education). These organisations build comprehensive five-year interventions in schools. The intervention includes mentoring of head teachers, professional development in literacy, measurement and evaluation, improving responses to emotional and school climate issues, building learning spaces and more. The venture views the head teacher as the key to leading school change and operates a training and mentoring programme for heads of low-performing schools in collaboration with the Israel Institute for School Leadership – Avney Rosha.

Meisharim operates nationwide across all communities. It plans to expand its activity to five-year interventions in some 36 schools.

Welcome to First Grade!

Ministry of Education
05/2023
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Yad Hanadiv
08/2020
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