The average classroom in Israel is highly diverse in terms of its students’ cognitive and emotional characteristics, and often includes learners of widely varying academic, social and personal abilities.  Some are students with diagnosed difficulties, such as attention disorder, behavioral difficulty, emotional difficulties, or physical disability; others may have difficulties which have not yet been formally diagnosed. There are students for whom the school receives supplemental resources, such as an aide or remedial hours, and there are those not entitled to additional resources. The teacher and the school need to provide fitting educational solutions for this wide range of students in order to advance each child academically, socially and personally.

This degree of diversity is likely to increase even further with the approaching implementation of what is referred to as the Mainstreaming and Inclusion Law, a recent legislative reform that gives parents the right to choose the educational framework for their child.

The Ministry of Education unit overseeing the implementation of the new policy reached out to The Yozma – Center for Knowledge and Research in Education with a request to establish a working group on the topic of inclusion in the education system. The objective of the Ministry of Education is to implement inclusive pedagogy, which helps each child to realize their potential and to develop positive self-worth, as well as advancing students with greater difficulties. The spirit of inclusive pedagogy is “essential for some – good for all,” that is, creating the conditions wherein the education framework provides a solution for all students, advances them, and provides the necessary support for those who especially need it.

The working group will gather knowledge from education professionals working in the field, policy-makers at the Ministry of Education, and academic experts. It will collect and organize pedagogic knowledge and policy knowledge, propose interventions and examine ways of promoting inclusion in the education system. The working group will address several areas:

• Pedagogy – how do inclusive schools and inclusive classrooms operate?
• Professional development – what type of knowledge and abilities should teachers acquire and develop? What kind of professional environment should they be provided with?
• Policy and resource allocation compared to similar processes around the world – where should resources be invested in order to promote inclusion in the education system?

Group coordinator: Eran Barak-Medina