A Guest Post by Dr. Harold Goldmeier
A high quality education system is
the single most important key to a nation’s prosperity. It must be underpinned by money from the
national budget, and coupled with unwavering commitment by elected officials. The national government must establish a core
curriculum for every school that reflects the social, cultural, and
intellectual priorities of the nation.
Think of it as the business plan that forces the bureaucracy to “stick to the
knitting” every well-run company employs. This will ensure all students an
equal opportunity at success. Teachers will thrive. Right now, Israeli culture
and visions of the future are floundering in a sea of ravelment exacerbated by discontent
and consternation among parents, educators, and politicians. Like a good movie, the school system reflects
what is happening in society, but it can also be a vehicle for change.
The U.K. spent over $14 billion hosting
this year’s Olympics
producing the most entertaining, majestic extravaganzas for the opening and
closing sessions. Nation’s fielded exciting
athletes with winning personalities that made the games fun to watch. The
enthusiasm of the British teams performing beyond even their own expectations
was infectious. These weren’t the only Olympics
games held this summer, however. World
championship games took place this summer in other countries that the media
neglected to cover. They were worthy of
worldwide attention but given short shrift. The U.K. games tell about the brawn
of nations. The other games give us insight
into their brains, education priorities, and cultures.
Washington, D. C. hosted the 44thInternational
Chemistry Olympiad in July 2012. It is Israel’s seventh consecutive year fielding
its best high school chemistry students competing against 71 other national
teams. No Israeli athletes won medals at the U.K. games despite a budget of
$5.6 million for training, travel, housing, and enormous personal effort and
commitment from the athletes and their families.
The Israeli chemistry team brought
home three bronze medals and one silver without much of a budget or
fanfare. The four students were
finalists from a field of 3,000 applicants who trained with science teachers
and volunteers including The Technion.
They tested
on three-dozen chemistry concepts and skill sets; eight laboratory skills and
procedures; and more than two-dozen factual concepts about chemistry. The students tested in a five-hour laboratory
practical, and a five-hour theoretical written exam. They deserve a parade.
The 53rdInternational
Mathematical Olympiad was held in Argentina, at which the Israel student team
(the youngest is 15 years old and the senior is 18 years old) won three silver,
one bronze, and one special citation medals. There were two, five-hour sessions
completing problems in algebra, geometry, analysis (real and complex), and
combinatorics (whatever that is). 100
teams competed (team Canada has an Israeli living in Toronto on its team), and
Israel placed thirty-first tied with Germany ahead of Switzerland and France. The
Israel high school physics team won two silver and three bronze medals at the 43rdInternational
Physics Olympiad held in Estonia this summer. Israel now ranked thirteenth in the world last
year, but dropped to 25th place this year despite the students’
stellar performance.
The investment by the Ministry of Education
in training programs is responsible for some of the first class showings, but
it is not enough. This year’s Olympiads are a crucible for a school system in
turmoil. Math and science education need
a long-term infusion of money to attract students into the fields of study, taught
by the best, well-paid teachers,
in an environment that encourages inquiry, inquisitiveness, and research. Students captivated by science and math need
support, and low achievers need help focusing with good teachers able to draw
out their interests.
Debate rages in Israel about the
need to upgrade the core curriculum of schools. Some want to scuttle the system
and start over. Matriculation rates are
haphazard and choppy. Professor Shay Gueron, of the University of Haifa, who
heads the math team points out this year’s team has only five students, because
a sixth out of 1,600 hopefuls from around the country cannot not be found who
meets the academic qualifications and skills.
The intensity and breadth of study
depends on parents demanding more from the schools. Arab, minority, and ultra-Orthodox students are
increasingly a larger percentage of the elementary and high school student
bodies. They receive little if any STEM education (science, technology,
engineering, math), because of community and cultural biases, and a succession
of governments making little or no effort with these children. The result in years down the road will see
STEM quality deteriorating, grades suffering, fewer matriculations, and fewer
international competition achievements. It is apodictic that the “start-up
nation’s” ability to compete
economically and militarily sans a flow of the well-trained young people into
jobs and careers in math and science will be adversely affect weapons of
defense, food and water science, bio-med, and other cutting edge technologies. The
economy will sputter when Israelis cannot fill STEM jobs.
The cultural sea
change that motivated America to heavily invest in public school STEM education
after Russia launched Sputnik
is a good example for Israel. Sputnik sparked fear in Americans that the
Russian bear is able to blow-up New York. Instead she blew-up the American
educational system. Internationally renowned American scientists were
relentless in their articles and interviews calling for a new culture of
science and math education. Congress rushed to pass the National Defense
Education Act earmarking more than a billion new dollars in 1958 for science
and math education. There was money to pay and train math and science teachers;
special after school programs and summer camps in science and math education;
science labs were built in elementary and high schools; money for grants and
student loans flowed to science and math majors; the Federal government created
many new science and technology agencies that kept up the momentum; and, on May
25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy spoke before a joint session of Congress
delivering a historic challenge for the advancement of science and math that
lasted more than half a century when he said, “…I believe that this nation should
commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a
man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project
in this period will be more impressive to mankind….”
After the 2012 Olympic games closed
and athletes returned empty-handed to Israel, the Associated Press reported a
spokesman for the Israel government outlining plans to spend $1.5 billion in
the next ten years to upgrade athletic facilities. Some op-ed writers blame government
niggardliness for the poor showing in London. They condemn inadequate
government financial support for athletes in training, the need to subsidize
modern training equipment, housing, training camps, and the best coaching money
can buy. The dearth of organized sports
programs in elementary and high schools leaves a black hole every aspiring star
athlete must climb out of on his/her to shine in international competition.
The impressive medal winnings of
Israeli students are a testament to student initiative, their teachers, and the
private sector, but commitments of more money will be welcome. Warning calls
from senior math and science professors must be heeded. STEM education in Israeli schools needs to be
reinforced and reinvigorated, for our advantages to continue and the nation prosper.
This year’s World Economic Forum’s Global
Competitiveness Report dropped Israel’s ranking cautioning that Israel is
challenged by the need for “a renewed focus on raising the bar in terms of the
quality of education. If not addressed, poor educational quality—particularly
in math and science (89th)—could undermine the country’s innovation-driven
competitiveness strategy over the long term.” Israeli Professor Daniel Shechtman warns,
“Israel is still producing world-class scientists. But unless changes are made,
the output will dwindle over the years.”
Professor Ehud Keinan believes STEM education is rapidly deteriorating
in Israel, and the outstanding students thrive in spite of the schools, and
because of special extracurricular programs enhanced by motivated parents. “Mathematics instruction in Israeli schools is at
a low level and is getting worse,” Professor Gueron observed on Israel placing 53rd in the IMO.
We can start rebuilding the culture of science in our schools
with more public attention to and acclaim for our young student stars competing
in Olympiads around the world. We must also keep a close eye on the outcomes of
a major event in
December, 2012, at which staff and donors of philanthropies will gather under
the auspices of The Rashi Foundation and Jewish Funders Network to “learn how
philanthropy can kick start educational innovation, and drive government R
& D to improve outcomes” in STEM education that will create the future
generation of Israeli scientists and inventors. This might just well be the
most important event of the decade for Israeli education. I hope they invite
the student winners and teachers of this year’s Olympiads for advice and
counsel. Let’s hope their conclusions are more challenging than phatic, and the
Ministry of Education pays attention.
harold.goldmeier@gmail.com
The writer is a former Research and Teaching Fellow at Harvard University where he received his doctorate. He served in the administrations of three U. S. Governors, is Managing Director of a business marketing and development company after selling his companies in America. He consults on business, education, and community development matters. His writings frequently appear on the blog Life in Israel, on other blogs, and publications.
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