Home – ICEI https://www.icei.co.il The Israel Center for Educational Innovation Sun, 11 Aug 2024 19:27:46 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://www.icei.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/favicon-150x150.png Home – ICEI https://www.icei.co.il 32 32 Springboard to Success https://www.icei.co.il/programs/springboard-to-success/ Thu, 21 Dec 2023 06:57:57 +0000 https://www.icei.co.il/?post_type=programs&p=1598
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Springboard to Success

ICEI’s Springboard to Success program, designed for grades 1-3, shares the same foundations as It’s Elementary! and builds on ICEI’s unprecedented success pioneering the rapid acquisition of basic reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. 

Springboard to Success addresses disparities in children’s school readiness when they enter first grade. Given the proven impact of our approach, participating schools often continue working with ICEI beyond the program.

A student reads in a notebook

How it works

1

Each elementary school principal is paired with one of ICEI's Principal Mentors – all highly accomplished and experienced former principals. ICEI’s Principal Mentor works closely with the principal to create a vision for the school, develop actionable annual work plans, and support their faculty.

2

ICEI’s Literacy Coaches join the faculty half-time to work closely with teachers to transform how they plan and teach their classes. They model new instructional methods in the classroom, offer valuable real-time observation, feedback, and co-teaching that build teachers’ skills and confidence.

3

ICEI teaches principals and teachers to use Medida, a comprehensive online data collection and analysis website developed by ICEI. This enables faculty to continually track the progress of each class and each student and to tailor instruction to meet their needs. Our data-driven approach means that no student gets left behind.

4

We create optimal learning environments, including in-class libraries of 500-1,000 books, categorized according to reading level. We enrich each classroom with a designated area for intimate frontal instruction in the form of short mini-lessons, with posters that encourage reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

5

Beyond the classroom setting, we support parents to become full partners in their children’s education and to improve communications and mutual respect between parents and faculty members.

6

Each year, students nationwide participate in ICEI’s Young Writers Competition , honing their storytelling skills and then celebrating their accomplishments in our annual awards ceremony.

Participating Schools

ICEI currently runs Springboard to Success in the following schools and communities:

  • Ofek, B’nei Ayish*
  • Efrati, B’nei Ayish*
  • Mevo’ot, Be’er Tuvia
  • Rona Ramon, Harish

* Schools that have continued with ICEI beyond the Springboard to Success program into additional grades

]]> Qalam https://www.icei.co.il/programs/qalam/ Wed, 20 Dec 2023 14:06:12 +0000 https://www.icei.co.il/?post_type=programs&p=1560
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Qalam

Qalam (Arabic for pen, and an acronym in Arabic: قيادة, لغة, معرفة meaning “leadership, language, knowledge”) is ICEI’s groundbreaking multi-year intervention in Israel’s Arab elementary schools.

Using ICEI’s proven teaching methodologies, entirely reconceived for Arabic instruction, Qalam trains and supports principals and teachers to accelerate academic achievement in their schools. Qalam fully addresses the unique challenges and opportunities of Arabic language’s “diglossia” – the sizable gap between spoken and written Arabic. 

A student writes on the board

How it works

1

Each elementary school principal in Qalam is paired with one of ICEI's Principal Mentors – all highly accomplished and experienced former principals. ICEI’s Principal Mentor works closely with the principal to create a vision for the school, develop actionable annual work plans, and support their faculty.

2

ICEI’s on-site Arabic Literacy Coaches bring professional development into the classroom in real time under actual classroom conditions. The Literacy Coaches work closely with teachers to transform how they plan and teach their classes.

3

Data-driven instruction becomes part of the school’s DNA, thanks to ICEI’s online data tracking system, Medida, and ongoing guidance. This approach helps principals and teachers continually track the progress of each class and student and differentiate instruction to meet their needs.

4

ICEI creates motivational learning environments, including in-class libraries of 400 Arabic books, leveled according to difficulty. We upgrade each classroom with a designated area for frontal instruction in the form of short mini-lessons, with posters that encourage reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

5

Research shows that school-parent partnerships in education positively impact students’ academic outcomes. We empower parents to fully engage in their children’s education while fostering mutual respect between parents and faculty members.

Testimonials

“This program is the ‘Waze’ of our school. Without it, we’d be lost. We’re only at the beginning of first grade and our students already know how to read. Our classrooms are calm, with many success stories, and I have more time for everyone and everything.”
Principal, Omar Ben Alhatab School, Umm al-Fahm
“Improved reading and critical thinking skills are helping my students not just in literacy, but in all subjects. My students are improving in math at a rate I couldn’t have imagined before."
Teacher, Yesodi Aleph School, Be'ene

Participating Schools

ICEI currently runs Qalam in the following schools and communities:

  • Omar Ben Alhatab, Umm al-Fahm
  • Yesodi Aleph, Be’ene
  • Almanar, Kfar Kassem
  • Alsalam, Arara**
  • Jabour Jabour, Shfaram**

**Also part of Meisharim

]]> Meisharim https://www.icei.co.il/programs/meisharim/ Wed, 20 Dec 2023 06:28:54 +0000 https://www.icei.co.il/?post_type=programs&p=1526
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Meisharim

The Turnaround Schools Strategy

ICEI is one of the operators of The Turnaround Schools Strategy – ‘Meisharim,’ a joint venture of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance and Yad Hanadi

Misherim - for fairness in education
Teacher and students in class

Meisharim – The Turnaround Schools Strategy 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 vision of Meisharim is advancing social mobility among Turnaround (Meisharim) school graduates, increasing effectiveness of other similar school interventions and promoting fairness in Israeli elementary school education.

ICEI is one of only three third-sector operators nationwide selected for the prestigious Meisharim initiative. 

ICEI’s comprehensive five-year intervention in Meisharim schools includes mentoring of principals, professional development in literacy, measurement and evaluation, improving the school climate, building learning spaces, parent and community engagement, and more. 

Many of ICEI’s core principles and programmatic elements have been adopted by Meisharim across all participating schools, including the position of the Literacy Coach and literacy instruction methodologies.

Participating Schools

ICEI currently operates in 12 Meisharim schools (both Arab and Jewish) in communities across Israel:

  • Shazar, Akko
  • Alon Yizreel, Afula
  • Gamle, Katzrin
  • Nitzanim, Karmiel
  • Shalom Aleichem, Betzet
  • Alsalam, Arara
  • Jabour Jabour, Shfaram
  • Yachad, Holon
  • Levi Eshkol, Beit Shemesh
  • Shoham, Afula
  • Hatomer, Beit She’an
  • Menachem Begin, Nof Hagalil
]]> It’s Elementary! https://www.icei.co.il/programs/its-elementary/ Sun, 10 Dec 2023 12:50:32 +0000 https://www.icei.co.il/?post_type=programs&p=867
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It’s Elementary!

It’s Elementary!, ICEI’s flagship program, is the most comprehensive and ambitious Whole School Improvement Program for grades 1-6 in Israel. The program strengthens literacy fundamentals and basic learning skills instruction so that children can succeed in elementary school and beyond.

Three female students are reading a book

How it works

1

Each elementary school principal is paired with one of ICEI's Principal Mentors – all highly accomplished and experienced former principals. ICEI’s Principal Mentor works closely with the principal to create a vision for the school, develop actionable annual work plans, and build and support her school leadership team and general faculty.

2

ICEI’s Literacy Coaches join the faculty full-time to work closely with teachers to transform how they plan and teach their classes. Literacy Coaches model new instructional methods in the classroom, offer valuable real-time observation and feedback, and co-teaching that builds teachers’ skills and confidence.

3

ICEI teaches principals and teachers to use Medida, a comprehensive user-friendly online data collection and analysis website developed by ICEI. This enables faculty to continually track the progress of each class and each student and to tailor instruction to meet their needs. Our data-driven approach means that no student gets left behind.

4

We create optimal learning environments, including in-class libraries of 500-1,000 books, categorized according to reading level. We enrich each classroom with a designated area for intimate frontal instruction in the form of short mini-lessons, with posters that encourage reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In upper grades, we integrate cutting-edge digital teaching and learning platforms such as LightSail and CET–The Center for Educational Technology’s Korim (Readers) non-fiction texts platform.

5

Beyond the classroom setting, we support parents to become full partners in their children’s education and help improve communication and mutual respect between parents and faculty members.

6

Each year, students nationwide participate in ICEI’s Young Writers Competition, honing their storytelling skills and then celebrating their accomplishments in our annual awards ceremony.

Testimonials

“It’s revived my passion for teaching. ICEI’s precise, professional, and differentiated instruction model has completely transformed how we teach. The children are actively engaged in learning and love coming to school. And guess what? The teachers love coming to school too!”
AhuvaTeacher, Harin school, Ramle
"Every school in the country should join this program because once they do you’ll see different children, better citizens, and better parents. The method has proven itself in the field to be highly effective and powerful. It completely transforms the quality of school management and leadership for the long term."
Moshe AmarPrincipal of Yavne School, Hadera

Participating Schools

ICEI currently runs It’s Elementary! in the following schools and communities:

  • Ben Zvi, Ramle
  • Harin, Ramle
  • Ma’anit, Ramle
  • Dekel, Ashkelon
  • Arlozorov, Ashkelon
  • Shavit, Rehovot
  • Yavne, Hadera
  • Zvulun Hammer, Rishon LeZion
  • Vitkin, Rishon LeZion
  • Sinai, Rishon LeZion
  • Itamar, Rishon LeZion
  • Shazar, Akko*
  • Alon Yizreel, Afula*
  • Gamle, Katzrin*
  • Nitzanim, Karmiel*
  • Shalom Aleichem, Betzet*
  • Yachad, Holon*
  • Levi Eshkol, Beit Shemesh*
  • Shoham, Afula*
  • Hatomer, Beit She’an*
  • Menachem Begin, Nof Hagalil*

*Also part of Meisharim

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