Dovratreport.doc

Main Points of the Plan (Summary) The National Task Force for the Advancement of Education in Israel was appointed by the Government of Israel at the initiative of Limor Livnat, Minister of Education, Culture, and Sports, and with the support of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. It began its work in October 2003. The Task Force was charged with conducting a comprehensive examination of the Israeli education system and recommending an inclusive plan for change—pedagogical, structural, and organizational—as well as outlining a means of implementing it. The Task Force comprises 18 members: educators from academia and the schools, economic and legal experts, corporate executives, and public figures. The Task Force also formed 12 professional committees made up of more than 100 professionals, each of which addressed a different major topic. The members of the Task Force, who represent a wide variety of trends in Israeli society, worked without pay. After 15 months of work that included intensive study of the Israeli and foreign education systems and formulation of an overall concept for the program of change, the committees submitted their recommendations to the Task Force. The Task Force discussed the committees’ recommendations, accepted most of them, and included them in its recommendations. This report includes an analysis of the present state of the Israeli education system, a presentation of the proposed vision for the education system, and a detailed description of the national plan for education in Israel. It includes the considerations that guided the Task Force in its recommendations, the principles, the recommendations for the plan, and the outline for implementation of the plan. The summary below includes the principles of the plan and the main recommendations included in it. Principles of the Plan The Task Force drew up an inclusive pedagogical, structural, and organizational plan for the education system that sets signific