The Inspiration : the Huge Turnaround at Bialik-Rogozin
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schools comes from the private sector of all former CEO of Bank Leumi , Galia Maor , the and at Branco Weiss in Beit Shemesh . places . Current and past senior executives former CEO of Bezeq , Ilan Biran , and the The next meeting with Vardi took place in from the corporate sector, led by Dr. Yossi founder of Ormat , Yehuda Bronicki . “ The the summer of 2005 , after Tal received an Vardi – one of the people most closely results convinced Vardi that the connection offer to fill an even more challenging position: identified with the Israeli hi-tech industry, between a skilled principal and a to serve as principal of Bialik-Rogozin in and employees from hi-tech companies who businessperson was worth enhancing, and southern Tel Aviv . Bialik-Rogozin was a have been described more than once as following the successful pilot at Shevach merger of two schools: Bialik Elementary people who live in a detached and alienated Mofet , similar pilots were implemented at School , which was shut down in 2003 because bubble – are the ones who are lending a hand, Reshit high school for boys in South Tel Aviv it was situated in a building near the new extracting the schools in the social periphery Central Bus Station that was about to collapse, from retardation and transforming them into and Rogozin High School , which had role models for the system that abandoned completed an unsuccessful experiment as a them . No less impressive is the undisputed democratic school and its closure was under feminine character of this silk revolution in review after only 200 children - about 25% of education , which is being led by the female the school’s total capacity – had registered to principals of the schools and the female CEO go there. And most of those children came of Tovanot B’Hinuch. This is coupled with the from migrant families from the Philippines fact that the organization has a tiny annual and families of Palestinian collaborators . Tal budget of NIS 9.5 million and counts on tens received a school replete with problems , of thousands of precious manpower hours including a matriculation entitlement rate of that are supplied for free by thousands of only 28% and an army enlistment rate of only volunteers . Together , they are rectifying the 26% , a dilapidated building , and a student failures of the Ministry of Education , whose body comprised of many children who lived annual budget amounts to NIS 60 billion . in daily fear of being deported . It didn't take long for Tal to realize that ordinary pedagogical tools would not be enough for a school that accepted children Who can succeed in Israel? The Inspiration : The from 48 different countries, including Starting from the bottom some who had experienced trauma due to Huge Turnaround at the war between Eritrea and South Sudan. ORT Lod Arab High School for the Sciences and Engineering, where Tovanot B'Hinuch operates | Photograph: Ofer Vaknin "I was distraught and felt as if I was spending Bialik-Rogozin 90% of my time in the emergency room dealing with problems related to welfare and health," she recalls. "I was standing in a ” You need to bring a kind of aura increased from 5,000 to 15,000 , classroom saying good morning to one of to the world, something that’s not the number of its active Tovanot B’Hinuch was founded in 2011, but the girls, who suddenly fainted and fell entirely deciphered , something volunteers has jumped from 550 the trigger for starting it was a tragic incident that occurred on a summer Friday night in down, only to wake up screaming: 'Don't that the heart reaches out to , to 1,600 , and 80% of the high Dr. Yossi Vardi and his network schools associated with its June 2001 . A suicide bomber blew himself up call an ambulance for me. My mother will something that’s a source of of social and business connections activities have achieved outside a discotheque at Dolphinarium Beach kill me because she doesn't have the money inspiration that others study and matriculation entitlement rates in Tel Aviv , killing 21 male and female stood at Tal’s side. Thanks to to pay for it.' One day it was raining and emulate ,” says Karen Tal , the CEO that are significantly higher teenagers . Seven of them were students at Vardi and Rina Zamir, who was because the kids didn't have enough money to take a bus, they didn't come to school. of Tovanot B’Hinuch , which than the national average – four Shevach Mofet High School in Tel Aviv , many the chair of the school’s action seeks to boost the public school of them even reached a 90% were from the former Soviet Union , and Another boy started wetting his pants again system in the social and entitlement rate , as opposed to Karen Tal was the principal of the school . “ A committee, Tal had 220 volunteers after his father was deported, and another child came to see me hysterical because he Photograph: Tomer Appelbaum geographical periphery . Tal the national average of 66% . lot of people were intrigued by these children from hi-tech companies at her didn't have any school books." quotes her father, who used the The numbers alone do not of new immigrants who did not express any outrage , sang songs in Hebrew, and sat crying disposal and 64 soldiers from Moroccan word hiba instead of convey the big story or the hope One of Tal's pillars of support was her for a turnaround in way Israeli in the schoolyard against the backdrop of lit hila , which is Hebrew for aura . Unit 8200. brother-in-law, Rami Benbenishty, a Social education is conducted , in candles ,” relates Tal . One of those people was Work professor at Bar-Ilan University, who which inspiration is not one of Dr . Yossi Vardi, who wanted to know how he Karen Tal, Tovanot B’Hinuch’s its synonyms . Report after could help . report published by the OECD indicate the At the time , Shevach Mofet was a school that CEO: “I don’t know how to price unpleasant truth : the school system produces had already experienced a turnaround , the hourly consulting fees of backwardness compared to developed mostly due to the massive presence of nations and perpetuates social disparities . No children who came from the former Soviet Barak Dotan, Danny Rothschild less than 702 of the 4,400 schools in Israel are Union . Many of them were studying for a B.A . and Dedi Perlmutter, the value defined as ‘ red ’ schools – schools that are in Math and Physics at Tel Aviv University of 150 volunteers from elite ranked high on the Nurture Index, wherev a while still in high school. The challenge faced score of 1 is the best situation and 10 is the by Tal as well as her predecessor , Dr . Avi units in the IDF’s Intelligence worst . The index measures the years of Benbenishty , who is also her life partner, was Corps and the numerous hours schooling of the most educated parent in the different . “ We recognized the incredible family , income per capita , integration of strength of the children and wanted them to of speech therapy that we receive” migrant children from countries in distress, remain in Israel and not move to Silicon Valley ,” she explains. “When Vardi came to Just how much Tal and her nonprofit and the socioeconomic status of the town . the school , we raised the dilemma and he organization have implemented her father’s There is poetic justice in the fact that the promised to bring his friends for a visit and motto is witnessed in the numbers : within a seeds of hope for restoring the health of the set up meetings between young engineers period of seven years, the number of schools school system , which is becoming ncreasingly and the students in order to involve them in that the organization is involved in has grown ethnocentric and religious , were sown in the projects and heighten their interest in Israel . from four to 34 , the number of students who southern Tel Aviv school attended by children Vardi brought people like the former Bank are nurtured by the organization has of migrant workers . And a key contributor to Photograph: Tomer Appelbaum the success of the initiative to boost the public Hapoalim chairman , Shlomo Nehama , the 33 Marker Week December 2018 December 2018 Marker Week 34 helped her develop a holistic model for keeping the school open in the evening for view of the fact that 128 children from the never someone with a background in complete the turnaround within five years, it on Tel Aviv’s doorstep in the hope that the managing the school. That model, which the benefit of the parents, reflecting the school were candidates for deportation. The education, who are appointed chairs of the and if that occurs, it frees up its budget for strong and rich city would somehow manage. was critical to the success of the turnaround belief that the school builds the community Forum, which was comprised of Mesila-Aid action committee and work alongside the other schools that join the initiative. The Tovanot B’Hinuch (which in Hebrew means at Bialik-Rogozin, later became the and the community builds the school. "In and Information Center for Migrant Workers school principals, complementing them with budget does not include special donations Insights in Education) broadens the formal theoretical and methodological foundation Israel, there are 4,400 schools and what do and Refugees, the Association for Civil Rights a way of thinking and practices that come that members of the founding group choose definition of ‘education’ and stretches it to the of Tovanot B'Hinuch.