Seventy Teach for America participants are visiting Israel to learn about Israel’s approach to education and community service.
As part of the 12-day program, the American teachers are meeting with their Israeli counterparts from Teach First Israel, a similar program that launched in 2010 and now has 143 teachers working in 33 schools across Israel.
The educators are participating in the REALITY Israel program supported by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and the Samberg Family Foundation, in partnership with Teach For America.
On July 24, the group met Arab teachers and high school students to talk about educational challenges. A day earlier the participants met lawmaker Einat Wilf, who chairs the Knesset Education, Sports and Culture Committee.
“Israel is a classroom for people who want to learn about leadership in the face of extreme challenges,” said Andrew Mandel, Teach for America’s vice president of special projects. “Many of the social justice challenges Israel faces mirror those in the U.S.”
The program has brought more than 200 Teach for America educators to Israel in the past four years. — jta