Alarming study reveals Israeli teachers lag behind global peers substantially in all metrics
Israeli teachers scored below the average for the 18 comparison countries across all three areas examined.
A recent study has revealed that Israeli teachers significantly lag behind their global counterparts in literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving abilities. Conducted by Yael Melzer of the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research, the study analyzed data from the OECD 2022-2023 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) and found that Israeli teachers scored below the average of 18 comparison countries across all three areas.
The international gap may be attributed to differences in educational backgrounds. While 37% of Israeli teachers hold master's degrees, only 49% of teachers in comparison countries have similar qualifications. However, this education gap did not translate into better performance among academically educated Israeli teachers. In fact, teachers with academic degrees scored lower than their counterparts working in other professions within Israel.
The skills gap was particularly pronounced among men, with academically educated male teachers in Israel lagging considerably behind Israeli men with degrees working in other professions. A similar pattern was observed among teachers with academic backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), with Israeli teachers scoring lower in literacy and problem-solving.
The study also highlighted significant disparities within Israel's education system. Teachers in the Arab education stream and those in ultra-Orthodox (haredi) schools scored lower in literacy and numeracy compared to their counterparts in secular and religious non-haredi schools. Additionally, early-childhood education teachers performed poorly in all three areas assessed by the PIAAC.
Experts suggest that the education system may struggle to attract and retain highly skilled academics, potentially due to greater rewards in the private sector. Recommendations for addressing the issue include raising admission requirements for teacher training, changing compensation structures to make teaching more competitive, and implementing targeted efforts in Arab and early-childhood education.
Shoresh president Prof. Dan Ben-David emphasized the need for reforms to narrow the gap with leading countries and improve the overall quality of teaching in Israel.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
