Core curriculum in the Israeli educational system

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A Values Based Core Curriculum: The Israeli Perspective
Yaacov J Katz – School of Education, Bar-Ilan University
Correspondence Address:
Prof Yaacov J Katz
School of Education
Bar-Ilan University
Ramat-Gan 52900
Israel
Email: katzya@mail.biu.ac.il
Acknowledgement
This paper was sponsored by the Institute for Community Education and Research,
School of Education, Bar-Ilan University

Abstract
The core curriculum mooted by the Israeli Ministry of Education for implementation
throughout the state educational system is designed to include the most important
body of knowledge to be taught and acquired by every student in the educational
system In addition to the mandatory knowledge present in the core curriculum it also
includes the learning skills and social values necessary for the development of
productive citizens who function adequately in both cognitive and affective domains.
The inculcation of social values through the school curriculum has long been one of
the topics most discussed by educators the world over. The realization that
achievement alone is not sufficient as a preparation for the future citizen of the post-
modern, individualized, complex and sophisticated world in which we live has
become unanimously accepted by modern society. The preparation of productive
citizens is now perceived as a major role of the educational system and schools are
now expected to provide values education within the school curriculum.
Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Israeli society has radically
moved from one in which social solidarity and concern for the welfare of the
collective was of utmost importance to a post-modern, sophisticated, individualized
society in which collective values have all but disappeared. Personal well-being of the
individual at the expense of collective solidarity now characterizes Israeli society. The
result of such developments has been the significant widening of the social gaps
between the different socio-economic levels in the Israeli population.
The educational leadership believes that the introduction of a values based core
curriculum into the Israeli educational system is of paramount importance. The
curriculum will serve to promote increased communal and collective understanding
and cooperation within Israeli society while at the same time allowing different social
groups to realize their own particular individualized social goals. The curriculum will
lay the foundation for better social understanding and consensus despite the different
agendas held by different sectors in Israeli society and will serve as social glue that
will prevent total disintegration of Israeli society in a whirlpool of post-modernity.
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Introduction
Schools are a mirror of society. To a large extent schools reflect national cultures,
both in their official and in their hidden curricula. School curricula are largely shaped
by the dominant values of society. School cultures do not exist in a vacuum (Prosser
1999) but are impregnated with national and local cultures that reflect human
experience. In addition school cultures include a vast array of socio-cultural systems
such as ethnic, professional, political, artistic and communicative systems. It is a myth
to consider schools as enclaves, operating in a separate reality from the general
society.
Watson & Ashton (1995) noted that schools take the achievement and values aspects
of education seriously. Schools should be encouraged to enable students to cope with
a particular package of achievement and values goals based on agreement reached in
the community. Thus education must become community-based. This is in some ways
a throwback to traditional approaches to education (Hostetler & Huntington 1971),
where children are enculturated into the achievement and values goals of a particular
community. Collaboration between teachers promotes the adoption of progressive
values and increased understanding of their students, thereby setting the stage for the
development of better relationships with students.
Goals of the Core Curriculum
According to Souza (2000) the school as a social institution is affected by the same
contradictions as run through society. In these circumstances schools cannot be
expected to transform society without a political pedagogical plan of action that will
move the school in the direction of change. Resulting from the above mentioned
developments many countries have recognised the importance of introducing a core
curriculum into their respective educational sytems. There are three general
definitions of the core curriculum. The first definition is that which perceives the core
curriculum as a relatively small mandatory core around which crystallises a much
larger curricular body of knowledge which is studied on an elective basis (Brandes,
1997). The second definition views the core curriculum as an important and vital body
of knowledge to be taught compulsorily in the educational system with all other
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knowledge perceived as of secondary importance (Stahl, 1997). The third definition
perceives the core curriculum as including all content, learning skills and social values
that are considered vital for the development of a autonomous individual who will be
a productive citizen (Ilan, 2000). According to this defininition, quality of the content,
skills and values is significantly more important than quantity. Based on the above
definitions many attempts have been made by educationalists to come to some mode
of consensus regarding the essence of the core curriculum, but very little progress has
been made regarding agreement on the core curriculum.
If so difficult to arrive at an agreed definition, why then should educational systems
strive to adopt a core curriculum? The majority of researchers contend that the radical
changes overtaking 21st century society in general and the educational system in
particular are the major catalysts fostering the adoption of a core curriculum (for
example Stahl, 1997; Volansky, 1999). Wraga (1998; 1999) discussed the advantages
of a core curriculum in contributing to efforts to develop imperative values based
knowledge. Platt (1998) chronicled the process of reforming liberal education and
the need to organize it around the theme of the individual and community. Platt
proposed the integration of the civic arts into the core curriculum in order to promote
the balancing of individual and community. Hickox (1998) stated that the Hawaiian
educational system encourages schools to adopt an integrated core curriculum of
language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies in order to equip students both
academically and socially for a smooth entry into community life. Appelbaum and
Cross (1998) indicated that the Council for Basic Education in the United States
advocates a strong liberal arts education, linked to standards in core subject areas. A
basic education must have an academic focus centered on intellectual as well as social
values. Goldberg (1997) concluded from an interview with E.D. Hirsch in which the
latter confirmed his firm belief (Hirsch, Kett and Trefil, 1988) that to help less
talented students to realize their learning potential and to close the social justice gap,
schools need a solid core curriculum. The above suggestions regarding the structure of
the core curriculum are based on research studies that indicate that the core
curriculum promotes measures of intellectual development as well as that of social
unity. For example Larrey and Estanek (1999) suggested reviewed core curricula in a
number of U.S. states and reported that core curricula highlight learning that is
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integrated, interdisciplinary, and sequential, and embodies both learning and
developmental goals. Another example is that of a study conducted by Codding and
Tucker (2000) who contended that typical core curricula included vital social aims as
well as clearly defined benchmarked academic standards to be attained by students.
Breitborde & Swiniarski (1999) confirmed the tension in public education in the U.S.
between the goals of enlightening individuals and improving society, in other words
individual constructivism versus social reconstructionism. Their conclusion is to
break down the dichotomy between the two spheres and to forge a strong curricular
link between academic achievement and social cohesion. Stahl (1997) has indicated
that in addition to the definition of a content-based core curriculum accepted by any
given educational system, consideration must be given to the learning skills and social
values to be incorporated into the core curriculum. Stahl also suggested that standards
be incorporated into school curricula in order to ensure that the core curriculum is not
only taught to all students in the educational system but to verify that an agreed level
of proficiency is reached by all students in scholastic achievement and in the
acquiring of learning skills and the internalization of social values.
Israeli Society and the Core Curriculum
Eisenstadt (1996), in his comments on traditional and modern society, indicated that
one of the major differences between traditional societies on the one hand and modern
and especially post-modern society on the other is that which distinguishes between
the striving for maximum cohesion and homogeneity in traditional societies as
opposed to the promotion of individual communities and the tolerance of
heterogeneity in modern and post-modern societies. Thus the aim of David Ben-
Gurion and the other founding fathers of the independent Israeli state that state
institutions, such as the Israel Defense Force, serve as social melting-pots and agents
for the promotion of homogeneity and integration of the different religious, cultural
and ethnic groupings in Israeli society, was best suited to the traditional society of the
1950s and 1960s. However, since the 1960s in which Israeli society moved away from
social traditionalism and individual civil rights rather than the rights of the collective
became a major societal goal, the evolvement of different communities with unique
religious, cultural, and ethnic agendas has become increasingly more emphasized and
visible in Israeli society. Since the late 1960s and the early 1970s, the different
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groupings in Israeli society have become increasingly more determined to actualize
their unique needs and have led to the transformation of Israeli society from one
where traditional values of unity and integration were of utmost importance to one
where sectoral values are perceived as legitimate and even desirable. At present
political, cultural and ethnic divides characterize Israeli society more than at any time
in the past.
The development of a sectorial society which has lost its unity and appears to be on
the verge of disintegration (Katz, 1999), has focused the attention of educationalists
and politicians on the need to implement a core curriculum to form a basic
educational common denominator for all students in society from the cognitive as
well as affective points of view. Thus the Israeli educational system has focused on
the development of a core curriculum that has two major goals. The first is to ensure
that all students are exposed to contents in a number of mandatory core subjects as
well as being exposed to crucial learning skills in order to maintain robust academic
standards. The second is to inculcate vital social values considered to be of paramount
importance in the socialization of future productive citizens through the medium of a
values based affective education program.
The Structure of the Core Curriculum in Israel
In order to achieve the twofold educational goals of Israeli society, namely the
maintaining of suitable academic standards and learning skills as well as the
inculcation of social values, the core curriculum is presented as a three-tiered parallel
model which includes content clusters, learning skills and social values The standard-
based content, learning skills and social values suggested in the model are those
which are seen as consensually providing the student with a solid and balanced basis
on which to build good and productive citizenship as well as life-long learning.
Mention must be made of the fact that the three-tiered model includes learning skills
as well as social values that are integrated into the content clusters so that teachers
address skills and values while instructing their teaching their students mandatory
subject matter.
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Content Learning Skills Social Values
Figure No 1
Graphic Presentation of a Three-Tiered
Parallel Integrative Model of Core Curriculum
In the following chapters the detailed description of the integration between content,
learning skills, and social values that comprise the parallel three-tiered core
curriculum is presented.
Contents in the Israeli Core Curriculum
The core curriculum presented above forms 50% of the total content and subject
matter presented to students throughout their 13-year (kindergarten, elementary
school, high school) schools careers. The core curriculum is the mandatory common
denominator of the students’ schooling and includes subjects judged by Israeli society
in general and by the Israeli the educational authorities in particular to accurately
reflect the mandatory needs of the typical Israeli students. The core includes the
following clusters and subjects:
a) Humanities, Social Studies and Arts - Jewish/Arab Tradition, History, Civics,
Theatre, Dance, Music, Painting
b) Languages - Hebrew Language and Literature, Arabic Language and
Literature, English Language and Literature
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Jewish/Arab Tradition
History
Civics
Arts
Hebrew/Arabic
English
Mathematics
Science
Physical Education
Safety Education
Cultural Literacy
Information Literacy
Social Literacy
Aesthetic literacy
Language literacy
Communication Skills
Analytical Literacy
Quantitative Literacy
Health Awareness
Life Skills
Democracy
Tolerance
Understanding
Aesthetics
Equality
Social Respect
Truth
Morality
Ethics
Well-being

c) Mathematics and Science - Mathematics and Computers, Physics, Chemistry,
Biology
d) School Culture - Physical Education, Safety Education
Elective content and subject matter, form the additional 50% of students’ educational
experience. The elective topics are options offered by the national educational
authorities to all students and are chosen by the individual student based on ability,
needs, wishes, and preferences, and are studied as specializations within the general
school curriculum. Thus the Israeli educational system attempts to provide a balanced
curriculum comprised of a mandatory core and elective specializations all based on
standards that ensure a satisfactory achievement level of students as well
accountability of teachers and schools.
Learning Skills in the Israeli Core Curriculum
In addition to the contents and subject matter offered in the core curriculum, students
are expected to acquire learning skills that will form the basis of their learning habits
throughout their school careers and will enable them to cope with content matter not
offered in the school curriculum. The learning skills according to content clusters are
as follows:
a) Humanities, Social Studies and Arts - Cultural Literacy, Information Literacy,
Social Literacy, Aesthetic Literacy
b) Languages - Language literacy, Communication Skills
c) Mathematics and Science - Analytical Literacy, Quantitative Literacy
d) School Culture - Health Awareness, Life Skills
The acquiring of the above basic learning skills while studying content and subject
matter paves the way for the development of a productive learner who is able to cope
with cognitive tasks in as well as out of school.
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Social Values in the Israeli Core Curriculum
An important component of the Israeli core curriculum is that which comprises
normative and accepted values which form the basis of Israeli society. These values
are accepted by all sectors within Israeli society and are the common denominator
which forms the basis for social cohesion. Social values according to content cluster
are as follows:
a) Humanities, Social Studies and Arts - Democracy, Tolerance, Understanding,
Aesthetics
b) Languages - Equality, Social Respect
c) Mathematics and Science - Truth, Morality
d) School Culture - Ethics, Well-being
These social values permeate Israeli society and allow society to weave an accepted
values fabric that is accepted by all societal sectors, despite ideological, religious,
ethnic and national differences. Thus the values in the core curriculum promote
cohesion in society and acceptance of others despite the multiculturalism inherent in
Israeli society.
Summary
The Israeli Ministry of Education instituted a values based mandatory core curriculum
in order to further the aims of society to promote the realization of students’ academic
potential, provision of learning skills, and the inculcation of social values. The core
curriculum, consensually accepted by all sectors in Israeli society serves as the basis
for a quality educational experience offered to students during their schools careers.
Agreed standards ensure that the core curriculum maintains an accepted level of
quality in both academic and values domains and ensures that graduates of Israeli
educational system are satisfactorily equipped to be productive citizens in Israeli
society.
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