The major concern of the educational system in Israel today is how to advance students who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds and from a cultural background which is different from that of the privileged sectors of the population. In general, the problem of educationally disadvantaged students is related to the problem of social gaps. These…

In this book, Bernard van Leer Foundation programs in Israel that combined early childhood education and community development approaches across a 10-year period are described. Chapter (1) provide an introduction; (2) discuss the evolution of this combined approach, its theoretical roots in the separate disciplines of early childhood education and…

In this report, the formation and use of a creative movement program by a group of Israeli educators as a means of promoting intellectual development in culturally disadvantaged children, mostly of North African and Asian origin, is described. The theoretical framework of the experiment, based on the work of Piaget and other educational…

This document describes a home-based enrichment program for preschool children in Israel. The Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) provides weekly packets of educational activities to mothers and their educationally disadvantaged children of 4 to 6 years of age. Families selected for the program are of Afro-Asian origin, have…

A large-scale educational program, involving 30 settlements and neighborhoods that had been defined as suffering from deprivation, this project included a variety of reinforcement and enrichment programs. Information for a case study of the program was collected through interviews. Findings indicated that the guiding principles of the program…