Chapter 16
A Story of a Partnership between Academy, Philanthropy and the Educational System
In: Long-term Research and Development in Science EducationSearch for other papers by Bat-Sheva Eylon in
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Abstract
In 2008, the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation started a 10-year program to promote science and math education in Israel. The program targeted motivated acting teachers of high-school biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics. It included two separate complementary components: a 2-year MSc degree track and a post-MSc track. The program exposed teachers to cutting-edge and core topics and approaches, and provided avenues to lead novel activities. Over its 10 years, 256 teachers graduated from the MSc track and about 100 teachers from the post-MSc track. Research and evaluation examined the outcomes and influence of the program in light of the “desired profile of the Rothschild–Weizmann graduate” developed in the first 5 years. Almost all graduates (97%) continued to teach in high school. Most of them reported having integrated new teaching strategies and topics in their practice and having adopted a reflective stance. About half of them assumed new positions after completing the program. Looking back on these 10 years is an opportunity to suggest insights on how to design and run research–practice partnerships in education. This chapter examines several challenges of the Rothschild–Weizmann program, and the strategies taken to address them.