Concentrated Disadvantage and Access to Educational Credentials in Arab and Jewish Localities in Israel^[1]

Abstract

This article examines the effects of aggregated indicators of concentrated disadvantage on access of the 17‐18 age cohort in Arab and Jewish localities in Israel to high school matriculation. The major findings suggest that Arab localities secure a significantly lower access to educational credentials compared to their Jewish counterparts. Arab localities were found to be much more affected by their sociodemographic characteristics than by their relatively homogeneous subordinate position in the broader economic and labour market opportunity structure. By contrast, Jewish localities were found to be rather affected by their economic and labour market differentiation, much more than by their sociodemographic characteristics. The findings further reveal the existence of a significant interaction effect between the ethnic composition of the locality and other structural variables. In sum, the concentration of disadvantage at locality level affects access to educational credentials in Israel in two complementary ways, both related to the ethnic division of economic and occupational opportunities. Ethnic, spatial, economic and labour market marginalisation determines the subordinate position of Arab localities in the broader opportunity structure. This exacerbates the negative economic consequences of the prevalence of larger families in the locality on access to high school credentials. By contrast, economic and occupational differentiation mediates unequal educational opportunities among Jewish localities. The implications of these findings for the study of educational opportunities are then discussed.

Ethnic and gender differences in mathematics achievement and in dispositions towards the study of mathematics

“…Of the Jewish and Arab 12th graders who took those exams in 1996, 69% and 49%, respectively, were eligible for the matriculation diploma (Central Bureau of Statistics, 1996). This large achievement gap can, at least in part, be explained by the discrepancy in educational resources available to Jewish and Arab municipalities in Israel and to differences in teachers' qualifications in the two sectors (Mazawi, 1997;Yogev & Ayalon, 1996).…”

Leadership for Equity and Social Justice in Arab And Jewish Schools in Israel: Leadership Trajectories and Pedagogical Praxis

“…The establishment of a national-cultural identity for Palestinian Arab students was seen as a potential threat to these aspirations, and this attitude is reflected in the almost complete absence of the Palestinian Arab narrative in government-assigned education programs in the Arab education system (Al-Haj, 2005). A policy of alienation, separation, and control is also expressed in the differential allocation of resources to the two education systems (Mazawi, 2003). Education budgets given to Arab local governments are 35% less than those given to Jewish local governments (BenDavid & Bleikh, 2013).…”

Diagnostic assessment in TIMSS-R: Between-countries and within-country comparisons of eighth graders' mathematics performance1.

“…In the context of previous research the gap can be attributed, at least partially, to discrepancy in educational resources available to Jewish and Arab municipalities in Israel and to differences in teachers' qualifications in the two sectors (Mazawi, 1997;Yogev & Ayalon, 1996). As argued by A1-Haj (1995) the effect of the shortage in educational resources is evident in the quality of the implemented curriculum; that is, the instruction supplied by Arab schools.…”