The ‘right’ education in Israel: segregation, religious ethnonationalism, and depoliticized professionalism

The communitarian attitudes of religious Zionist female adolescents to democracy in Israel

“…Cohen (2017) investigated these differences through in-depth interviews with three civics teachers from the Israeli secular high school system and found that each teacher had a different understanding of good citizenship, influencing their teaching and learning approaches. Agbaria (2018) argues that the state civic education for Palestinians in the Arab sector depoliticizes the curriculum and excludes ideology and politics, and this has been reinforced recently by the current, right-wing government. Yet, again the teaching approach in the Arabic-speaking classroom is influenced by the attitude of the teachers so that teachers ‘attempt to reclaim the authenticity of the indigenous identity and knowledge, amplify its voice, and empower its agency for social change’ (Agbaria and Pinson, 2019: 16).…”

Separate But not Equal: Stressors in the Work of Arab Teachers in Israel

“…The employment of teachers, principals, and supervisors is ultimately in the hands of the Ministry of Education, so that the final word in deciding who is qualified to work for it does not belong to the local Arab education system; training and certificates alone do not suffice for Arab citizens in Israel to receive a teaching position. Before being hired by the education system, they are required to undergo-without their knowledge-a security classification, and to receive a secret stamp from the General Security Services (GSS) (Abu-Saad, 2019; Agbaria, 2018;Sa'ar, 2001;Yanko, 2020). In positions that require an open tender, such as teaching and managerial/supervisory positions, candidates in Jewish schools are only required to present certificates attesting to their education, training and experience only.…”

“…However, in the Arab school system, the requirements are different. Without the approval of the GSS representative-which is based on a GSS security check-it is impossible to appoint a teacher, principal, or supervisor in an Arab school (Agbaria, 2018;Lustick, 1980;Yanko, 2020;Al-Haj, 1995;Sa'ar, 2001).…”

“…Due to these procedures of employment and promotion, despite the appearance of recognizing and taking into account cultural differences by establishing separate Arab schools, the Arab education system is actually not, as Freeland puts it, an example of "local control over education and true multiculturalism" (Freeland, 1996, p. 182). Rather, the Arab education system was and still is governed by the Jewish majority and by a system of political criteria which Arabs do not participate in formulating at all (Abu-Saad, 2019;Agbaria, 2018;Mar'i, 1978;Al-Haj, 1995;Halabi & Dabah, 2020;Kraus & Yonay, 2018;Swirski, 1999). Mar'i (1985) described the conditions for appointing, promoting, and dismissing Arab teachers and educators:…”

Analysing group agency through narrative interviews

“…The relation between the minority and the majority in a polarized country, especially along ethnic lines is played out in different areas in Israeli society. In the field of education for example, separation is a principle political concept: kindergartens and schools are divided into Jewish and Arab institutions (Agbaria, 2016). Although schools could play a major role when it comes to fostering integration and mutual understanding, the principal of separation works against that goal.…”