Early Childhood Education Policy Reform: Implications of Implementing a Free Education Law from the Age of Three in Israel

• In Event: Financing Education in a Polycultural State: Challenges and Pitfalls

Proposal

Early childhood education is at the heart of both academic and public debates. Research is increasingly demonstrating that investments in early childhood education programs can have “spillover” effects that benefit children, families and society as a whole. Investing in early childhood programs is necessary for communities to become globally competitive, improve health and education outcomes, and reduce crime and poverty. Quality early childhood development heavily influences health, economic and social outcomes for individuals and society at large (Garcia, Heckman, Leaf, & Prados, 2016).
Heckman had previously established a 7-10% return on investment based on the analysis of the Perry Preschool program, which served 3- and 4-year-olds. For those who were enrolled in the high-quality early child programs, the beneficial outcomes included improved adult health, particularly the reduction among males in metabolic syndrome, which raises the risks for heart disease, diabetes and other health problems. The researchers also found that children in the two programs saw a permanent boost in IQ. According to Heckman, “that lasting effect in cognition, combined with increased social and emotional skills that are known to drive achievement, were factors in better outcomes and returns on investment.”
Up until recently, early childhood education in Israel was not institutionalized as education in Israel was compulsory from age 5. However, after the 2011 protest and the Trachtenberg commission recommendations the Education Law was reformed. According to this law, compulsory education applies to all children between the ages of 3 and 18 (grade 12) inclusive. The state is responsible for providing free compulsory education under this law.
Amongst the many recommendations of the Trajtenberg Committee, the central one in the field of education was a call for the immediate implementation of the Compulsory Education Law for children ages 3-4. This recommendation immediately released tens of thousands of families, in particular those from the established middle classes, from the payment of tuition, and in 2013-2014 it is supposed to lead to the addition to the public educational system of tens of thousands of children who currently do not attend school at all or who are enrolled in private preschool frameworks (Blass and Bleikh, 2013).
The objective of this research is to examine the policy reform-- followed The Trachtenberg Commission report, 2011 – compulsory and free education from the age of three. The research question in this study is to what extent this policy reform has reduced the s social, economic, and educational gaps among children and families from different socioeconomic classes?
This examination will use a mixed methods approach comprises of a concurrent set of qualitative paradigms, interview methodology and quantitative paradigm in statistical data analysis methodology (Leech, & Onwuegbuzie, 2009). The study is based on intentional sampling aimed at learning about the phenomenon in the population being studied within four major cities in Israel. In the qualitative part of the study, approximately 50 kindergarten teachers with at least six years' teaching experience will participate. These findings will analyze an in-depth and categorical content analysis. In the quantitative part of the study, data on second-grade students' achievements in those four major cities in Israel will be collected. This data analysis will be based on the Structural Equation Analysis Procedure (Equation Modelling). References
Blass, N., and Bleikh, H. (2013). Implementation of Compulsory Education Law for Ages 3-4: Challenges and Recommendations. Policy Research March 11, 2013
http://taubcenter.org.il/implementation-of-compulsory-education-law-for-ages-3-4-challenges-and-recommendations/
Garcia, L. J., Heckman, J. J., Leaf, D. E., Prados, M. J. (2016). The Life-Cycle Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program, NBER Working Paper Series. http://www.nber.org/papers/w22993.pdf.
Leech, N. L., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2009). A typology of mixed methods research designs. Quality & Quantity, 43 (2), 265-275.
 

Authors

• yaara shilo, student

• Iris BenDavid-Hadar, Bar-Ilan University