English Instruction and Marginalization of At-Risk Youth in Israel

1. English Instruction among Youth at Risk: An Integrative or Marginalizing Force Raviv Schwartz July 6, 2016 Ashkelon

2. Israel: The Good News • In 2010, Israel was accepted into the OECD, marking a new chapter in its economic maturity and development • One of the highest percentages in the world of home computers per capita • Almost 25% of its workforce holds university degrees – ranking third in the industrialized world, after the United States and Holland • 12 percent holds advanced degrees • The 3rd highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world • #1 among women and among people over 55 • Highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world (excepting the Silicon Valley)

3. Israel: The Troubling News • In recent decades is increasingly characterized by striking educational, social and economic gaps • Gaps among the population in the areas of education and socio-economic status tend to overlap and be mutually reinforcing • These trends have significant implications for Israel’s long term security, demography and social stability/cohesion

4. The Gap between Haves and Have-nots(Family income inequality by GINI Coefficient – OECD, 2012)

5. Educational Performance (PISA, 2009)

6. Educational gaps within OECD Nations: A Comparative View (i.e. between the top 10% and the lowest 10%) • Mathematics • One of the largest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (Rank 3/64) • Reading • One of the largest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (Rank 2/64) • Science • The largest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (Rank 1/64) • Problem-solving • The largest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (Rank 1/42)

7. Correlation Between Socio-economic Status and Educational AchievementIsrael's Central Bureau for Statistics, 2014 • Among high socio-economic communities, 77% percent of Jewish students received a complete matriculation diploma. • By contrast, among the lowest socio-economic communities, only 35% of students received a complete matriculation diploma. • This is mirrored in the rates of university-eligible matriculation, with a gap of 70% to 27%.

8. Preliminary Conclusions: While the institutional/ideological legacy of Israeli society in the 1950s & 1960s set the stage for a relatively egalitarian society, by Western standards… And while the current rhetoric of universal access and opportunity would also suggest a relatively egalitarian society… The current reality of Israel - as highlighted through the comparison with other developed countries – is one of alarming inequality If these inequalities are not addressed, Israel’s long-term well-being may be in jeopardy

9. Israel’s Educational System though the prism of my own professional/personal experience • The education of my own kids from k-12 and now university. • Doctoral studies at Ben Gurion U. • Lecturer for the past 10 years at MA programs at Hebrew and Ben Gurion Universities • English teacher and “m’chanech” for the past 6 years at a high school for youth at risk in the town of Or Yehuda.

10. Main Question Addressed: Does English instruction in Israeli high schools, as presently constituted, serve to reinforce the already marginalized status of youth at risk?

11. Youth At Risk: • Characterized by low educational achievements • Experience emotional and/or social problems • Live in threatening, non-supportive family environments • Engage in risky behavior • Sometimes are in danger of physical harm • From others or self-inflicted

12. My own assumptions prior to becoming a high school English teacher: Israeli youth recognize the importance of English for social and professional mobility and for successfully navigating overseas travel Research has consistently demonstrated the link between the mastery of English and the prospects for higher paying jobs and greater social mobility Exposure to English language content on TV, movies, internet, etc. has resulted in English being even more central to the lives of young Israelis in the 21stcentury

13. My limited experience however has indicated the following: The recognition of English as a vehicle for social/professional upward mobility among youth at risk is by no means a foregone conclusion. While these youth possess smart phones, use Facebook and watch American movies, this in no way guarantees a greater familiarity with or mastery of English.

14. Metaphors of Marginalization When asked to define the following: passport…. Most thought it was a “kind of photo” When asked to define the following: special…. Most thought it was a “kind of taxi”

15. Israel’s Educational System is plagued by… An obsession with scores on standardized exams (domestic & international) Resulting in the “impulsive” adoption of measures designed to improve scores The veneer of universal access to higher education Vocational schools all but eliminated Instruction in most high schools oriented towards higher education even when it’s clear many of the students aren’t As a result, the system is characterized by a certain structural dissonance

16. English instruction is plagued by… There is an overwhelming emphasis on the regimen of English matriculation exams, the main focus of which is reading comprehension. The content of these exams reflects a substantive orientation towards research (e.g. studies, surveys, and technological & scientific research). This is also true of the 3-point level English study Despite the fact that this is NOT sufficient for admission to any college or university.

17. The Uneasy Link between English and Israeli high schoolers at risk This disproportionately high emphasis on reading comprehension (with its concomitant subliminal orientation towards higher education) results in English being perceived as elitist and removed from the everyday lives of these youth Even those with a decent command of conversational English are deemed unworthy of matriculation points if their reading comprehension is weak Hence, English for many of these youth is ultimately rendered inaccessible and viewed as a burden rather than as an opportunity

18. Preliminary Conclusion: Based on my own limited experience, English instruction is currently much more a force for marginalization than for integration The system of English instruction then, seems more intent on preserving the veneer of “universal access to higher education” than on recognizing the distinctive needs/predicament of youth at risk

19. Questions/Recommendations Proposed: What can be done to make English study more accessible and more enjoyable to high school students at risk and more relevant to their lives? At the system/policy level: Reordering of the current curricular emphasis on reading comprehension Greater emphasis on conversational English At the school/classroom level: Harnessing popular music, film social media artifacts for English instruction Expansion of the various schemes of mifgashim to schools catering to youth at risk