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Department Chairperson: Dr. Hannah Ayalon

The Department of Educational Policy and Organization is a multi-disciplinary body that addresses four main areas: the philosophy of education, the history of education, the sociology of education, and educational administration. Teaching and research at the Department combine general theoretical fields with specific issues relating to the Israeli education system.

The BA studies program is designed to provide students with a knowledge of the basic structure of the education system and an understanding of processes involved in defining, implementing and evaluating educational policy. There are currently 250 BA students in the Department.

The MA studies program includes three areas of specialization: educational administration and organization, the sociology of education, and the history and philosophy of education. There are currently 130 MA students enrolled in the Department.

The teaching certificate in the social sciences program trains candidates who already have degrees in the social sciences to work as teachers in upper secondary schools by introducing them to innovative technologies and progressive teaching methods.

Professors in the Department supervise research students in their areas of specialization; 12 research students are currently preparing their doctoral dissertations.

The Department includes 36 internationally-renowned staff members who have published numerous articles in leading journals in Israel and abroad. Many faculty members serve in key positions in professional associations nationally and internationally, and have attended international conferences as organizers, consultants, and participants.

Research done in the Department covers: history and philosophy of educational policy; teaching citizenship and democracy; choice and inequality, economics, and data processing in education; school dynamics, curriculum, school and community, and school leadership.

Faculty members are also intensively involved in various processes relating to the Israeli education system. They have been commissioned by the Ministry of Education to prepare position papers on a wide range of issues, including high-school education in Israel, teaching democracy, second chances in education, the status of humanities studies in the high schools, and parental choice in education. Many of their conclusions have been implemented in the field. Faculty actively participate in the public debate on a variety of educational questions.

The Department attaches particular importance to expanding its graduate study programs, and is currently planning to launch an innovative educational leadership training program. Other plans include increased cooperation with the University's Departments of History and Philosophy, as well as the introduction of an MA program for teaching social science.