Why Israel Needs YRF

Israel leads industrialized nations in child poverty rates. Over 800,000 of the country’s 2.3 million children (approximately 35%) were living below the poverty line at the beginning of 2007, according to studies conducted by the Israeli National Insurance Institute (NII). This number represents a 50% increase since 1988. The NII also reports that gaps between high and low-income families in Israel are growing at an alarming rate.

Increasing income-level disparities are placing a tremendous strain on Israel’s economic and social framework.

Demand for welfare payments and subsidies continue to rise, stretching an already thin national budget. With more people earning less, the amount paid in taxes is also shrinking—a situation that has an exponential impact on local and national coffers, as well as heightening societal tensions.

A solid education foundation is one of the most effective tools in the fight against poverty, but the Israeli school system lacks critical resources to serve its population.

• Recent research conducted by the Ministry of Education showed that 30% of Israeli 6th grade students cannot read at grade level and nearly 75% of Israeli 8th graders cannot perform basic math calculations.

• The most recent PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) exam given in 57 industrialized countries ranked Israeli students' performance 40th in literacy and math, and 39th in science.

• The Israel Ministry of Education has conducted studies that illustrate the vast difference between scholastic success rates in privileged communities versus low-income ones.

• A Knesset report on unemployment in Israel indicates the importance of achievement in grade school as the key to attending institutes of higher learning, followed by successful integration into the work force.

YRF programs provide disadvantaged children with the ability to positively change their future through academic—and eventually economic—achievement. Students are given the opportunity to engage in interactive learning focused on core academic subjects, to gain knowledge of new technology, to participate in educational enrichment programs, and to receive personalized attention from teachers. Classes are limited to 12 students, as opposed to the typical Israeli classroom size of 35-40.

• 60% of YRF students over age 25 have obtained degrees from institutes of higher learning, compared with the entire national average of 17%.

• 77% of YRF students take and pass matriculation exams, compared to the national average of 55% for low-income students.

• 88% of YRF students finish high school on the general academic track (as opposed to vocational studies), compared with the national average of 55% for low-income students.