Haredi education teachers lag behind teachers in state and state-religious schools in reading and math. When weighting the three areas of skills, their score is 261, compared to 268 in state and 271 in state-religious schools. Among kollel graduates, teachers actually achieve higher scores than kollel graduates working in other professions – 6.11% higher in reading and 6.51% higher in math.
A new study by the Shoresh Institute for Socio-Economic Research presents a complex picture of teacher skills in general - and in Haredi education in particular.
The study, conducted by Dr. Yael Meltzer and based on the PIAAC international skills survey for 2022-2023, examined teachers' skills in reading literacy, mathematical literacy, and problem solving.
Haredi education teachers score lower than state and state-religious education teachers in reading and math, but they are above state education teachers in problem solving. In all three areas, their scores are higher than those of Arab education teachers.
Haredi education teachers lag behind state and state-religious teachers in reading and math. In reading literacy, the average score of teachers in Haredi education is 266, compared to 275 in state education and 277 in state-religious education; in mathematical literacy, the average score of Haredi teachers is 264, compared to 277 in the other two streams.
In problem solving, the picture is different: Haredi education teachers achieve a score of 253 – slightly above 251 in state education, but below 258 in state-religious education. For comparison, the OECD average is 281.
Among Kollel graduates, the picture is reversed: teachers achieve higher grades. One of the most striking findings concerning Haredi society arises from a comparison between teachers who are Kollel graduates and Kollel graduates who work in other professions.
Unlike Jewish university and college graduates, where teachers achieve lower scores than other employees with similar education, among Kollel graduates the picture is the opposite: teachers' scores are 6.11% higher in reading literacy, 6.51% higher in mathematical literacy, and 0.81% higher in problem solving than those of Kollel graduates who are not teachers.
In other words, among Kollel graduates, those working in teaching actually have higher qualifications than their colleagues working in other professions.
Haredi education is part of a broader challenge to teacher quality in Israel.. The gaps in Haredi education exist within a system in which the level of teacher qualifications is relatively low by international comparison.
The Shoresh Institute's research finds that Israeli teachers achieve lower scores than their counterparts in OECD countries in all three skill areas and in all age groups.
When weighing the three areas, Israel ranks 17th out of the 20 countries examined, with only Italy, Latvia, and Poland ranking below it.
The Shoresh Institute for Socio-Economic Research, headed by Prof. Dan Ben-David, is an independent and non-partisan policy research institute that conducts fact-based research on the economy and civil society in Israel.
The Roots Institute provides information to leading decision-makers in Israel and the general public in the country and abroad through clear and accessible briefings and publications on the origin, nature, and dimensions of root issues facing the country. The Institute proposes policy alternatives to improve the well-being of all segments of Israeli society and to create more equal opportunities for its citizens.
