JERUSALEM (JTA) — Fifty-seven Teach for America participants are visiting Israel to learn about Israel’s approach to education and community service.
As part of the 10-day program, the American teachers are meeting with their Israeli counterparts from Teach First Israel, which is completing its inaugural year. Most but not all of the Teach for America corps members participating are Jewish.
“Our gathering will not stop at trading teaching tips,” said Andrew Mandel, Teach For America’s vice president of Interactive Learning and Engagement. “It will involve sharing what we are learning from our experiences in the classroom and what larger changes it suggests we must make in our respective countries on behalf of our students and communities.”
The Teach For America and Teach First Israel programs recruit novice teachers to teach for students from low-income backgrounds for two years. Last year, Teach For America had 5,200 positions. Teach First Israel has 90 for the coming school year.
