How AI Drives Action to Keep 3.8 Million Students on Track
Overview
Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Centers offer advanced physics through off-site classrooms for students from multiple high schools – with expert teachers and labs that prepare them for careers in Israel’s growing tech economy.
In Israel, taking advanced physics in high school strongly increases a student’s chances of entering the science and technology careers driving the country’s economy, like engineering, software development, and data science. But outside more affluent areas in central Israel, many schools don’t have enough trained teachers or the resources to build and maintain lab facilities, limiting access to the course. Even highly motivated students are often unable to sign up.
Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Centers solve for this gap by pooling resources from multiple high schools to run off-campus classrooms, where their students study advanced physics during the school day as part of their regular coursework. This approach allows students whose schools wouldn’t otherwise offer the course to learn from experienced teachers and get lab experience, gaining the academic preparation they need to pursue fields like engineering and computer science after high school.
Hands-On Lab Experience for More Students
Through this model, students learn in small groups from dedicated physics teachers, all former scientists and researchers with advanced degrees. Students conduct experiments in modern labs and receive both academic guidance and personal support over three years, preparing them for Israel’s most advanced national physics exam. Teachers spend about half their time planning lessons and improving their teaching, far more than is typical in most schools, which leads to deeper instruction and higher student achievement.
Classes take place during the regular school day, so access doesn’t depend on what a family can afford or arrange outside of school hours. Any student who is studying advanced math can enroll, and there are no entrance exams. Students come from nearby towns and represent a wide range of family backgrounds, including many whose parents or grandparents immigrated to Israel.
Doubling Physics Enrollment in Just a Few Years
Schwartz/Reisman centers now serve more than 20 communities across Israel through 10 locations. In communities with an established Schwartz/Reisman center, advanced physics enrollment has grown by 50% to 100% within three to five years.
A new center in Hadera is expanding access across northern Israel, including students from Harish, Or Akiva, and Jisr az-Zarqa. Fewer than 13% of eligible students in these areas complete advanced physics today, compared with 18% to 22% in wealthier areas of central Israel.
That gap is exactly what the new center is designed to address. The center builds on local efforts to improve teaching and give more students the chance to study advanced science, so they can graduate ready for the degrees and careers that will shape Israel’s future.
