Advocates of integration and cross cultural contact believe schools have a seminal role to play in perpetuating or breaking the cycle of violence and division in conflicted societies. Historically, segregated schools are the norm in such societies. An alternative educational model is provided through integrated schools--schools where children from…

This ethnographic case study explores parent volunteers at two Jewish American schools and two Israeli schools of similar ideological background. It is an attempt to understand parent involvement in general--from the viewpoint of the parent him or herself--as well as the influence of volunteerism on school culture. It offers a new categorization…

In this dissertation, I investigate how Israeli staff members understand the intercultural encounter they experienced in an overnight camp setting; how they navigated the experience; and how the intercultural encounter has impacted them. The research was conducted through qualitative methods of data collection, including elements of ethnography,…

This article presents findings from a qualitative narrative research study conducted during a journey to Ethiopia undertaken by graduates of an academic program in Israel in 2005. The study focuses on the significance of the journey as a process that helped reconstruct their identity. During the journey, twelve Ethiopian education graduates were…

This article introduces a pedagogical tool for raising critical consciousness and nurturing resistance to discrimination. "Autoethnographic mapping," integrating guided cognitive mapping and autoethnographies, has been implemented for a decade now within the framework of a college course occasioning dialogue between Palestinian Arab and…

This qualitative ethnographic study focused on the affordances that facilitated the emergence of leadership, capturing a range of perspectives on leadership and leadership development of four groups: district superintendents; teacher-educators; mentor-teachers and graduates. The term "affordances" implies a reciprocal relationship…

For the past 7 years, the author has conducted qualitative research projects revolving around the experiences of West Bank settlers. The political situation in Israel in general, and the West Bank in particular, has undergone rapid and dramatic political, military, and social changes during this period. In highly politically sensitive situations…

My study concerns the teacher knowledge of "mehankhim," teachers in Israeli high schools entrusted to promote students' moral, civic, and social growth. It examines two "mehankhim" from a secular Israeli high school who participated in a long-term professional development program in secular Jewish education, centered by…