Special Projects

English language/test preparation course for
Israeli Arab students

As English is a third language for Israeli Arab students, after Arabic and Hebrew, English language proficiency constitutes a special barrier in the Arab sector, acting as both a real and psychological obstacle to application for acceptance to degree programs at US institutions of higher education.

To help overcome this problem, USIEF has initiated a special English language course, designed specifically to meet the needs of young Arab academics who have received Bachelor's degrees from Israeli institutions and wish to undertake post-graduate study at US universities.

The immediate goal of the course is to prepare the participants for the TOEFL and other standardized entrance examinations. The longer term goal is to give the participants the language skills needed to function successfully in an English language academic environment.

The course curriculum was planned and is being implemented by Princeton Review Israel.

Each year 16 students are selected to participate in the course. The 5th, and current cycle, is administered in Haifa for students from the northern region, and at Ben Gurion University for students from the southern region.

English language and American culture summer seminar for Ethiopian community high school students

The Summer Seminar was initiated by the United States-Israel Educational Foundation in cooperation with the Steering Center for Ethiopian immigrants in the Education System of the Society for Advancement of Education and the Public Affairs Section of the American Embassy.

Ethiopian immigrants to Israel must make a jarring, accelerated transition from on of the Less Developed Countries to a Western, industrialized state, in which the high-tech sector increasingly sets the tone, not only in economy, but in society as a whole.

The success of Ethiopian children in the educational system is a key factor for the successful absorption of the individual pupil, his/her family of origin, and the community as a whole.

In Israel today, a key element in educational achievement is mastery of the English language, and without strong foundations in English acceptance to a leading institution of higher education is unlikely.

Thus, special initiatives such as USIEF's English-language Summer Seminar, which can help raise the English skills of talented Ethiopian secondary school pupils, hold the key to opening the door to academic studies in Israel, and ultimately in the United States, to the Ethiopian community.

Twelve Ethiopian high school pupils were selected to participate in the Seminar on the basis of their academic achievements, leadership qualities, and their determination to undertake post-secondary academic studies.

The first stage of the program, lasting two weeks, was held in July 2006 at the Ben Shemen Youth Village.  The curriculum focused on developing English language skills, so as to help the participants prepare to be tested at the highest level (5 units) in the national secondary school matriculation exam (bagrut) in English.

Enrichment and leisure activities were also conducted in English.  These activities focused on exposing the participants to various aspects of American society and culture. 

Program for the Enhancement of English Studies and Personal Empowerment for the youth of the Ethiopian Community

This initiative emerged from the success of the summer course described above.

The first and most immediate purpose of the course is to improve the English language skills of the Ethiopian youth in order to contribute to their success in the matriculation examinations. According to Ministry of Education statistics from 1998-1999 the percentage of eligibility for matriculation among the Ethiopian immigrants was 42.2% compared with 52% in the general Jewish population.

The second and longer-term purpose is to improve the self-image of the Ethiopian youth and to give them personal empowerment. Many of the  Ethiopian youth suffer from low self-esteem and do not perceive themselves to be an integral part of the Israeli society. An improvement in this field will be achieved by raising their awareness of Ethiopian success stories, among them - meeting with various Ethiopian business people.

The course commenced in March 2008 and will end in January 2011, and is held in Kiriat Malachi.

The course is comprised of:

• Formal matriculation studies: English according to the Ministry of Education's 4-5 unit points program;
• Enrichment activity: Will include lectures by members of the U.S. Embassy and by businessment, tours of leading hi-tech companies, visits to museums and the theatre etc.;
• A trip to the U.S.: During the month of August, four selected students will be sent to the U.S. and will be hosted by Jewish communities.    

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