By: Elizabeth Oropallo, Ben Rathkamp, Linda Salamanca, Rebecca Prentiss, and Kiley Buffington Dual Language

Background Information Located in Israel o history of political and religious turmoil o Schools located in 4 of the largest cities Demographics: o 8 million people (75% Jews, 20% Arab) o Religions: Jewish (75%) Muslim (20%) other (5%) o High education level with 90% literacy rate o School is mandated for children ages 3 to 18yrs

Language Information In Jewish schools: Hebrew is the main instructional language o Arab is studied as additional language by some Jewish students In Arab schools: Arabic is the main instructional language o Hebrew is taught as a second language in 3rd grade

Major Policy Issues When I am teaching here, I am not really teaching physics. I mean yes, we learn physics, but in everything I am doing I am bringing my students together for the sake of our country. When I assign partners for an experiment, when I use everyday examples to explain a principal of physics, I am bringing together, integrating our cultures, our language and our people. It is about much more than physics. - Johar, Teacher, 10th grade physicsJohar, Teacher, 10th grade physics A school for peace in a violent world  Students sometimes face racism, anger and violence outside of school   Although these actions are more overt, they are similar to the political actions made in the US If the Government won't, the people will

Major Policy Issues (Cont.) CNN report, if we have time... Students learn about Yitzhak Rabin together in Social Studies

Building peace. One school, one community at a time. Mission: to create a strong and inclusive society in Israel through a growing network of integrated, bilingual schools and shared communities for Jews and Arabs. Hand in Hand aims to build viable partnership, peace education, coexistence and equality. Hand in Hand creates an environment in a highly segregated society for children to study together and grow up in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual respect.

Cultural Goals Arab and Jewish staff work together with the students and openly discuss differences in culture, religion and historical viewpoints to teach tolerance, respect and coexistence. Hand in Hand provides a solid example that Jews and Arabs can study, work and live together in peace. Their goal is to break the stereotype that the two cultures cannot coexist in peace. They reach out to neighbors and families taking steps to transform their society and build lasting peace.

Language & Literacy Goals For Hebrew and Arabic students to speak, read and write fluently in both languages. For students to start learning English by third grade. To also provide Arabic language classes and dialogue groups for parents and the wider public. Hand in Hand wants to expand integrated education into every region of Israel, making multicultural, bilingual education an option for as many children as possible.

Future Goals Hand in Hand wants to open schools in Tel Aviv and up to 5 other smaller communities. They hope to create a program for its Jewish and Arab high-school graduates to participate together in a year of community service. They also want to create more opportunities for the parents of Hand in Hand graduates to stay connected through social activities and civic projects.

Instructional Practices Strive to meet state requirements and go beyond! (art, music, technology) In each class, half of the students are Arab and the other half are Jewish (most schools in Israel are segregated) Students are taught in both Hebrew and Arabic, and are also learning English by third grade The teachers are native speakers of the languages--- students have one teacher who speaks to them only in Arabic and another only in Hebrew (teachers also speak to parents in that language)

Instructional Practices Continued... Peace education, multiculturalism, religion, civics, democratic processes, conflict resolution, and leadership development are integrated into all subject areas.

Our thoughts... Advantages o Recognized as a "peacebuilder" o Good role modeling for students o Attempts are made to equalize numbers of Arab and Jewish students and faculty o Students become literate in Hebrew, Arabic, AND English o Diversity!- ethnic, religious, socio-economic Disadvantages o Community retaliation (physical/verbal abuse) o Difficult to maintain the 50/50 ratio o Highly controversial - enrollment numbers are low

Final thoughts These schools have survived against all odds in areas where geographically and historically it is difficult for Jews and Arabs to come together. We were intrigued by the power of this program to use language as bridge between historically warring cultures Programs such as Hand in Hand have the potential to continue to break down barriers and unite people around the world

"I hope the way we are living together at this school will radiate out and impact reality outside the school." ~Merav Carmeli, parent

References 1.A country study: Israel (n.d.). In the library of Congress online. Retrieved from 2.CNN Covers Hand in Hand's Jerusalem School (April 8, 2008). Youtube.com. Retrieved from 3.Dichter, S. (February 26, 2013). The Jewish Week online. Retrieved from 4.Hand-in-Hand (n.d). The Hand-in-HandHand-in-Hand School (n.d). The Hand-in- Hand School online. Retrieved from 5.Hand-in-Hand Center (n.b.). Facebook.com. Retrieved from Education-in-Israel/ García, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st century. 7.Rubin, A. Y (May 29, 2009). The Huffington Post online. Retrieved from th_b_ html