Revadim

Revadim is an initiative of the Rashi Foundation, in partnership with JDC-Israel and the Jewish Federation of Detroit, founded in 2010. Revadim operates nationwide to support empowerment and renewal in Israel's public elementary schools, with an emphasis on those in the geographic or social periphery. This initiative works alongside and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education.

Revadim's schools receive professional and organizational support to turn them into high-functioning schools within three to four years, with a marked change in academic achievements – narrowing learning gaps, and creating framework to address personal, emotional and family needs.

All pupils will master the required skills and contents defined in the Ministry of Education’s curriculum in the core subjects. Children in need of remedial or paramedical therapies will be identified and treated appropriately. All the children will flourish in a supportive learning atmosphere that opposes violence of any kind.

Main Components

Schools in the Revadim network are strengthened through the implementation of a comprehensive educational intervention based on a model we developed, while each school builds a work plan according to its own needs with the following components:

• Learning reinforcement through extra lessons and small-group learning in core subjects.
• Paramedical and remedial interventions for children who have been identified as needing extra help.
• Empowerment of principals and teachers through ongoing training and guidance.
• Cultural-social enrichment
• Activities with and for parents to increase involvement in their children's education.
• Assessment and evaluation of programs run in the school.

As of the 2012/3 school year, Revadim is operating in close to 70 schools in Israel's Northern and Southern periphery impacting 19,000 pupils.

Dalia Perez - Director of Revadim

Dalia grew up in Sderot and has BA and MA degrees in Sociology and Anthropology from Tel Aviv University, as well as MA in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School. She is a graduate of the Mandel School Program for Leadership in Education and a Wexner Fellowship alumnae. Before becoming the director of Revadin in 2010, Dalia was involved in various educational initiatives for disadvantaged children, among them Kedma School in Tel Aviv and the Hand in Hand Bilingual School in Jerusalem.