Full School Model

A Full School is regular state or state-religious elementary school where – thanks to a multi-level intervention that touches on principal, teachers, students and parents – every child receives the educational, social and emotional support that he or she needs to develop and progress.
 
The Full School model evolved from the Enriched School Day program which Rashi launched in 1994 in order to give intensive help to a small group of children per school (originally, children from immigrant families). The Full School model is introduced in schools included in the government's Long School Day legislation, and makes the most of the extra school hours by promoting results-oriented teaching and a calm and productive school atmosphere.
 
In a Full School, the entire management and teaching staff of the school is recruited to helping each child realize his potential. Instead of a day divided between "real school" and "after school" activities, the whole stretch of the day until late afternoon is considered as one learning unit, with the enrichment programs supplementing the formal lessons.
  
The Full School model provides the child, especially at-risk children from distressed backgrounds, a comprehensive response for improving their achievements and instilling a sense of their capability and social leadership.
  Main Components of the Program

• Hot nutritious lunch for all the children in the school, four days a week.
  • Extra lessons and small group study in order to close educational gaps and raise achievements in core subjects of Language Arts, Math, English
  • Therapeutic welfare for identified children (estimated 20% of student population), including para-medical treatment, didactic assessments, counseling by social worker, material aid, health needs
  • Informal education activities: sports activities, enrichment programs, social programs, outings, etc.
  • Activities with parents to strengthen the child-parent-teacher relationship and deepen parenting skills: parent learning groups, teacher-parent groups, parent-child activities
   • Professional training of teaching staff about differential treatment, methods to nurture a calm and positive school environment, and cooperative staff dynamics.
   • When necessary, a physical upgrade of key functions in the school (such as laboratories, gym, library) to provide schools with the tools necessary to improve educational achievements, while also giving children, teachers and parents a sense of pride and enjoyment.

Scope of Implementation
Since the end of the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006, the Full School model has been introduced in 28 schools in 14 northern localities. This expansion has brought the number of Full Schools nationwide up to 43 schools, serving approximately 14,000 children.