Study: Israeli teachers lag global peers in core skills

Israeli teachers score below their counterparts in other developed nations in literacy, numeracy and problem-solving, according to a new study released Wednesday by the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research. The research, conducted by Yael Melzer, drew on data from the OECD's 2022-2023 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), which compared Israeli educators with those in 18 other countries. The study's authors note that PIAAC measures adults' general ability to process information and complete everyday and workplace tasks, not direct classroom teaching performance. The findings are likely to fuel debate in Israel over the quality of teacher training and recruitment, and could add pressure on education officials already grappling with long-standing concerns about the country's public school system and its competitiveness compared with other OECD nations.