About

The Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Foundation, Israel manages and provides organizational, financial, legal and pedagogical support to the Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Centers – campuses for high-school physics and chemistry studies at Israel’s five-unit matriculation level. Based on a unique groundbreaking model that focuses on learning through personal experience, the centers provide all learners with a nurturing environment, advanced laboratories equipped with advanced instrumentation and a highly trained professional team, which includes teachers working under the same roof to develop content and towards mutual enrichment. The teaching method is designed to advance the quality of science education and cultivate a culture of excellence among Israel’s students.

Our Story

Operating in Israel for more than 30 years, the Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Centers provide an advanced, hands-on learning experience of Israel’s matriculation curriculum in physics and chemistry for high school students. The centers are based on a model spearheaded by Prof. Haim Harari and enhanced by Prof. Daniel Zajfman, both former presidents of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

The model was first implemented at Tel Aviv’s Center for Science Education (HEMDA). Since then, additional campuses were established in Rehovot, serving the students of Rehovot Ness Ziona and the surrounding area; in Rishon LeZion, serving students from the city and Be’er Ya’akov; in Netivot, serving Netivot, Ofakim, Sderot and additional municipalities in the Western Negev Cluster; and in Jerusalem, Acre, and Kfar Saba, which also provides services to students from the Arab community in the Triangle settlements.
A significant increase in the number of students choosing to study physics is apparent in every each of the regions where a Schwartz/Reisman Center has been established.

Our goals

To promote students’ active engagement in learning and research, while relying on advanced knowledge, equipment and facilities, and top-notch teachers.
To advance our teaching team’s continuous professional development in order to generate expertise and professionalism in science teaching.
To encourage science-community relations and position the Schwartz/Reisman Centers as organic urban centers of scientific activity for the entire population.
To collaboratively work with the local high schools and municipal education divisions, and become an integral part of the local education system.
The curriculum will encompass extensive enrichment and expansion beyond the Ministry of Education’s program, thereby addressing the intellectual needs of the diverse student body, presenting them with current and groundbreaking science. Our students’ success in the state matriculation exams is a testament to the success of our educational model, but is not the primary goal.

Fundamentals of the Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Centers

Pooling infrastructure, equipment, and professional resources

The heart of every Schwartz/Reisman center is a central lab building, meticulously designed to serve its educational mission, and equipped with the best-possible equipment, serving all students from the city or region.

Our teachers work in this building as a community, engaging in continuous professional development, and implementing diverse teaching methods and different types of expertise.

Our teachers hold advanced degrees (master’s or above) in science (physics or chemistry), in order to ensure their proficiency in the field of knowledge and their research experience.

Teachers undergo year-round comprehensive instruction and training, focusing on relevant areas of expertise and the cultivation of interpersonal skills.

Pooling resources creates a unique science-teaching community within the city or region, fostering shared experiences among all participants. The collective impact within this community significantly shapes the character of graduates and, subsequently, extends to their families. As a result, individuals become more scientifically literate with positive attitudes toward science.

Hands-on learning in the lab

Teaching at the Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Centers is based on the use of demonstrations and experiments by teachers and students. Over the course of their studies at the centers, our students engage in dozens of experiments. The wide variety of experiments enables students to explore, investigate and delve into the studied phenomena.

Diverse tools and approaches

Diverse teaching methods and technological means are employed in the Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Centers, providing each student with the appropriate tools to understand the studied material. The centers’ multi-purpose classrooms allow for a wide variety of educational activities, including lab research, frontal teaching, discussion groups, film screenings, etc. To demonstrate, measure and investigate each of the studied scientific phenomena, we use modern, durable and accurate instruments.

Our dedication to the students

To study at the Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Centers, students are not required to pass entrance exams, but they do need a passing grade in 4-unit mathematics studies — and the will to study and expand their horizons. Our teaching staff is committed to nurturing the academic success of all students, while attentively listening to their needs and providing a warm and supportive environment. To realize our team’s commitment to each student’s motivation and progress, tutoring and guidance sessions are available to students during working hours, in addition to supplementary activities for outstanding students. Although it is not a main goal, our students typically achieve grades above the national averages in the matriculation exams.