Three fellows from the Mandel School for Educational Leadership sitting together in the library, reading and talking.Fellows of Mandel School for Educational Leadership sitting together and talkingMorton L. MandelFellows of Mandel School for Educational Leadership sitting together and talkingFellows of Mandel School for Educational Leadership sitting together and talking

About the School

The Mandel School for Educational Leadership strengthens the capacity of senior educational leaders from the formal and informal education systems, as well as and policy-makers from the wider educational ecosystem, to lead meaningful change across Israel’s education system. The School combines reflective theoretical thinking with informed pragmatism, enabling participants to navigate the complexities of educational systems and social change. It cultivates values-driven leaders whose work has a broad and lasting impact, and whose graduates hold and continue to assume key positions throughout the educational field.

Areas of Activity

Man sitting with microphone as part of a panel discussion
Man sitting with microphone as part of a panel discussion

Center for Education Policy

The Center aims to develop policy thinking and policy imagination among education leaders and to connect graduates of the School with the various stakeholders active in the Israeli education ecosystem. The policy arena has undergone significant changes over the last decade, regarding both theory and practice, challenging the ways leaders think about and deal with issues on their agenda. These changes raise the need for different and more diverse methods of action, based on broad and updated professional knowledge from various conceptual approaches, both conventional and critical, as well as in-depth ethical and philosophical inquiry. This need has intensified considerably in light of the challenges and crises that policymakers and policy implementers have faced since October 2023 and all the more so in the field of education.

Two women and one man standing, presenting in front of an audience
Two women and one man standing, presenting in front of an audience
(Photo: Sivan Shachor)

Mandel Program for Educational Leadership for Democracy

The program aims to cultivate educational leadership capable of driving meaningful change in the education system and strengthening democracy in Israel. It deepens participants’ understanding of the challenges facing educating for a democratic culture during times of crisis, develops educational and pedagogical tools to address these challenges, and provides opportunities to apply them in educational settings.