Welcome to BASIS!
BASIS – the Israel Education Day School project – is designed to integrate Israel Education across a school’s curriculum, so that it is aligned with each school’s mission and goals, and at the core of each school’s community and culture. BASIS provides a framework that supports students, educators and the greater school community in building personal, enduring connections to Israel and the Israeli people.
The San Francisco-based Jim Joseph Foundation funded the first BASIS initiative, which brought together 11 Bay Area Jewish Day Schools, from Sacramento to San Jose. These schools and their educators advanced and formalized Israel education and engagement in their own communities, and continue to deepen the connections between students and Israel.
Jewish LearningWorks (formerly the Bureau of Jewish Education) led the initiative. The funded initiative is completed; however the educational work and innovation continue inside each school. This website documents BASIS, its methods, achievements and lessons learned, and is designed as a guide for educators and others interested in Israel education, so that they might benefit from our experience, emulate it, and apply some of our strategies.
We address questions, including –
- How can I improve Israel education at my school?
- What do I need to know if I wish to lead a multi-school educational improvement initiative?
- What can I learn from the experience of those who participated in BASIS (The Israel Education Day School Initiative) in Northern California?
How To Use This Website
- Each house to the right contains a set of information. Begin with BASIS Overview. Within that house, BASIS at a Glance offers a brief description of the initiative.
- The BASIS Model describes the essential ingredients that we believe should be carefully considered in future initiatives.
- The Overview also includes background information, including the rationale, a definition of Israel education, our philosophy of Israel education, and our understanding of how to effect change in this arena. The Overview also includes an index of terms.
- Core Approaches and Methods contains detailed descriptions of each of the components that comprise the BASIS Model.
- The Funding section provides detailed financial information about the initial BASIS cohort as well as a projection of costs for a future initiative.
- Outcomes includes a high level review of impact among students, teachers, schools, and the community.
- Lessons Learned shares reflections based on the analysis of Jewish LearningWorks leaders, along with the observations of researchers who studied and evaluated BASIS.
- Finally, Build Your Own BASIS offers a step-by-step guide for practitioners to move forward with an Israel Education Initiative in your school or community.
