About The Faculty
The Faculty of Education at the University of Haifa is characterized by a combination of: intellectual and research excellence; warm, friendly personal relations; and a sense of giving and responsibility towards society in general and the education system in particular. These aspects are expressed in the curriculum offered, in the exciting, in-depth research carried out by the members, and in the many applied projects undertaken by the various centers, laboratories, and other institutions that make up the faculty.
The Faculty of Education was established (as the School of Education) with the establishment of the university in 1963. In fact the idea to establish an academic institute in Haifa, which later became the university, was based on the need to train and prepare high-level academic teachers for high schools. When the School of Education was established there were 200 students enrolled among the three programs for BA and MA degrees in the fields of management and curriculum planning, special education, and educational counseling.
Moshe Rinot, who previously headed the Haifa Municipality's Department of Education, was the first head of the School of Education. (See the list of Heads of the Faculty over the years.) The School of Education became the Faculty of Education in 1995 as a reflection of the central role that the University of Haifa ascribes to the domain of education. Today we are one of six faculties of the University, and the only Faculty of Education in the country. We have approximately 1600 students, half in advanced studies (master's degrees and doctorates), 500 working towards bachelor's degrees, and 300 for teaching diplomas in the various subjects.
After a significant process of reform the faculty today has six departments, four of which include studies towards bachelor's and master's degrees and doctorates: the Department of Special Education, the Department of Counseling and Human Development, the Department of Learning, Instruction and Teacher Education, and the Department of Leadership and Policy in Education. Two departments comprise advanced studies only: the Department of Learning Disabilities and the Department of Mathematics Education. There is also the Graduate School of Creative Art Therapies, established with the collaboration of the Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences.
The faculty is the largest of the country's Schools of Education, with 55 senior academic members of staff, nine retired senior academic staff members, and about 100 adjunct faculty members.
The Faculty of Education offers curricula providing professional studies in various fields of education such as special education, teaching a variety of subjects, education counseling, curriculum planning, art therapy, and school management, alongside studies that do not necessarily focus on a specific profession, such as education policies, education and human development, and the philosophy of education.
The faculty has 25 research laboratories, research centers and institutes in which various basic and applied research activities are undertaken, including teaching and practical fieldwork. As an inter-disciplinary faculty gathering researchers from different disciplines under its roof (e.g., the humanities, social sciences and the exact sciences) the study topics vary widely and include both qualitative and quantitative research. Master's and doctoral students participate fully in many of these research projects.
Three faculty members have been awarded the Israel Prize for Education – the late Prof. Dina Feitelson, Prof. Gabi Salomon, and Prof. Miriam Ben-Peretz. Details of the studies for which they received the Israel Prize can be found on the faculty's site.
Expression of the great importance with which the faculty regards contact with and development of the field can be seen in the activities of its various units. Besides the many research projects related to assessment and intervention in the field of education, the faculty has a thriving Department of Continuing Studies that was established at the time the School of Education was established. This department offers a variety of activities, workshops, and courses intended to empower, promote and contribute to the advanced professionalism of educational counselors, special education teachers, principals, and informal education professionals. Approximately 800 students participate in these activities every year.
In addition, the faculty houses the Yahel Institute for the diagnosis and support of students with learning difficulties. The Institute with its top tier professional staff in this field includes the Information Technology unit and teaching laboratories with cutting edge equipment, technological aids, and computers to assist in teaching.
The faculty operates the two national centers for the instruction of mathematics, one for elementary schools, and the other for junior high and senior high schools. These centers include ongoing activities for assistance, continuing studies, and advanced training of mathematics teachers throughout the country.
As a whole the faculty offers a complex, top tier combination of basic and applied research, personalized instruction, and applied involvement in the field of education and in the community within a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Warm regards,
Prof. Ofra Mayseless, Dean
Heads of the Schools of Education of Haifa University:
Prof. Moshe Rinot 1968-1974
Prof. Joseph Schwartz 1974-1976
Prof. Ozer Schild 1976-1978
Prof. Adir Cohen 1978-1983
Prof. Perla Nesher 1983-1988
Prof. Miriam Ben-Peretz 1988-1993
Prof. Gavriel Salomon 1993-1998
Prof. Rachel Seginer 1998-2001
Prof. Ruth Linn 2001-2006
