Research

Three research groups, bridging state competitiveness and social cohesiveness through education finance policy

Jump to: Competitiveness · Education Finance Policy · Cohesiveness

Competitiveness

STAC Research Group

Faculty of Education, Bar-Ilan University

STAC is my research group on state competitiveness - one of three groups I lead, alongside Education Finance Policy (LEAD) and Cohesiveness (equity, diversity and social justice). STAC sits at the competitiveness end of that spectrum, using international comparative research, large-scale secondary data analysis, and panel data (PIAAC, TALIS, PISA) to study how education systems build the human capital that drives state competitiveness.

Current work includes

  • Teachers as a key driver of state competitiveness: salary, self-efficacy, and satisfaction - a comparative study using TALIS 2018
  • Problem-solving skills in technology-rich environments among Israeli higher-education graduates - evidence from PIAAC
  • Financial and physical resources and PISA performance: an international comparative view
  • Does university attendance impact students’ political tolerance and open-mindedness? The atypical case of Israel
  • Does nonformal education matter? An international comparative study on nonformal education and immigrant competencies
  • Does school choice affect migrant and native students similarly? Cross-country results from PISA and PIAAC data fusion

Current group members

  • Yael Hoter-Hermony - TALIS international comparative research - thesis link →
  • Amos Polishku - PIAAC international comparative research - thesis link →
  • Mor Zahavi - PIAAC international comparative research
  • Michal Unger Madar - Creativity and social competence - thesis link →
  • Amor Amosi-Nissan - Periphery - dissertation link →

Education Finance Policy

LEAD Research Group

This is my core research area: how resources are allocated to schools - and what that means for both improvement and equity in educational outcomes. My applied research group working on this, LEAD, sits at the bridge between Competitiveness (STAC) and Cohesiveness (EDS).

Key concepts in my work

  • Redistribution & allocation mechanisms - resource allocation mechanisms and funding formulae, analyzed through networks and causal data-science models
  • EGini & Lorenz curves - Gini-based indices I developed to measure equity in educational outcomes, not just inputs
  • IEAD (Improvement in Educational Achievement Distribution) - reconceptualizing the relationship between level of performance and achievement gaps, so that policy doesn’t have to trade off improvement against equity
  • EEO (Equality of Educational Opportunity) - equity in inputs (central vs. local funding), horizontal equity, vertical equity, fiscal neutrality, and adequacy

The central question I keep returning to: can we finance education for improvement - designing allocation mechanisms that raise outcomes and narrow gaps, rather than treating the two as a trade-off?

See LEAD, my research group and the ISF-funded international workshop built on this work →

Key papers

(Full publication list, with APA citations, on the Papers page.)

Cohesiveness

EDS Research Lab

Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice Faculty of Education, Bar-Ilan University · Founded 2010

The EDS Lab is one of three research groups I lead - alongside Competitiveness (STAC) and Education Finance Policy (LEAD) - sitting at the cohesiveness end of that spectrum. EDS studies national-level policy questions using mixed methods: how education systems can advance equity, diversity, and social justice across special needs, minority, ultra-Orthodox, immigrant, and periphery populations.

One active initiative within the lab is our Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Education research group, which develops and applies CEA methods to Israeli education programs.

Principal Investigator

Prof. Iris BenDavid-Hadar - Founder and Head. Bio →

Meet the group

In their own words.

  • Dr. Karen SauerDr. Karen SauerPost-doctoral researcher, LEAD

    I am a Post Doctoral researcher at Bar-Ilan University. My research focuses on education governance and fiscal policy, examining how institutional reforms shape student outcomes. I am particularly interested in how the transition from decentralized to centralized education systems affects equity across regions, and in understanding the role of public spending, especially teacher compensation, in improving learning outcomes. My work uses panel-data econometric methods to analyze Chile's SLEP education reform.

  • Michal Tzadoky-DzhurinskyMichal Tzadoky-DzhurinskyPhD student, EDS

    I am Michal Tzadoky-Dzhurinsky, a PhD student in Education at Bar-Ilan University. My research focuses on educational inequality and the values that shape education policy. I examine how declared and implicit values influence policies designed to reduce educational gaps in Israel, from their formulation to implementation and evaluation. Using policy analysis, interviews, and semantic network analysis, I aim to contribute to more equitable and evidence-informed education policy.

  • Yifat Betser-NahumYifat Betser-NahumLEAD group member

    I am the National Lead for Clinical Practice in Teacher Education at Israel's Ministry of Education. My research focuses on economic efficiency in education systems. In my published study, I examined the efficiency of Israeli local authorities in providing educational services. I am also interested in professional development and innovation in education, particularly in understanding how policy, organizational processes, and resource allocation can improve educational systems and outcomes.

  • Fatina Bader SarsoorFatina Bader SarsoorPhD student, EDS

    I am a PhD student in Education at Bar-Ilan University. My research focuses on academic resilience, educational inequality, and reading literacy, with a particular interest in international large-scale assessments such as PIRLS. I explore how individual and school-level factors shape academic resilience across countries and over time. My research aims to deepen our understanding of the conditions that foster educational resilience and equity.

  • Dr. Roi Arjeh WolfDr. Roi Arjeh WolfPhD alumnus, 2024

    I am a lecturer in education at Orot Israel College. My research focuses on the political dynamics shaping the allocation of educational resources. I am particularly interested in how political actors influence education budgets and funding priorities. My work examines changes to education funding after the state budget has been approved, using in-depth interviews with key political actors and analysis of parliamentary Finance Committee records.

  • Dr. Orit KrubinerDr. Orit KrubinerPhD alumna, 2024

    I hold a PhD in Education from Bar-Ilan University. My research focuses on education policy, specialized public schools, and parental choice in Israel. I am particularly interested in how market-oriented policies and parental choice shape public education systems. My doctoral research examined four decades of policy development in Israeli specialized schools, exploring the relationships between government policy, local authorities, parental involvement, and educational equity.

  • Limor EylonPhD student, EDS - Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Education

    I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Special Education at Bar-Ilan University, specializing in Cognitive Diversity (Intellectual Disability). My doctoral research uses Cost-Effectiveness Analysis to examine how Post-Secondary Education programs affect adaptive behavior, cognition, and employment outcomes for individuals with intellectual disability. I also work as an expert at "Matya" (Regional Support Center) in Holon, training teaching teams on inclusion for students with special needs.

  • Dr. Ruth MeodedPostdoctoral researcher; LEAD

    I am a postdoctoral researcher in the Budget Department at the Israeli Ministry of Education. My research focuses on the allocation of educational resources across central government and local authorities in Israel. I am particularly interested in equity, cost-effectiveness, and causal evaluation in education finance, and in understanding how resource allocation can improve student outcomes. My work examines patterns of resource distribution and their relationship with educational outcomes, with a focus on special education.

  • Liam NaimLiam NaimMA student, Educational Administration, Leadership and Policy

    I am an MA student in the department of Educational Administration, Leadership and Policy at Bar-Ilan University and a member of Prof. Iris BenDavid-Hadar's research group. I am interested in how countries invest per student at each stage of schooling, from pre-primary to upper secondary, and in exploring how these patterns relate to inequality, competitiveness, and human development across OECD countries. I hope to contribute to evidence-based funding policy that narrows educational gaps.

  • Adi ZarbiAdi ZarbiPh.D. candidate, Educational Administration

    I am a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Educational Administration, Leadership and Policy at Bar-Ilan University, holding master's degrees in both Educational Administration and Financial Mathematics. I am interested in the financial aspects of the education system and in exploring the intersection of economic resource allocation and educational policy. My research aims to understand how funding structures influence educational equity and school performance. I hope to contribute to the broader field of educational policy by leveraging my deep understanding of mathematical finance models; integrating these quantitative tools into educational research can ultimately facilitate more informed, data-driven financial decision-making within education systems.

Current projects

  • Yaara Shilo - Early childhood education policy
  • Fatina Bader Sarsoor - Minority ICT4D (empowering underprivileged minority students in science education)
  • Sharon Malki-Levy - Language policy and immigration
  • Orit Krubiner - Specialized schools and quasi-market policy
  • Or May-Yazdi - Financial education for the Ultra-Orthodox sector
  • Yael Leby - Ultra-Orthodox integration in higher education
  • Uri Even - Educational leadership
  • Reut Tsadkani - Improvement and incentives

All current & former advisees

(across all three research groups)

Current PhD students
  • Sami Atar (with Prof. Joseph Klein) - Supplemental resource allocation and educational achievement distribution: local authorities in Israel
  • Fatina Bader Sarsoor - Academic resilience and Arabic language literacy (PIRLS)
  • Michal Tzadoky-Dzhurinsky - Equity in education policy: the Israeli case
Current MA students
  • Eden Gannam - The GEFEN reform through the lens of quasi-market theory
  • Adi Zarbi - Teachers’ salary, class size & investment in education and PISA achievements
  • Michal Rinuss - AI in early-childhood leadership: productivity, self-efficacy, stress, burnout
  • Zvia Nadav - Teacher pay, workload, and retention in Israel
  • Yonathan Cohen (with Prof. Gross) - Student satisfaction, institutional factors, and alumni loyalty
  • Yafit Gorman - The education finance of local authorities: a policy analysis
  • Rotem Shemesh - Learning mathematics: an international comparative analysis
  • Hani Mihawi - Equity in resource allocation, crisis management, and student resilience
Current post-doc
  • Dr. Karen Sauer (2022–present)
PhD alumni
  • 2025

    Dr. Ruth Meoded

    Equity in School Finance: The Local Authorities Case in Israel

  • 2024

    Dr. Miri Wolf (with Prof. Bracha Kramarski)

    Cultivating Teaching Beliefs and Practices for Knowledge-Constructing Metacognitive Mathematical Discourse in the Classroom Among Pre-/In-Service Teachers in a Theory-Based Training Environment That Includes Interactive Technology

    Dissertation link →

  • 2024

    Dr. Yael Leby (with Dr. Shira Iluz)

    Integrating the Ultra-Orthodox into Higher Education in Israel: From Examining Policy to Examining the Relationships Between the Need for Tuition Financing, Motives for Higher-Education Enrollment, and Individual Choice of Discipline

    Dissertation link →

  • 2024

    Dr. Sharon Malki-Levy (with Prof. Carmit Altman)

    Linguistic Inequity: A Policy Study from International, Local, and School Perspectives

    Dissertation link →

  • 2024

    Dr. Orit Krubiner

    Specialized Public Schools in Israel: A Longitudinal Policy Research over the Past Four Decades - The Case of Parental Choice

    Dissertation link →

  • 2023

    Dr. Roi Arjeh Wolf (with Prof. Joseph Klein)

    Between Political Climate and Budgetary Decision-Making Processes: The Case of the Changes in the Education Budget in Israel

    Dissertation link →

  • 2023

    Dr. Yaara Shilo

    Vision versus Reality: Early Childhood Education Policy in Israel in the Last Decades

    Dissertation link →

  • 2022

    Dr. Asael Sharir (with Prof. Joseph Klein)

    Developing an Evaluation Model for Education for Values in High Schools in the National State Education System in Israel

    Dissertation link →

  • 2021

    Dr. Amor Amosi-Nissan

    Policy for Promoting Excellence in the Periphery in Israel: Costs and Effectiveness Analysis of the National "Mezuyanegev" Program in Eilat

    Dissertation link →

  • 2020

    Dr. Mor Zehavi

    Choice and Efficiency in Education: New Perspective on the Tiebout Model

  • 2016

    Dr. Zehorit Dadon-Golan

    Measuring Education Inequality in Israel: New Indicators

    Full dissertation (PDF) →

(A public dissertation record isn’t yet available online for every 2024–2025 graduate - Bar-Ilan’s repository typically has an embargo period before full text is deposited. Get in touch for a copy.)

MA alumni
  • 2025

    Lidor Edri

    Inclusion of Children with Special Needs in Elementary Schools in Israel: Perspectives on Parental Involvement, Budgeting, and Educational Policy

    Thesis link →

  • 2024

    Yifat Betser-Nahum

    Efficiency in Local Educational Funding: A Data Envelopment Analysis of Municipal Allocation

    Thesis link →

  • 2024

    Liraz Gedri

    Relationships Among (Altruistic) Leadership, Teacher Satisfaction, and School Effectiveness

    Thesis link →

  • 2022

    Amos Polishku

    Does Nonformal Education Matter? An International Comparative Study on the Relationships Between Nonformal Education and Competencies Among Natives and Immigrants

    Thesis link →

  • 2022

    Yael Hoter-Hermony

    The Relationships Among Teacher Quality, Teacher Satisfaction, Investment in Education, and PISA Performance: An International Comparative View

    Thesis link →

  • 2022

    Reut Tsadkani

    School Effectiveness in Israel: Systemic and Intra-School Perspectives

    Thesis link →

  • 2020

    Ruth Meoded

    Education Finance Policy of Culturally Diverse Societies: Equity Analyses of School Finance Policy in Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Primary Education

    Thesis link →

  • 2020

    Amin ElGamal

    Relationships Among Parental Choice, Satisfaction, Involvement, and Expectations, and School Efficiency: The Case of Primary Schools for Arabic-Speaking Students in Israel

    Thesis link →

  • 2020

    Roslyn Stentner

    Principals' and Teachers' Perceptions of the Principal's Role in Teachers' Professional Development Toward 21st-Century Competencies

    Thesis link →

  • 2019

    Fatina Bader Sarsoor

    Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Integrating ICT in Fifth-Grade Science Classes in Arabic-Speaking Schools in Israel

    Thesis link →

  • 2019

    Orit Krubiner

    Specialized Schools in Israel: A Longitudinal Policy Research over the Past Three Decades

    Thesis link →

  • 2018

    Yaniv Hadad

    Relationships Between Financial Education and the Consumption Culture of Young Children

    Thesis link →

  • 2018

    Michal Madar-Ungar

    The Relationship Among Type of Education, Creative Thinking, and Social Competence of Children: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Homeschooling in Israel

    Thesis link →

  • 2017

    Or May-Yazdi

    The Relationship Among Economic Well-Being, Academic Education, and Financial Literacy: The Case of the Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Sector

    Thesis link →

  • 2017

    Idit Chalfon

    The Relationships Between Parental Involvement, School Principals' Management Style, and Mathematics Achievement Among Students in Primary Schools Specializing in Behavioral Disorders

    Thesis link →

  • 2017

    Roi Arjeh Wolf

  • 2016

    Sigal Duani

    From Equitable Funding to Equality of Educational Opportunity: The Case of Israeli Primary Schools

    Thesis link →

  • 2016

    Uri Even

    The Effects of Management Style and School Climate on Mathematics Achievement in Special-Education Schools Specializing in Conduct Disorders

    Thesis link →

  • 2014

    Idit Levy

    The Integration Policy of Special-Needs Children in Regular Schools: A Comparative Policy Research

  • 2014

    Noam Sharaby

    Differences in Mathematics Achievement on Matriculation Examinations Based on Background Variables of Younger Students Identified as Gifted in Mathematics

    Thesis link →

  • 2013

    Nehama Zilberberg

    A Growth Model for Evaluating Achievement in Mathematics by Measuring School Added Value Through Readiness, Participation, Self-Efficacy, Additional Reinforcement Hours, and Student Background Variables

    Thesis link →

  • 2012

    Yuval Oz (with Prof. Deborah Court)

    How the Democratic School "Nitzan" Tries to Minimize Social Disparities Among Disadvantaged Students: A Case Study

    Thesis link →

(20 of 22 MA theses have a public record; the rest aren’t indexed online - most likely too recent or predate digital deposit requirements.)

Post-doc alumni

Dr. Zehorit Dadon-Golan (2017–2019) · Dr. Mowafaq Qadach (2018–2020)

In the media

  • Yaara Shilo - early childhood education policy; personal site · media appearances: 1 · 2 · 3
  • Amor Amosi - It’s All About the Music: Excellence in Israel’s Periphery, a Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the National “Mezuyanegev” Program in Eilat - thesis