In this dissertation, I investigate how Israeli staff members understand the intercultural encounter they experienced in an overnight camp setting; how they navigated the experience; and how the intercultural encounter has impacted them. The research was conducted through qualitative methods of data collection, including elements of ethnography,…

The current field of Israel engagement has been significantly challenged by young North American Jews' reported alienation from contemporary Israel. Literature in the last decade has addressed this challenge in depth, offering a wide variety of theoretical analyses and recommendations for program development. The present study is the first to…

The Kettering Foundation is a nonprofit, operating foundation rooted in the American tradition of cooperative research. Kettering's research is distinctive because it is conducted from the perspective of citizens and focuses on what people can do collectively to address problems affecting their lives, their communities, and their nation. The…

This study examined how a sample of art therapists (N = 14) describe their experience of therapeutic presence in the art therapy triangular relationship formed among the therapist, the client, and the artwork. Qualitative data were collected in semistructured interviews and analyzed using a grounded theory method. Component themes of therapeutic…

What is Israel in the minds and hearts of young American Jewish children? Through interviews and photo and music elicitation exercises, this research uncovers how day school kindergarten students conceive of Israel. This study, part of an ongoing longitudinal project, shows how 5- and 6-year-old children are able to form a multilayered conception…

Educators, policymakers, and parents alike are focused on ensuring the academic success of the nation's students. These efforts interact with the expanding use of technology, which affects the lives of students both inside and outside of the classroom. Thus, the role that technology plays in education is an evolving area of research that continues…

The Torah teacher faces a dilemma of how to teach complex, ancient, sacred texts to modern children. How can she convey the relationship between rabbinic commentary and Scripture? This article recounts the story--and the challenges--of one midrash mini-course that I taught an American class as part of a wider research project. The aim of the…

For decades, lawmakers, parents, and educators have advocated for including students with learning disabilities (LD) and addressing their needs within the education system. However, LD-related challenges do not vanish with age; consequently, for college and university graduates with LD, the issue of inclusion begins again when they reach the job…

My study explores a curriculum development project for Israel education in a liberal Jewish high school. Through an action research framework, I investigate the tensions between teaching about Israel to achieve critical thinking goals and to facilitate students' development of positive affinity for Israel. I also explore the affordances and…

When a security threat and sense of instability befell the United States after the events of September 11, 2001, the familiar order of political priorities was upset. In a matter of days the American public discourse organized itself around the same principles that have guided the state of Israel for many years: security IN, education OUT.…