Education in Israel before and after the passage of the State Education Law of 1953 is discussed. Prior to 1953, Israeli political parties operated and had total control over their own schools. Before statehood in 1948, a growing desire for national unity led some major parties to give up their separate schools and merge them into a school system or stream. Three school systems--the General, Religious, and Labor streams--existed in parallel until statehood in 1948, when they were joined by a fourth stream, the Ultra Orthodox (Agudat Israel). The State Education Law, passed in 1953, was a compromise. The various political parties agreed to transfer control of their separate schools to a central Ministry of Education and Culture. The compromise was to retain some religious differentiation in curriculum and school atmosphere within one national school system. Five types of schools were established: state secular, state religious, ultra orthodox, communal settlement schools, and Arab schools. The new law has resulted in less parent involvement in schools, but more equal educational attainment between Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews. (RM)