Issue 3: SEL - Translation

This thematic issue is devoted to exploring the intricate and vital relationship between educational staff and parents in fostering students’ social-emotional skills. In recent decades, the field of social-emotional learning (SEL) has assumed a central place in educational, academic and public discourse in Israel and worldwide (Garbacz et al., 2015; UNESCO MGIEP, 2021). It has become increasingly important in an era marked by rapid change, uncertainty, digital expansion and the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI). Within this reality, SEL equips children and adolescents with essential tools for developing resilience, emotional regulation and interpersonal communication, and for coping with pressure, both in everyday situations and in times of crisis.

Moshe Israelashvili

Abstract
This paper reviews the Life Skills program in Israel, discussing it as an example of the complexities involved in establishing school-parent partnerships in the context of social-emotional learning (SEL). It is argued that, once educational rather than academic matters are addressed, parental involvement is not only necessary but also indispensable. Moreover, fostering partnership in the context of programs like life skills presents a valuable opportunity to build a robust school-parent partnership. The paper advocates for a gradual approach to developing this partnership, including: First, addressing life skills that all partners recognize as important. Rather than concentrating solely on academic achievements, move on to collaboration on matters related to children's character development. Finally, expand the partnership to all relevant aspects of school life. Ultimately, this gradual process fosters mutual respect and leads to a comprehensive partnership between teachers, parents, and students, promoting a sense of unity and progress toward shared goals.

Keywords: life skills, social-emotional learning, school-parent partnerships, character education, values

Prof. Moshe Israelashvili, Professor Emeritus, School of Education, Tel Aviv University. His studies focus on adolescent development, prevention of maladjustment, and school adjustment. Moshe Israelashvili published over 120 papers and wrote or co-edited several books, including School Adjustment: Why Some Students Fade and Others Flourish (2025, Cambridge University Press).

Hebrew Editing: Shira Daniel
Translator: Debbie Nevo

Citation
Israelashvili, M. (2025). Partnership between education teams and parents is not just a recommendation: The case of the Life Skills program. Researching@Educational Staff–Parents, 3, 1-43.

Sigal Chen

Abstract
The study examined parents' perceptions of their partnership with the school, focusing on social-emotional (SEL) aspects. An anonymous online questionnaire was distributed to 588 parents of children in grades 1 to 12; 82% were parents of children in elementary school and 18% of children in junior high school. The participants represented the Israeli population in terms of gender and demographics. The research aimed to identify the areas of activity that parents perceive as important and to understand the influence of demographic and social variables on parental socio-emotional perceptions towards the school. The study's findings show differences between genders and between speakers of different languages that affect their perception of the parents' committee roles, particularly in social and emotional skills (SEL), such as self-management, decision-making, and social awareness. The research highlights significant gender differences in areas related to parental roles and behaviors. Mothers were found to be more directly involved in daily school activities, which contributed to increased social awareness in educational contexts. Additionally, parents whose mother tongue is Arabic view the parent committee roles as more important compared to parents whose mother tongue is Hebrew. However, no significant differences were found in socio-emotional perceptions based on demographic variables such as place of residence, participation in the parents' council, education, field of occupation or the perception of the roles of the parents' council. The activity perceived as the most important by the parents is direct and continuous contact with the school administration. The study emphasizes the need to encourage parents to take a more active role in the educational process to improve the learning and emotional well-being of the students.

Keywords: parental involvement, social-emotional learning (SEL), parent-teacher cooperation, ethnicity

Dr. Sigal Chen, lecturer at Levinsky-Wingate Academic College. The main subjects of her research are development and assessment of educational programs and parental participation in the education system. Her publications focus on evaluating innovative programs in multicultural settings, parental participation in schools and understanding the learning and assessment processes as part of shaping the professional identity of
educators. Her research emphasizes the importance and significance of parental participation in the education system.

Hebrew Editing: Shira Daniel
Translator: Debbie Nevo

Citation
Chen, S. (2025). Beyond the boundaries of sharing: Parents' perceptions on social-emotional learning (SEL) in school. Researching@Educational Staff–Parents, 3, 44-85.

[1]The research took place with the support of the MAHUT Research Center for Educational Staff–Parent Relations.

Anat Korem, Liat Biberman-Shalev, Rachel Sagee

Abstract
This article traces parents’ attitudes regarding educational goals both in normal circumstances and in times of crisis. It presents findings from data collected in 2023 a few weeks after the outbreak of the horrifying October 7th events in Israel, concerning the degree of importance that parents attribute to various educational goals. These findings were compared to previous data, collected in 2021. A quantitative questionnaire was administered to a diverse sample of 502 participants from the Jewish population in Israel. They were also presented with an open question. The findings indicate that in 2021, parents ranked imparting knowledge and improving educational achievements as the most important educational goals. However, at the height of the crisis following the October 7th events, they ranked strengthening emotional and social skills and developing tolerance as the most important educational goals. Strengthening democratic values and Jewish identity were ranked as the goals with the lowest importance. The research conclusions point to a trend of a shift in parents' attitudes regarding educational goals, in which the emphasis has shifted towards the social and emotional aspects. This position is consistent with the recommendations of experts in Israel and around the world regarding the desired educational goals in the current era. Considering this, it is important to strengthen the knowledge and professional skills of educators regarding the social and emotional aspects of students – both in normal circumstances and especially in times of crisis – thereby also strengthening their constructive partnership with the parents in these aspects.

Keywords: educational goals, parents' attitudes, crisis, trust, hysteresis.

Dr. Anat Korem, is a senior lecturer and the Editor and Founder of the peer-reviewed academic journal Researching@Education Teams-Parents (Hebrew) at Levinsky-Wingate Academic College. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Haifa. Previously, she served for seven years as the head of the Nationwide Research and Knowledge Center for Family–Educator Relations (“Mahut Center”), a collaborative initiative with the Israeli Ministry of Education’s Psychological Counseling Service. In addition, she is a faculty member at the Seymour Fox School of Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with twelve years of experience teaching in the M.A. program in School Counseling.

Dr. Liat Biberman-Shalev, a senior lecturer at Levinsky-Wingate Academic College, Israel. Researcher of innovation in teacher training on issues of justice in education, global education and advancing reflective thinking by means of blogs. Her most recent research deals with advancing hybrid learning and the use of generative artificial intelligence tools in teacher training. As an educational sociologist, her research focuses on different fields of education with the aim of shedding light on the socialization processes that take place in them, the understanding of which may contribute to teacher training processes.

Dr. Rachel Sagee, a senior researcher in the Research, Evaluation and Development Authority at Levinsky-Wingate Academic College, Israel, and a school counselor by profession. Her research deals with shared life, the mental welfare of adolescents and teachers and professional development of teachers and teacher trainees. She has published three prose books and two books of poetry.

Hebrew Editing: Shira Daniel
Translator: Debbie Nevo

Citation:
Korem, A., Biberman-Shalev, L., and Sagee, R. (2025). Strengthening students' emotional and social aspects: Parental attitudes to educational goals in normal circumstances and following the events of October 7th in Israel. Researching@Educational Staff–Parents, 3, 86-125.

[1] The study was conducted with the support of the Research Authority of the Levinsky-Wingate Academic College in collaboration with the MAHUT Research Center operating with the Psychological and Counseling Division of the Israeli Ministry of Education.

Odelia Barak and Eliezer Yariv[1]

Abstract

Parents of children with disabilities are key partners in their child's education. However, their communication with teachers is often limited and shallow. This qualitative study explores the nature of communication between teachers and parents of children with disabilities. Here, seven teachers – all of whom are graduate students – implemented a social-emotional learning program and maintained weekly reflective journals on their interactions with parents. In addition, 84 WhatsApp messages sent by parents to the teachers over a six-week period were collected and analyzed. Findings reveal that the majority of the communication occurred with mothers, far less with parents as a unit and never with fathers. Most interactions were conducted through written messages rather than phone calls or face-to-face meetings. The content predominantly focused on requests, notifications or urgent matters. In some cases, the quality of communication evolved, particularly when improvements in the child’s functioning became evident. Mothers began initiating contact with the teacher, rather than merely responding to messages. Attaching photographs of the children to the correspondence enriched the interaction and enhanced the quality of the relationship. The discussion analyses the dynamics of these reciprocal communication patterns and illustrates how proactive engagement on the part of the teacher fosters greater parental involvement.

Keywords: parents, teacher, preschool teachers, communication, social cohesion, educational integration.

Odelia Barak, homeroom teacher at Shazar School, Ashdod, Israel, and head of the science department. She initiated and founded the school makers’ workshop with the support of the Fund for Innovative Education. She holds a teaching diploma (with a major in science education) and completed a master’s degree at Givat Washington College, Israel.

Professor Eliezer Yariv is an educational psychologist with over 30 years of experience in psychological services. He holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the University of Haifa, Israel, and earned his doctorate from the University of Leicester, UK. Eliezer taught for two decades at Gordon Academic College of Education in Haifa. He currently serves as Head of the M.Ed. Program in Inclusive Education at Givat Washington Academic College of Education, Israel. His research focuses on classroom management, teacher–parent relationships, inclusive education, and the professional development of teachers. He has published numerous scholarly articles and several books. His most recent book is For All and for Each: Adaptive, Inclusive, and Caring Teaching (2026).

Hebrew Editing: Shira Daniel
Translator: Debbie Nevo

Citation

Barak, O., & Yariv, E. (2025). Communication between parents of students with disabilities and homeroom teachers during a classroom-based social cohesion program. Researching@Educational Staff-Parents, 3, 126-164.

[1] The authors thank Lee Sol Elkobi, Esther (Eti) Gorni, Isana Levit, Tal Aviv Mizrahi, Hilla Meshulam and Marina Ostrovsky for their collaboration in the research.

Alon Wasserman

Abstract
The article presents three case studies based on cumulative clinical experience, with the aim of illustrating a systemic approach to group intervention with children dealing with ongoing social difficulties. The intervention combines group work for the children with systemic support for their parents and cooperation with the educational staff. The case studies demonstrate the application of a systemic therapeutic model in the field, while relating to its guiding principles, typical therapeutic dilemmas and the processes of change that were possible due to the partnership with parents and educators.

The approach is based on the assumption that children can be helped to improve their social functioning at every developmental stage by creating a comprehensive therapeutic-systemic environment. The focus of the model is the collaboration between the child, parents, therapists, peer group and the educational staff. Group work takes place throughout the year with different age groups and is accompanied by regular meetings with the parents and sometimes also with the children's educational staff. The involvement of educators and school counselors is considered an essential part of the process, especially when changes in the educational environment are necessary (such as class or school transitions). The joint work with the educational staff sometimes also includes professional training and guidance, aimed at strengthening the child's social adaptation within the class.

One of the recurring challenges in the process is the tension that exists in certain cases between parents and the educational system. The intervention model seeks to strengthen the connection between these two elements, while understanding that the child's wellbeing requires joint and united action. The therapeutic process includes identifying the child's social strengths and challenges, and experiencing change within the group, with the possibility of generalizing the change to the classroom and other environments.

The article describes the structure of the intervention and its guiding principles. The intervention focuses on three principles: first, creating a therapeutic alliance with the parent as a lever for improving relationships in the entire system; second, systemic work that involves the group, the parents and the educational staff with the goal of generalizing the processes of change to outside the therapeutic framework; and third, an approach that combines recognition of difficulties with identifying personal strengths and ways to realize them in the social arena. Moreover, the article describes the ways in which the process of generalizing the change from the group to the child's social life takes place.

Dr. Alon Wasserman, rehabilitation neuropsychologist and lecturer at Levinsky-Wingate Academic College, Israel. The cases described are based on many years of clinical experience acquired through work with children and adolescents with social difficulties and training psychologists in group psychological therapy, including the systemic aspects.

Hebrew Editing: Shira Daniel
Translator: Debbie Nevo

Citation:
Wasserman, A. (2025). A case study – group psychological therapy for children and youth experiencing ongoing social difficulty: A systemic approach that includes parents and educational staff. Researching@Educational Staff–Parents, 3, 165-177.