Almaz

Almaz (Amharic for ‘jewel’) is a multi-year initiative of The Ministry of Education’s Department of Elementary Education. 

The initiative seeks to advance academic achievements among Ethiopian-Israeli students in elementary schools, bridge the achievement gap between Ethiopian-Israeli students and other students in their schools, raise the sense of self-efficacy of Ethiopian-Israeli students, and familiarize schools with the culture of the Ethiopian-Israeli community.

To achieve their goals, Almaz provides funding for staff members in elementary schools to promote language literacy and to take on the responsibility of integrating Ethiopian-Israelis into their school communities.

ICEI was selected as one of the only external partners in the Almaz initiative. ICEI’s Literacy Coaches and Parent & Community Engagement Coordinators in participating schools work towards the goals of Almaz and have succeeded in bridging achievement gaps between Ethiopian-Israeli students and their peers.