The Story of Atid

Good intentions haven’t fixed the disparities in Israel’s education system. This has. Adaptive Education is delivered to 35,000 Israeli children every year.

Hazana Ta’our was hungry – for education. But having been born into a traditional Bedouin family in the Galilean village of Beer el-Maksur, that was not where she was destined to head. The Ta’ours lived in a house without a single table or chair. Meals were had on the carpet, and while still in primary school Hazana began to herd the family goats to help support her siblings.

But she was determined to carve out a better life for herself and not be shackled to poverty. So she searched for help, for a guiding hand to an improved future – and she found one. Today, at 49, Hazana Ta’our has a BA in Computer Science and Mathematics and an MA in Education, both from Haifa University. That help, that outstretched hand that led, supported and educated Hazana from barefoot goatherd to university student through years of attentive schooling, was provided by us at Atid, the Israeli educational network that annually schools 35,000 boys and girls in 68 schools across Israel – regardless of religion, gender, community or location; solely on the basis of merit and ability.

The Atid educational formula was developed by our founders David Navot and Rina Porat, who in 1990 understood that even bricklayers and roofers required an education - both basic and technological - if they were to succeed professionally in the modern job market. The problem, they argued, was not the ever changing needs of the job market but rather preparing children to enter it. Out of school meant out of work. Schools had to address current and future needs of the job market but that individual needs of children were equally understood and addressed. This blend of objectives is our secret sauce. We call it Adaptive Education – adaptive to the infinite needs of the ever-changing job market and to the needs of the individual child.

Atid: Diversity, Inclusion, and Excellence in Education

An Atid school is run not merely as a pedagogic facility but as a communal hub, an educational terminal. Atid children know they will have the opportunity to be respected for what they can achieve – and given the opportunity to achieve it.

Consider this:

• We operate schools in the Arab community and in the Druze, in the Haredi community and in the Jewish religious community – each with its own adaptive offering.

• We operate special schools for youth at risk and for gifted children - also each with its own adaptive curricula;

• We operate schools in 36 different locations across Israel - from the Golan Heights to the southern Negev;

• 90% of our students graduate with a full matriculation and are eligible for higher education;

• Of Israel’s top ten schools, three belong to the Atid network;

• And we currently welcome teenage refugees fleeing war-torn Ukraine and forced military service in Russia, providing them with a top-notch education and a home away from home.

Bridging Gaps, Building Futures

Prosperity doesn’t come about of its own accord. Israel is famous for investing in human potential – mostly among those with conventional needs and backgrounds. Atid is there to fill in the gaps so that no child is left behind. We worry about some of the most vulnerable young Israelis coming into the world – and prepare them to thrive in it.

Adaptive Education ensures economic opportunity for each Israeli – and so for Israel as a whole. It helps marginalized young Israelis achieve the goal of prosperity beyond mere survival.

And to ensure that this diverse range of activities remains effective we must keep the Atid doors open to any child in Israel who needs it. Equally, we must continue to nurture inspired programming and accurately diagnosed adaptive education into the future.

This is a big task, and a long-term one. Join us to continue doing this work that eliminates inequity, tackles societal and economic inequality, and creates happy, fulfilled lives in future generations of young Israelis.