PISA Scores Reveal Deep Teaching Crisis Impacting Israeli Students

Recent PISA test results for 15-year-olds worldwide, conducted by the OECD, show a significant decline in Israeli students' performance across reading, math, and science. The 2025 results, which included approximately 7,300 Israeli students, mark the lowest scores recorded since Israel began participating in the triennial exams. Israel now ranks in the bottom quartile among OECD nations, placing 31st in reading and 33rd in math and science. Alarmingly, 46% of Israeli students are identified as struggling in math, 41% in reading, and 40% in science.

While global trends show a general decline in PISA scores, exacerbated by factors like the ongoing war, research points to teaching quality as the most critical in-school determinant of student achievement. The article emphasizes that even excellent curricula, small class sizes, or advanced technology cannot compensate for poor instruction. Therefore, the core issue behind the declining educational outcomes is the quality of teachers in classrooms and the system's ability to attract high-caliber individuals to the profession.

Further evidence from the PISA data indicates that Israeli school principals reported learning being hindered for 47% of students due to unqualified or inadequately trained teachers, significantly higher than the OECD average of 25%. This places Israel third among OECD countries for this specific issue. The poor PISA results are presented as a direct consequence of the ongoing teacher shortage crisis in Israel, which stems from the teaching profession's lack of attractiveness.

The article argues that Israel needs a comprehensive national program to bolster the teaching profession's status and appeal. This includes addressing salaries, working conditions, career advancement opportunities, teacher autonomy, and the respect teachers receive from parents, the system, and society. Improving the attractiveness of teaching is seen as essential for drawing talented young people into the profession, which is crucial for enhancing student performance and ensuring Israel's future social resilience and economic stability.

The author, Professor Haim Shaked, president of Hamad Academy and chair of the Forum of Presidents and Heads of Colleges of Education in Israel, stresses that PISA scores are not merely international statistics but directly impact students' future employment and earning potential, and by extension, the nation's overall well-being.