Award for Research Cooperation and High Excellence in Science

The ‘start of a beautiful friendship?’– Comparative study of German and Israeli school-NGO interactions across different socio-economic strata

Award recipient: Prof. Dr. Nina Kolleck

Research Associate: Lasse Hansen (M.A.)

Student Assistant: N.N. (B.A.)

Collaboration Partner: Prof. Dr. Miri Yemini (Tel Aviv University)

Duration: 2018-2024

Funding Providers: Max Planck Institute, Minerva Foundation, and BMBF (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research)

Project Description:

The award is be used to conduct an international research project together with Tel Aviv University entitled "The 'start of a beautiful friendship?' - Comparative study of German and Israeli school-NGO interactions across different socio-economic strata" on the following topic:

Over the past few decades, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have become a major social force in western countries, as many operate in the educational sphere, However, despite of the increasing relevance of NGOs in schools, we still know little about their role and relations to school actors. This comparative study proposes to examine the interaction between schools and NGOs in the Israeli and German education systems from the perspective of the stakeholders involved: school principals, the NGOs’ leadership, and regulatory authorities in each country within diverse socio-economical contexts. The study aims to document, describe and analyze the process by which the interactions between schools and NGOs emerge and develop, the strategies of each of the entities involved in these interactions and how stakeholders perceive the interaction and the power relations between stakeholders. The methodology proposed here includes a case study approach based on in-depth interviews with school principals, the NGO’s CEO, representatives of the local education authority and Ministry of Education, and other stakeholders. Findings from the study’s German and Israeli components will be combined, to gain new comprehensive understanding of school-NGO interactions. The general aim of this comparative study is to enable the development of a new theory regarding the role of such interactions within the education system.