The gap between intention and attainment in policy implementation : a syndrome revisited : the case of the reform in technological studies in Israel

Abstract

This study analyses the syndrome inherent in the gap between policy setting and policy implementation, as exemplified by the case of the reform in the high-school system initiated by the Israeli Ministry of Education's Technological Division. The reform policy in the Technological trend prompted by the great advances in this field in recent years is explored, and the degree of its expected versus de facto implementation is analysed. The measurement tool for degree of implementation is the comparative requirements of the final matriculation exams before and after the beginning of the reform. The analysis focuses on the electronics and electricity trends. It challenges the validity of the proposed reform implementation and disputes the· validity of the matriculation exams as a tool meant to assess reform implementation. The gap between the initial intention of the policy makers and actual policy implementation will be analysed and discussed.