המשכיל-המומחה, המדען-הצבר ושקיעת אידיאל החינוך ההומניסטי: אתוס ההצטיינות בחינוך בישראל בשנות החמישים והשישים

Abstract

This article discusses the changes that took place in the young State of Israel with regard to academic excellence in secondary education, changes that reflect the profound ideological and cultural developments in Jewish-Israeli society during that period. The question of what is desirable in secondary education was perceived by the government and education circles alike as key to the optimal training of the nation's future leadership and intelligentsia toward an exemplary Israeli society. The article points to the gradual transition in Israeli education from a long-established European approach to an American approach regarding the ideal of excellence in education. It analyzes this process as it comes to light in records of contemporary public debates over academic excellence vis-à-vis a variety of educational models for secondary schools.