For students across Israel, the matriculation certificate, or bagrut, is the key to higher education: Simply stated, students with higher scores in a larger number of subject areas have greater choices for higher education.

ORT Syngalowski Comprehensive High School in Tel Aviv, founded in 1949 and the first school established in Israel with Women's American ORT funds, seeks to help its 1,300 students achieve superior matriculation scores, thereby enhancing their higher-ed options and leading them toward rewarding careers. Serving students from a disadvantaged socio-economic group, the school is creating enhancement programs to ensure that their students are competitive with those from more affluent communities.

Contributions to this project will enable ORT to:

• Establish small study groups, limited to 20 pupils, in the main subject areas of mathematics, English, physics, grammar, computers and electronics;
• Offer auxiliary classes in math and English to underachieving students who require extra support; and
• Identify and steer underachieving students into the mechanics (CAD/CAM) or industry and management accounting programs.