AMIT Launches “Ellen’s Kids” Program Following $6m Gift
The family of AMIT Board Member Ellen Koplow z”l has announced a gift of $6 million to AMIT – the largest single gift in the organization’s 90-year history. AMIT President Debbie Isaac said the endowment will be utilized to dedicate a landmark program known as “Ellen’s Kids,” in Mrs. Koplow’s memory.
According to Isaac, “Ellen’s Kids will help AMIT students in Israel who have struggled academically, so they can excel despite their incredible personal challenges and obtain their bagrut certificate.”
Each year, slightly more than half of Israeli high school students are eligible to receive the bagrut which is required for acceptance into Israeli colleges and vocational schools. Obtaining the bagrut has a strong correlation with obtaining higher paying jobs and enjoying greater levels of professional success in Israel.
Eighty-three percent of students enrolled in AMIT’s network of high schools throughout Israel consistently receive their bagrut certificate. With an over twenty percent higher bagrut pass rate than the national average, AMIT has already proven the success of its educational model. The Ellen’s Kids program will take AMIT’s success to the next level.
“Ellen’s Kids has the potential to completely transform the future of Israeli society,” stated Isaac. With more Israeli teens obtaining bagrut, more Israeli adults will have the potential to obtain higher paying jobs and the national poverty rate will decrease.