Pascale Benoliel
PhD
LEADERSHIP
INSPIRE
ENGAGE
SERVE
Diversity Equity & Inclusion
I serve as the Chair of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee of the faculty of Education of Bar-Ilan University. My committee is dedicated to establishing a secure learning environment free from harassment and discrimination based on the community, ethnicity, religion, of its students and teachers in order to ensure their academic, psychological, and social success. Our mission is to develop a welcoming, equitable, and inclusive learning and working environment that values diversity and advances social justice. The committee envisions a faculty where every individual, regardless of their background, identity, or experiences, feels valued, represented, and empowered to thrive both academically and professionally.
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In Israeli society, Diversity, refers to a wide range of groups, particularly those that are currently underrepresented in terms of quantity, quality, presence, and impact in universities. Among the groups underrepresented in the institution are: Arabs, First generation students, Ultra-Orthodox, new immigrants, native Ethiopians, low SES Students, women as well in certain disciplines. Supporting social integration in the face of diverse cultural and racial disparities is a challenge for democratic countries all over the world.
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The ability to access and flourish in higher education has, however, historically been hampered for students from cultural, linguistic, ethnical, and religious minority backgrounds. Building on widespread calls for social justice in higher education, there has been an increasing focus on the need to promote and facilitate greater participation of marginalized groups higher education. As a consequence, considerable national and institutional policies and programs have been created to reach this aim. While there has been some improvement in participation rates, gaps are persistent (Reay, 2018; Sutton Trust, 2018).
"Multiculturalism, Diversity and Inclusion: Widening Access and Participation in Education Systems"​
An international conference on was held on May 15, 2023, at the Faculty of Education, Bar Ilan University.
I serve as the Chair of the conference
The purpose of the conference was to deepen the understanding regarding research-based interventions that were successful in improving diversity and inclusion in higher education institutions as well as developing a knowledge-based network for implementing innovative policies and practices to deal with the challenges of multiculturalism.
international conference
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Statement of contribution to diversity, equity and inclusion
I have long been committed to diversity, and recognize the barriers faced by women and other minorities in engaging in education. I am committed to making a difference in ensuring that everyone is given opportunities to excel in their scholarly activities. Currently I serve as the chair of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee at the faculty of education of Bar-Ilan University. this function entails ensuring to create a safe and protected environment for each student in order to ensure their academic, psychological, and social success. My committee is dedicated to establishing a secure learning environment free from harassment and discrimination based on the community, ethnicity, religion, of its students and teachers.
As a researcher and lecturer, I have the privilege of helping to shape the next generation of educational leaders. I deeply believe that this role requires me to embrace numerous and diverse opinions and beliefs, and I endeavor to do so in my research, teaching, and advising of M.A and Ph.D. students.
I believe that diversity in the classroom should be openly discussed and celebrated, and I strive to create an open, safe space in which students feel free to express different ideas, opinions, and worldviews. To guarantee that all my students succeed in their own way, and to promote equity, I use a differentiated strategy to create an inclusive and welcoming teaching environment for all students.
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Supervising M.A and PhD students from varied backgrounds in their research is a particularly enriching process. Mentoring diverse students and bringing them together in cooperative study groups gives me the chance to help the participants to open their minds while sharing their emotions and insights, designing our collective future. This is an important part of what I see as the mission of establishing a learning community of students that cultivates possibilities for students to build new relationships that respect and celebrate diverse viewpoints and life experiences in a sometimes challenging political context. Importantly, I am deeply engaged in promoting my MA and doctorate students. For example, I strive to ensure they would receive several prestigious prizes. In addition, I work intensively with them on the publication of articles for those who wish to become academic scholars. Several articles deriving from some of these theses and dissertations have been published in leading peer-reviewed leadership journals such as the Educational Management Administration & Leadership, Journal of Educational Administration and Leadership and Policy in Schools and have been presented at several prestigious conferences, both local and international (AERA, UCEA and CIES). I escort my students through the application process to make it easier and ensure a positive experience. Teaching a diverse community of students to bridge theory and practice, based on research evidence, while at the same time maintaining respectful and productive peer dialogue via cooperative learning, typifies for me the intricacy and significance of inclusion and education.
Due to my personal background (French and Jewish), I have a profound respect for others’ values, capabilities, aspirations, and visions. I work with scholars from many countries and backgrounds (see two special issues I recently co-edited). In my empirical studies (e.g., investigating teacher collaboration, school leadership styles, and school effectiveness), I explore the impact of cultural contexts on the effectiveness of several leadership styles, to highlight such attributes as significant factors in explaining the variations in the effect of principals’ leadership and teachers’ attitudes on school effectiveness across culturally diverse samples. I do not just focus on a particular educational setting but rather seek to investigate management issues in several ethnocultural and socioeconomical contexts, from the elementary school level to the high school level, considering both teachers’ and principals’ training.
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Recently, My research has focused on the lived experiences of underrepresented groups in higher education. I aim to gain a critical understanding of the underrepresented student population as well as to highlight the perceptions of underrepresented groups regarding the inhibiting and enabling factors to their access, participation, and academic success in higher education. With this investigation I aim to emphasized how current students exercise agency and meet the current challenges of academic success in higher education. Also, I hope this research will contribute to design practical measures to address the needs of current and future underrepresented students.