21st Century Skills: Education & Values, Academy, Community and Research Development and Implementation of the EACH Program

The social, economic and technological changes of the 21st century have increased the awareness of teachers and educational researchers of the importance of a relevant and interesting learning environment, collaborative learning, personalization and values in education.  However, most of the currently available programs focus on only one of these changes, making it difficult for the education system to implement all the changes together. In addition, the programs focus mainly on the pedagogical aspects and not on the constraints of the system. As a result, many of today’s programs are pedagogically correct, but are very difficult to implement in educational systems. The EACH model is unique in that it focuses on the combination of the learning environment, collaborative learning, personalization and values in education, and is designed in a way that takes into account the constraints of the educational system. The assimilation of the model in Herzliya brought with it a reinforcement of pedagogical processes with an emphasis on the learning skills required of a scholar in the 21st century. Accordingly, the EACH model is an implementable program for every municipal education system. The model uses a city’s resources to provide learners with a meaningful learning experience and provides them with tools and learning and thinking skills that are adapted to the complex reality of the 21st century. The EACH model is based on four principles: (1) education & values, (2) academy, (3) community, and (4) research. The model has been successfully applied in the city of Herzliya, Israel, and is recommended for other cities around the world.