Carmel Blank

Dr. Blank is a faculty member in the Behavioral Sciences Department at the Ruppin Academic Center and a researcher in the Taub Center Initiative on Early Childhood Development and Inequality. She has a BA in sociology and communication (with high honors), an MA in sociology (with honors), and a doctorate in sociology from Tel Aviv University.

In addition, she did her post-doctoral work at the University of Durham in England. Her central area of research is in educational inequality and her doctorate dealt with the link between disciplinary infractions in class and student achievement. Among other things, she looked at how different classroom disciplinary climates contribute to achievement gaps between students. Today, in addition to her work on inequalities in early childhood, she investigates gender gaps in learning the STEM subjects at the bagrut level and the way in which strong students are able to use the “second chances” tracks (like pre-university mechinas) to their advantage in gaining higher education.