Contact as a Policy Mechanisim in Integrated schools in Israel and Northern Ireland

Policy initiatives in inter-group education evolved in Northern Ireland and Israel at around the same<br/>time. In each jurisdiction, the emphasis is on improving relations between protagonist groups in<br/>ethnically divided societies. Central to this objective and at the core of integrated education<br/>(Northern Ireland) and bilingual/bi-national education (Israel) is sustained contact in a shared<br/>learning environment. Based on qualitative research in four schools, this paper examines the nature<br/>of the contact experience in two integrated schools in Northern Ireland and two bilingual/binational<br/>schools in Israel. Through comparative analysis, and with reference to contact theory, it<br/>illuminates some of the contextual and process variables that seemingly mediate the quality and<br/>moderate the effectiveness of contact in each school setting.