# Israeli school curriculum and technology policy changes > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/israeli-school-curriculum-and-technology-policy-changes > Updated: 2026-09-13T05:00:00.000Z. Sources: 6. Developments: 2. At the start of the new school year, the Israeli Education Ministry introduced significant curriculum changes, including expanded STEM and artificial intelligence studies. Plans were set to provide AI training to over 12,000 teachers and implement a 20-hour course for eighth and ninth-grade students covering AI ethics and misinformation. The ministry also introduced new restrictions on smartphone use for middle school students to address social and emotional resilience. Following these national directives, a specific initiative in Tel Aviv called the ‘Hinuch bekeshev’ (educating with attention) project demonstrated success in reducing student smartphone use. Research indicated that 74 percent of participating students set aside their phones during breaks, compared to 21 percent of non-participating students. Due to these results, the Tel Aviv municipality intends to expand the program, which utilizes special lockers for phone storage, to all 37 secondary schools in the city. ## Timeline ### 2026-09-13: Tel Aviv expands school project to reduce student smartphone use A Tel Aviv school project has successfully reduced student smartphone use during breaks, leading to plans to expand the initiative to all 37 secondary schools in the city. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/tel-aviv-expands-school-project-to-reduce-student-smartphone-use ### 2026-08-31: Israel expands AI studies and restricts phones for new school year Israeli students return to school with an expanded focus on AI and STEM studies, alongside new smartphone restrictions and efforts to address teacher shortages. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/israel-expands-ai-studies-and-restricts-phones-for-new-school-year --- Cite as: Israeli school curriculum and technology policy changes. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/israeli-school-curriculum-and-technology-policy-changes