The Learning Variability Network Exchange (LEVANTE) brings together researchers from around the world aiming to capture the richness and diversity of child development and learning.
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Home » University of Haifa, Israel
The Israeli research site, led by Principal Investigator Tami Katzir, is based at the Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities at the University of Haifa. Data will be collected over multiple years from children aged 5 to 10 in Israel, focusing on Hebrew‑ and Arabic‑speaking populations.
The proposed LEVANTE study addresses a critical gap in global research on learning variability by integrating Hebrew and Arabic into LEVANTE’s standardized assessment framework. The study will generate novel evidence on universal and language‑specific learning trajectories in Semitic languages.
The project will follow 600 children (300 Hebrew‑speaking and 300 Arabic‑speaking) using LEVANTE’s accelerated longitudinal design, with three overlapping cohorts covering ages 5–10 across three years. Annual LEVANTE Core Assessments will be complemented by validated Semitic‑specific measures developed at the Safra Center, including assessments of morphological awareness, reading with and without diacritics, and root‑pattern processing. A trained bilingual research team will administer computerized assessments, and caregiver and teacher questionnaires will be collected online, following LEVANTE protocols for quality control and cross‑linguistic reliability.
Read more about the LEVANTE Pilot Sites.
Tami Katzir
Tami Katzir received her PhD in Applied Child Development at Tufts University, and was an Assistant Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in the Mind, Brain and Education program between 2002 and 2006. She joined the Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities in 2006 and had been a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education since 2008. During 2009-2011, she was a visiting professor of Neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, as well as a scholar in residence at the Stephan Wise Academy School at Bel-Air.