The Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-SE), formerly known as the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP), is an Israeli non-profit organization that monitors the content of school textbooks, specifically how they educate in relation to religion, societies, cultures, democratic values and the 'Other'. It examines school curricula worldwide, to determine whether the material conforms to international standards as derived from UNESCO declarations and resolutions, advocating for change when necessary. The organization believes that education should be utilized to encourage tolerance, pluralism and democracy, and promote peaceful means of solving conflicts. The current CEO of the organization is Marcus Sheff, a former Israeli-British journalist and media executive, and a current Major in reserves in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson Unit.

Scope and impact

The organization analyzes textbooks, teachers' guides and curricula from across the world. Examples include in-depth reports on Egypt, Turkey, North America, Israel, Palestinian Authority, Syria and Iran. These reports have examined a range of issues including attitudes towards peace, tolerance, democracy and minorities. The impact of these reports has included the European Parliament's decision to freeze elements of Palestinian Authority funding until curricula are brought into line with international standards. The same report by the organization led to questions being raised publicly over similar funding from governments in Switzerland, Germany and UK. In Israel, the organization's reporting generated media analysis of failures in the publicly funded ultra-Orthodox Jewish educational system. The organization was also invited to help create a curriculum for Syrian children seeking refuge in Greece.

Methodology

The organization applies methodological standards to its reporting, which are based on UNESCO and UN declarations and resolutions. This is a condensed version of the standards for peace and tolerance in school education:

Publications

Publications by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education include:

Media

Reports in the media which include the work of the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education include: