It all started in high school. A young Rima’a Da’as was studying in the math and physics track and was struck by how inspirational her teachers were. She eventually persued a BSc in mathematics with a minor in statistics at Hebrew University. After graduating, she returned to middle school – as a math and physics teacher.
After several years on the job, she looked around and began asking questions about the efficacy of schools, principals, and teachers – vis-à-vis student outcomes. This led her to pursue a master’s and doctoral degree in Leadership and Policy in Education. After completing postdoctoral studies, she joined Hebrew University’s faculty in 2020.
Today, Dr. Da’as conducts cutting-edge research at schools, studying how principals’ cognitive complexity (their capacity to interpret social behavior in a multi-dimensional way) affects school processes, school outcomes, and fosters innovation. While “cognitive complexity” is a common term in the business world, Dr. Da’as is the first to apply the concept to the school setting.
But that’s not all. Dr. Da’as is also researching how principals’ characteristics and practices can change aggressive and at-risk behavior by students; along with colleagues, she is developing a guidebook for principals in times of crisis (e.g. the pandemic); she is identifying ways in which middle leaders, such as coordinators within schools, can foster more effective team work among the staff; she is participating in international studies that examine the relevancy of different criteria across cultures; and, lastly, along with a colleague from Bar-Ilan University, she is exploring ways for principals of Israeli-Arab schools to promote their students’ social integration and mobility, both within their immediate communities and within Israeli society at large.
“The Seymour Fox School of Education is like a large, supportive family. Hebrew University is truly invested in me – not just my research and teaching, but in me as a scholar, inspiring me to be the best researcher I can be!”
Photograph by Maxim Dinshtein