About Oren*
Oren Pizmony-Levy is an Assistant Professor of International and Comparative Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Over the past ten years, Pizmony-Levy’s major research and teaching interests have focused on the process of global norm making and its implication to global educational movements. He posits that the process of norm making is shaped by recursive relationships between global and local forces. Oren’s scholarship draws from and contributes to three academic fields: comparative and international education, global and transnational sociology, and sociology of education. Within those fields, his work has focused on three “cases” of global educational movements: (1) international large-scale assessments, (2) environmental and sustainability education, and (3) sexual orientation and gender identity in education. All three cases challenge and normalize different aspects of education and schooling and have important impact on policy/practice.
Pizmony-Levy’s research has been supported by the American Sociological Association, Arcus Foundation, Spencer Foundation/National Academy of Education, and the U.S Department of State. Dr. Pizmony-Levy earned his Ph.D. and a M.A. in Sociology and comparative and international education from Indiana University, Bloomington. He has an additional M.A. in Sociology of Education and a B.A. in Political Science and Education Policy from Tel Aviv University. Prior to graduate school in the US, Pizmony-Levy worked in the Education Department of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (NGO) and served as the research coordinator at the Israeli Gay Youth Organization.
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (החברה להגנת הטבע; SPNI) is an Israeli non-profit environmental organization working to preserve plants, animals, and natural environments that represent bio-diversity, by protecting the lands and waters needed for their survival, and is Israel's oldest and largest conservation organization.
Pizmony-Levy was involved in the development of new environmental education curriculum and professional development for K-12 schools. Specifically, he was responsible for developing innovative activities that incorporate common computer software and the online tools.
The Israeli Gay Youth Organization (איגי - ארגון נוער גאה; IGY) is currently the only professional organization in Israel dedicated to serving all LGBT youth. IGY's goal is empowering LGBT youth within the formal and informal education systems; creating a meaningful social youth leadership and help them design a better community and eventually a better Israeli society.
Pizmony-Levy was one of the founders of the IGY research department which later became The Magnus Hirschfeld Institute. The Institute strives to monitor the changing social and cultural environment in Israel and its implications in shaping the various experiences of children, youth and young people with diverse gender and sexual identities. Pizmony-Levy continues to work with the staff and volunteers at IGY’s Magnus Hirschfeld Institute. He has been the co-PI of the Israel LGBT School Climate Survey (2004-2016) and the LGBT Israeli Defense Force Climate Survey (2006-2016). Pizmony-Levy’s research has been quoted numerous times on the floor of the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, and his research informed the revision of the Student Rights Act in 2014.
* Oren means pine tree in Hebrew.
Over the past ten years, Pizmony-Levy’s major research and teaching interests have focused on the process of global norm making and its implication to global educational movements. He posits that the process of norm making is shaped by recursive relationships between global and local forces. Oren’s scholarship draws from and contributes to three academic fields: comparative and international education, global and transnational sociology, and sociology of education. Within those fields, his work has focused on three “cases” of global educational movements: (1) international large-scale assessments, (2) environmental and sustainability education, and (3) sexual orientation and gender identity in education. All three cases challenge and normalize different aspects of education and schooling and have important impact on policy/practice.
Pizmony-Levy’s research has been supported by the American Sociological Association, Arcus Foundation, Spencer Foundation/National Academy of Education, and the U.S Department of State. Dr. Pizmony-Levy earned his Ph.D. and a M.A. in Sociology and comparative and international education from Indiana University, Bloomington. He has an additional M.A. in Sociology of Education and a B.A. in Political Science and Education Policy from Tel Aviv University. Prior to graduate school in the US, Pizmony-Levy worked in the Education Department of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (NGO) and served as the research coordinator at the Israeli Gay Youth Organization.
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (החברה להגנת הטבע; SPNI) is an Israeli non-profit environmental organization working to preserve plants, animals, and natural environments that represent bio-diversity, by protecting the lands and waters needed for their survival, and is Israel's oldest and largest conservation organization.
Pizmony-Levy was involved in the development of new environmental education curriculum and professional development for K-12 schools. Specifically, he was responsible for developing innovative activities that incorporate common computer software and the online tools.
The Israeli Gay Youth Organization (איגי - ארגון נוער גאה; IGY) is currently the only professional organization in Israel dedicated to serving all LGBT youth. IGY's goal is empowering LGBT youth within the formal and informal education systems; creating a meaningful social youth leadership and help them design a better community and eventually a better Israeli society.
Pizmony-Levy was one of the founders of the IGY research department which later became The Magnus Hirschfeld Institute. The Institute strives to monitor the changing social and cultural environment in Israel and its implications in shaping the various experiences of children, youth and young people with diverse gender and sexual identities. Pizmony-Levy continues to work with the staff and volunteers at IGY’s Magnus Hirschfeld Institute. He has been the co-PI of the Israel LGBT School Climate Survey (2004-2016) and the LGBT Israeli Defense Force Climate Survey (2006-2016). Pizmony-Levy’s research has been quoted numerous times on the floor of the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, and his research informed the revision of the Student Rights Act in 2014.
* Oren means pine tree in Hebrew.