The impetus for conceiving and implementing educational reforms rises and falls according to a number of social, political and ideological factors. In her lecture, Miriam Ben-Peretz uses the example of a major period of reform in the Israeli school system to demonstrate how the changing interactions between these factors determine the sorts of reforms that occur. While unsuccessful or unpopular reforms are quickly replaced with new strategies, each reform movement leaves its imprint on the system, contributing to a larger 'lifecycle' of reform that ultimately strives for excellence.