South African schooling : the enigma of inequality : a study of the present situation and future possibilities

This volume brings together many of South Africa’s leading scholars of education and covers the full range of South African schooling: from financing and policy reform to in-depth discussions of literacy, numeracy, teacher development and curriculum change. The book moves beyond a historical analysis and provides an inside view of the questions South African scholars are now grappling with: Are there different and preferential equilibria we have not yet thought of or explored, and if so what are they? In practical terms, how does one get to a more equitable distribution of teachers, resources and learning outcomes? While decidedly local, these questions resonate throughout the developing world. South Africa today is the most unequal country in the world. The richest 10% of South Africans lay claim to 65% of national income and 90% of national wealth. This is the largest 90-10 gap in the world, and one that is reflected in the schooling system. Two decades after apartheid it is still the case that the life chances of most South African children are determined not by their ability or the result of hard-work and determination, but instead by the colour of their skin, the province of their birth, and the wealth of their parents. Looking back on almost three decades of democracy in South Africa, it is this stubbornness of inequality and its patterns of persistence that demands explanation, justification and analysis. "This is a landmark book on basic education in South Africa, an essential volume for those interested in learning outcomes and their inequality in South Africa. The various chapters present conceptually and empirically sophisticated analyses of learning outcomes across divisions of race, class, and place. The book brings together the wealth of decades of research output from top quality researchers to explore what has improved, what has not, and why." **Prof Lant Pritchett, Harvard University** “There is much wisdom in this collection from many of the best education analysts in South Africa. No surprise that they conclude that without a large and sustained expansion in well-trained teachers, early childhood education, and adequate school resources, South Africa will continue to sacrifice its people’s future to maintaining the privileges of the few.” **Prof Martin Carnoy, Stanford University** "Altogether, one can derive from this very valuable volume, if not an exact blueprint for the future, then certainly at least a crucial and evidence-based itinerary for the next few steps.” **Dr Luis Crouch, RTI** Front Matter ....Pages i-viii Equity: A Price Too High to Pay? (Nic Spaull)....Pages 1-24 Educational Outcomes in Post-apartheid South Africa: Signs of Progress Despite Great Inequality (Servaas van der Berg, Martin Gustafsson)....Pages 25-45 Pursuing Equity Through Policy in the Schooling Sector 2007–2017 (Martin Gustafsson)....Pages 47-66 Educational Funding and Equity in South African Schools (Shireen Motala, David Carel)....Pages 67-85 Early Childhood Development in South Africa: Inequality and Opportunity (Michaela Ashley-Cooper, Lauren-Jayne van Niekerk, Eric Atmore)....Pages 87-108 Curriculum Reform and Learner Performance: An Obstinate Paradox in the Quest for Equality (Johan Muller, Ursula Hoadley)....Pages 109-125 How Language Policy and Practice Sustains Inequality in Education (Nompumelelo L. Mohohlwane)....Pages 127-146 Still Falling at the First Hurdle: Examining Early Grade Reading in South Africa (Nic Spaull, Elizabeth Pretorius)....Pages 147-168 Mathematics Achievement and the Inequality Gap: TIMSS 1995 to 2015 (Vijay Reddy, Andrea Juan, Kathryn Isdale, Samuel Fongwa)....Pages 169-187 Teachers’ Mathematical Knowledge, Teaching and the Problem of Inequality (Hamsa Venkat)....Pages 189-204 Learner’s Written Work: An Overview of Quality, Quantity and Focus in South African Primary Schools (Paul Hobden, Sally Hobden)....Pages 205-224 Gender Inequalities in South African Schools: New Complexities (Tia Linda Zuze, Unathi Beku)....Pages 225-241 Teacher Development and Inequality in Schools: Do We Now Have a Theory of Change? (Yael Shalem, Francine De Clercq)....Pages 243-261 Inequalities in Teacher Knowledge in South Africa (Nick Taylor)....Pages 263-282 Race, Class and Inequality in Education: Black Parents in White-Dominant Schools After Apartheid (Tshepiso Matentjie)....Pages 283-299 School Leadership and Management: Identifying Linkages with Learning and Structural Inequalities (Gabrielle Wills)....Pages 301-320 How Can Learning Inequalities be Reduced? Lessons Learnt from Experimental Research in South Africa (Stephen Taylor)....Pages 321-336 Taking Change to Scale: Lessons from the Jika iMfundo Campaign for Overcoming Inequalities in Schools (Mary Metcalfe, Alistair Witten)....Pages 337-353 Inequality in Education: What is to Be Done? (Jonathan D. Jansen)....Pages 355-371 Back Matter ....Pages 373-384