Has the South African post-apartheid state been able to achieve its stated goals? What has been the relationship between the process of educational reform and the impact on the state of the Constitution and other laws? This seminal book responds to these questions by examining the development and implementation of post-apartheid social policy in South Africa, particularly in relation to education.

"Elusive Equity" chronicles South Africas efforts to fashion a racially equitable state education system from the ashes of apartheid. Edward Fiske and Helen Ladd draw on previously unpublished data, interviews with key officials, and visits to dozens of schools to describe the changes made in school finance, teacher assignment policies, governance, curriculum, higher education, and other areas.

This title was first published in 2002: Has the South African post-apartheid state been able to achieve its stated goals? What has been the relationship between the process of educational reform and the impact on the state of the Constitution and other laws? This seminal book responds to these questions by examining the development and implementation of social policy in South Africa during the first years of democratic government, particularly in relation to education. The post-apartheid state was immediately faced with a broad spectrum of political, social, economic and human rights issues. The research analyzes whether the aims and objectives of the new administration were achieved; no other single collection of research in South Africa collectively explores the issues raised in this endeavour. The book will appeal to a wide range of professionals including researchers, academics, planners, policy makers, public servants and postgraduate students.

This research handbook provides meaningful coverage on current trends in the dynamic education systems of Africa. It presents the main findings on current issues in the education systems from different African countries. Specifically, it examines education policies and what can be done differently by African nations to strengthen these policies. The objective is to highlight African nations’ capacity to address issues of social justice to generate ideas that can help translate the increasing strengths of the continent into achieving sustainable development.

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

"This book considers these issues by reviewing selected large-scale interventions to improve education quality in South African schools. These interventions include the District Development Support Programme (DDSP), the Education Quality Improvement Partnership Programme (EQUIP), the IMBEWU programme, the Integrated Education Program (IEP), the Khanyisa School Programme, the Learning for Living (LFL) Project, and the Quality Learning Project (QLP). It locates these interventions by providing a chronology of education policy development in South Africa since 1994 as well as engaging with key debates about the notion of education quality. Furthermore, it invites policy-makers to critically review and reflect on the changes to improve education quality in South Africa since 1994. By bringing together academics, policy-makers and practitioners to reflect on education development the book sheds light on the continuous but elusive search for quality education for all. In so doing, the book provides a basis for a critical conversation about the history of education change in post-apartheid South Africa, and the implications for interventions aimed at improving education quality."--Publisher's note

This book presents the most comprehensive and most thorough study of the developments in South African higher education and research after the first democratic elections of 1994 – that is of post-Apartheid South African higher education. This volume will provide its readers with a detailed insight into the new (i.e. post-1994) South African higher education system. The large number of experienced authors and editors involved in the book guarantees that the reader will be introduced in the new SA higher education system from a large number of perspectives that are presented in a consistent and coherent way. This book will be of interest to scholars, students, administrators, policymakers and politicians interested in South Africa, higher education and research, and policy analysis. "Publications on higher education are not new. But this volume, which is the first of its kind as a collective effort of tracing and examining the twists and turns taken by processes of change in the South African higher education system in a context of profound societal and global transformation, adds a fresh dimension to the debate. In its examination of the extent to which the changes were in line with policy intentions, particularly with regard to equity, democratisation, responsiveness and efficiency, and how a new institutional landscape started emerging, it makes a momentous contribution to the current debate about higher education restructuring." Njabulo Ndebele, Vice-chancellor, University of Cape Town and Chair of the South African Association of University Vice-chancellors "This book addresses a rich variety of issues on South African higher education. It puts these in the relevant context of the process of globalization and it shows that the South African experiences offer us a lot to learn. Highly recommended for those who are intrigued by the innovations taking place in South African higher education as well as for those who intend to grasp the effects of globalization." Frans van Vught, Rector Magnificus and founding Director of the Center for Higher Education Policy Studies, University of Twente, The Netherlands "Reflection is a crucial ingredient to learning. In this book on higher education we have reflections on a unique period in the history of a country that managed its transition to democracy in a way that was unique, but from which we can all learn. Higher education in South Africa played a vital role in that transition and was part of the many tensions, choices and influences. They have been thoughtfully captured." Brenda Gourley, Vice-chancellor, The Open University, UK and board member, Centre for Higher Education Transformation. "No contemporary higher education system has changed as dramatically as that in South Africa. This book, rich in data, examines the changes that took place and offers insights into how change frequently cannot be predicted. The analysis captures the excitement, high expectations, remarkable successes, and failures in the transformation of the apartheid system of higher education. This excellent study provides rich fare for comparative analysis." Fred M. Hayward, American Council on Education Pilot Project, Executive Vice President, Council for Higher Education Accreditation, US.