Elusive Equity

Education reform in post-apartheid South Africa Elusive Equity documents South Africas efforts to create a racially equitable state education system from the ashes of apartheid education. Edward Fiske and Helen Ladd describe and evaluate the strategies that South African policy makers have pursued in their quest for equity. They draw on previously unpublished data, interviews with key officials, and visits to dozens of schools to describe the changes made to school financing, teacher allocation, governance, curriculum, and other areas. They conclude that the country has made remarkable progress toward equity in the sense of treating persons of all races equally. For several reasons, however, the system has been far less successful in promoting equal access for all and equity, in terms of the provision of quality, has remained elusive. The book combines the perceptive observations of an experienced education journalist with the analytical skills of an academic policy expert. Richly textured descriptions of how South Africas education reforms have affected schools at grassroots level are combined with careful analysis of enrolment, governance, and budget data at school, provincial, and national levels. The result is a compelling and comprehensive study of the first decade of education reform in the post-apartheid period. A co-publication with the Brookings Institution Press, Washington.

Preface
1 Introduction
2 The Racial Context of South Africa
3 Education and Apartheid
4 Educational Aspirations and Political Realities
5 Governance and Access to Schools
6 Financing Schools: Initial Steps toward Equity
7 Balancing Public and Private Resources
8 Outcomes-Based Education and Equity
9 Educational Outcomes
10 Equity in Higher Education
11 Conclusion
Appendix
References
Index

Edward B. Fiske, is an educational consultant and writer. He served as education editor of the New York Times from 1974 to 1991.

Helen F. Ladd is Edgar Thompson Professor of Public Policy Studies and professor of economics at Duke Universitys Sanford Institute of Public Policy.