JET Exchanges 5/2023: The Grade R Mathematics and Language Improvement Programme

The 5th JET Exchanges shares information about the Grade R Mathematics and Language Improvement Programme (MLIP) in which JET is a partner, describing the context in which the programme is being implemented before providing details on the programme itself. Foundational mathematics and literacy skills are premier issues in South African classrooms, both for learners as well as educators. South Africa has invested in several reading and mathematics interventions in the past years; however, setbacks like the COVID-19 pandemic rolled back progress that had been made. According to a background report by Spaull for the 2030 Reading Panel, If learning loss estimates are correct and SA does manage to get back onto the prepandemic improvement trajectory, it will still take 86 years from 2023 up to 2108 until all Grade 4 children can read for meaning in SA (Spaull, 2023, 8). Currently, 65% of learners lack the skills needed to progress in language and mathematics (Gauteng Education Development Trust, 2021, 7). Considering the challenging landscape for advancing effective mathematics and literacy interventions, the Grade R MLIP has led efforts toward improving outcomes in these areas for all schools in Gauteng Province offering Grade R from 2022 through 2024.

School Curriculum Mapping Report

Mapping curriculum frameworks and practices in Africa: creating baseline evidence (2022)

RFP: AASA Phase 2 Functional schools – Governance, Leadership & Management component

Research Bulletin on Post-School Education and Training (PSET)

The 10th edition of the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET’s) annual Research Bulletin on Post-School Education and Training (PSET)

National Plan for Post-School Education and Training (NPPSET)

The National Plan for Post-School Education and Training (NPPSET) 2021–2030 has been released. The NPPSET sets out a roadmap for implementing the policy vision of the White Paper for Post-School education and Training. The NPPSET sets out key system goals, objectives, outcomes and strategies aimed at achieving an integrated, coordinated, expanded, responsive, cooperative, quality, efficient, successful and articulated post-school education and training (PSET) system over the period 2021/2022 to 2029/2030.

"Blended beyond borders” a report on the use of technology in schools in Brazil, Malaysia and South Africa

In order to establish whether the integration of technology and the resulting "blended learning" approach is, in fact, resulting in instructional model change, the Clayton Christensen Institute undertook a survey study among a small sample of schools in Brazil, Malaysia and South Africa. The findings have been released in a report, “Blended beyond borders”.

Invitation: Parental Involvement

Reos Partners and JET Education Services are embarking on a process to combine their expertise to address systemic challenges in the education sector. Together, they have identified the potential lever of parental (or caregiver involvement)1 in education as an opportunity to significantly improve educational outcomes, particularly in the Foundation Phase of the child’s development.

JET Exchanges 3/2021: Parental involvement for school improvement: A South African perspective

This paper gives a brief introduction and background to parental and caregiver2 involvement in schools, particularly in rural schools in South Africa, through reviewing some of the literature on the subject. It also presents some suggestions on what can be done to improve parental involvement in rural schools. The intention of this paper is to stimulate discussion on this important aspect of school improvement.

JET Exchanges: How can PISA for Schools be of use to South Africa?

On 5 November 2020, JET Education Services (JET) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) co-hosted a seminar to explore the potential which the PISA for Schools project (OECD, 2020a) may hold for South Africa. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a programme of the OECD, is an internationally-benchmarked assessment which measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges. While PISA allows countries to measure the performance of a representative sample of schools against objective benchmarks and against those of other participating countries, PISA for Schools (PFS) enables individual schools to assess the strengths and weaknesses of their students in these subjects.

Theme 6 Research Report: Ameliorating the Impact of Fake News on High School Learners during COVID-19

Education Researchers Respond to The COVID-19 Pandemic. The primary purpose of Theme 6 (Fake news impacting school-age children [or targeting school-age children]: impacts on behaviour, risk, anxiety, and how to ameliorate) was to investigate high school learners’ awareness of fake or false news during the COVID-19 lockdown period in South Africa. A secondary purpose was to examine the types of fake news that exist and how each of these variously impacts on society. We also look at the skills needed in order to distinguish false news from real news. This document is a work in progress, and we hope that other contributions and further research will be undertaken in this field.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) to conduct a longitudinal developmental evaluation of the National Digital Ecosystem for Post -School Education and Training Programme.

JET Education Services (JET) and the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (merSETA), have initiated a collaborative programme titled Post School Education and Training Collaboration and Learning Opportunities and Utilisation of Data (PSET CLOUD).

Infographic Theme 6: True or False? The Impact of Fake News about COVID-19 on High School Learners in Southern Africa

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) to conduct a longitudinal developmental evaluation of the National Digital Ecosystem for Post -School Education and Training Programme.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) to conduct a longitudinal developmental evaluation of the National Digital Ecosystem for Post -School Education and Training Programme. JET and the merSETA invite well-experienced independent service providers to submit proposals in line with the Terms of Reference below.

Fake news about COVID-19: The impact on high school learners in southern Africa

SADC Researchers Challenges THEME 6: Curbing the spread of fake news in Southern Africa - what we can and cannot do: Final report

Addressing the ‘leadership conundrum’ through a mixed methods study of school leadership for literacy

Nick Taylor coauthored this article published in Research in Comparative and International Education

Leadership for Literacy: Exploring leadership practices in township and rural primary schools serving poor communities in South Africa

Final Report on the Case Study Schools, 9 April 2018

Creating and index to assess implementation of a school nutrition programme

Pan-Commonwealth Standards Framework for Teachers and School Leaders

Validation Report prepared by JET Education Services

Tipping Points in Schooling

Keynote presentation on the occasion of the launch of the RESEP reports: “Binding Constraints in Education” and “Laying Firm Foundations: Getting Reading Right”, Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study, Stellenbosch University, 24 May 2016.

Creating Effective Schools

This book is the culmination of six years of work on the National School Effectiveness Study, a longitudinal research project that collected and analysed relevant school and home background data from 300 primary schools selected from all provinces except Gauteng.

Systemic School Improvement Interventions in South Africa: Some Practical Lessons from Development Practitioners

Some practical lessons from development practitioners

Who is out of school? Evidence from the Statistics South Africa Community Survey.

Fleisch B, Shindler J, Perry H. (2012). Who is out of school? Evidence from the Statistics South Africa Community Survey. International Journal of Educational Development 32 (2012) 529–536. (An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 10th UKFIET International Conference on Education and Development, 15–17 September 2009, New College, Oxford. Funding for the research project was provided by the National Research Foundation and CREATE, University of Sussex. The authors are exclusively responsible for the research presented in this paper).

A Five-Year Plan for South African Schooling

A report commissioned by the National Planning Commission

The National School Effectiveness Study (NSES): Summary for the Synthesis Report

Nick Taylor (August 2011)

Service Delivery Research Project: Office of the Presidency: The School Sector

Report by Nick Taylor, Thabo Mabogoane and Binaben Akoobhai on a research study commissioned by the Office of the Presidency and funded by GTZ. The purpose of the research was to investigate the link between school level learning and institutional practice. The study focused on school level practices in high schools, and measured learning outcomes by school mean performance on the annual national Senior Certificate examinations.

JET Education Services Learning Brief: Systemic School Improvement in Rural Areas: What Have We Learnt?

JET Education Services: Learning Brief: Systemic School Improvement in Rural Areas: What Have We Learnt?

December 2010

What Can the School Governing Body do to Improve School Performance Without Interfering with Management?

Taylor N. (2009). Presentation to Governing Body Foundation, May 2009.

What’s Wrong With Our Schools and How Can We Fix Them?

Presentation to the CSR in Education Conference, TSiBA Education, Cape Town, 21 November 2008

The Zenex Approach to School Development

What Works in School Development: Conference Report

School Seminar: School Transformation: Khanyisa Education Support Programme

What’s Wrong with South African Schools?

“What works in School Development?”: Business Investment in Schooling – Coordination or Cacophony?

How the World’s Best-performing School Systems Come Out on Top

Getting the Talented Poor to Good Schools: The ISASA Mathematics and English Programme

080409 Getting the Talented Poor to Good Schools: The ISASA Mathematics and English Programme

“Working at the Top End”: Maximising Business Investment in Schooling

Expanded Mathematics, Science and Technology Strategy: Schools Seminar: What’s Working in School Development

Improving Literacy and Mathematics in the Primary School: The Country’s Most Important Priority

Differentiating Our Effort: Current Interventions In School Development In South Africa: What Works In School Development?

Taylor N. (2008). Boksburg, February 2008. Presentation to the JET conference What works in school development?

Differentiating Our Effort: Current Interventions In School Development In South Africa: What Works In School Development?

Learner Absenteeism in the South African Schooling System

Community Agency for Social Enquiry (CASE). and JET Education Services. (2007).

How Can School Performance be Improved?

Taylor N. (2007). Presentation to the Imbewu Programme Review Conference, Port Elizabeth, 25-28 June 2007

Equity, Efficiency and the Development of South African Schools

Taylor N. (2007). Also published as Chapter 29 IN: International Handbook of School Effectiveness and Improvement . Springer International Handbooks of Education , Vol. 17. Townsend, Tony (Ed.). Dordrecht: Springer.

Equity, Efficiency and the Development of South African Schools

Accountability and Support in School Development in South Africa

Paper presented to the 4th Sub-regional Conference on Assessment in Eduction, 26-30 June 2006 Taylor N. (2006). Hosted by UMALUSI.

Unravelling the Mystery: Understanding South African Schooling Outcomes in Regional Context

Unravelling the Mystery: Understanding South African Schooling Outcomes in Regional Context

Determinants of Education Quality: A Summary of Findings from the Western Cape Primary School Pupil Progress Survey 2003

Data from TIMSS III: Pointers for Improving the Quality of Schooling

The Relationship Between Schooling Inputs and Outputs in South Africa: Methodologies and Policy Recommendations Based on the 2000 SACMEQ Dataset

The Quality Learning Project: Lessons for High School Improvement in South Africa

Taylor N, Prinsloo C. (2005). Presentation to the Consortium for Research On School Quality seminar, April 2005

The Quality Learning Project: Lessons for High School Improvement in South Africa

Learning from Attempts to Improve Schooling: The Contribution of Methodological Diversity

Equity, Efficiency and the Development of South African Schools

Equity, Efficiency and the Development of South African Schools

Getting schools working: Research and systemic school reform in South Africa

Taylor N., Muller, J., and Vinjevold, P. 2003. Getting schools working: Research and systemic school reform in South Africa. Pearson South Africa.

Determinants of Education Quality: A summary of findings from the Western Cape Primary School Pupil Progress Survey

Accountability and Support: Improving Public Schooling in South Africa: A Systemic Framework

Taylor N. (2002). Johannesburg: JET Education Services. Paper presented to the National Consultation on School Development, Department of Education, 29 January 2002

Balancing Support and Accountability to Improve School Performance: Conference Proceedings of the National Consultation on School Development

Roberts J and Muller J, eds. (2002). Johannesburg: JET Education Services.

Outcomes, Effort and Values in Schooling

Taylor N. (2001). Johannesburg: JET Education Services. Presentation to the New Millenium Business conference, Wits University Business School, 15 May 2001

001756 Change Management: Best Practice in Whole School Development

001731 An Investigation of the Availability and Use of Learning Materials in Grade 12 Science Classes in Some Selected Schools in the Northern Province

001754 An Investigation into Appropriate Ways of Implementing Institutional Development (Whole School Development)

001835 A Case Study of Four Schools Participating in the Equip Project of the National Business Initiative

No Magic Bullets, Just Tracer Bullets: The Role of Learning Resources, Social Advantage, and Education Management in Improving the Performance of South African Schools

No Magic Bullets, Just Tracer Bullets: The Role of Learning Resources, Social Advantage, and Education Management in Improving the Performance of South African Schools

004416 Learner Progress and Achievement Study: A Study Aimed at Identifying Factors which Impact on School Progress and Achievement in Primary and Secondary Schools in the Western Cape

001002 President's Education Initiative: Appendix C: Large Class Teaching Multilingual Teaching Multigrade Teaching Whole School Development

Business Case development services for the establishment of a National Digital Ecosystem for Post-School Education and Training

Business Case development services for the establishment of a National Digital Ecosystem for Post-School Education and Training

Theme 6 Tool: Ameliorating the Impact of Fake News on High School Learners during COVID-19

IS IT FAKE NEWS? Containing the spread of COVID-19 fake news and misinformation: A guide for South African high-schoolers

Theme 6 Research Infographic: Ameliorating the Impact of Fake News on High School Learners during COVID-19

To investigate South African high school learners’ awareness of fake/false news during the COVID-19 lockdown, types of fake news, and the skills needed for distinguishing between false news and real news.

Theme 10 Research Report: Lessons on How Countries Manage Schooling During and After Disasters

The study involves a review of literature on how education systems were managed during and after a disaster. Four cases were examined: natural disasters (tsunami and earthquake) in Indonesia and Haiti; civil conflicts in Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Libya and the Vuwani district in Limpopo, South Africa; a health pandemic (Ebola) in West Africa; and the COVID-19 education response globally and in South Africa. All four cases offer valuable insights and lessons for the education sector in South Africa when it comes to strategy, policy, planning and programming of responses for education continuity, preparation to exit the lockdown and for curriculum recovery.

Theme 10 Research Infographic: Lessons on How Countries Manage Schooling During and After Disasters

Lessons on How Countries Manage Schooling During and After Disasters: A Study of Four Cases

Creating and index to assess implementation of a school nutrition programme.pdf

Creating Effectives Schools summary.pdf

JET Bulletin May 2018: Standardised learner assessments in ‘affordable’ independent schools – perspectives from research and practice

JET Education Services (JET), in collaboration with four school operators and Old Mutual Alternative Investments’ Schools Fund, has been involved in the assessment of educational quality in affordable independent schools using standardised assessments. This work has led to a more developmental use of assessment, with some school operators using detailed analysis of the assessment data to inform their teaching practices.

Mapping School Reform Initiatives in South Africa: An Overview of 12 School Reform Projects. Research on School Development Study

Roberts J. (2002). Johannesburg: JET Education Services.