-
Who gets left behind, and why?
Explore new insights from South Africa’s administrative education
data - on learner progression, mathematics pathways, teacher supply, and more. -
Same class, very different outcomes.
Our new research brief examines the
extent of learning variation in classroomsWe find substantial differences in academic achievement
among learners in the same grade within a school, and even
within the same class. -
How do most learners complete high
school despite poor learning outcomes
in the early grades?Our new report investigates this question using teacher interviews,
policy documents and learner assessment data. -
Grade 1 repetition drives
lasting academic gainsImprovements are significant and remain
evident up to three years later.
-
Who gets left behind, and why?
Explore new insights from South Africa’s administrative education data - on learner progression, mathematics pathways, teacher supply, and more.
-
Same class, very different outcomes. Our new research brief examines the extent of learning variation in classrooms
We find substantial differences in academic achievement among learners in the same grade within a school, and even within the same class.
-
How do most learners complete high school despite poor learning outcomes in the early grades?
Our new report investigates this question using teacher interviews, policy documents and learner assessment data.
-
Grade 1 repetition drives lasting academic gains
Improvements are significant and remain evident up to three years later.
Research on Socio-Economic Policy (RESEP) is a group of scholars and students interested in issues of education, poverty, income distribution, social mobility, economic development, health and social policy. It is based at the Department of Economics at the University of Stellenbosch.
The team is led by Servaas van der Berg, whose position as the SARChI Chair in the Economics of Social Policy from 2008-2022 led to the further consolidation of research within these areas. RESEP is a field leader in policy-relevant quantitative research on social policy issues in South Africa.
Current research projects
Gender inequality in South African education
Project description RESEP have been involved in research focused on understanding gender inequalities in educational achievement and progression in South Africa. This occurs in a context where South Africa recorded the largest pro-girl ...
Roots and Shoots
Project description The Roots and Shoots study is a longitudinal research project following a cohort of children in the Western Cape from the start of Grade R through the Foundation Phase. By tracking ...
Mixed-Methods Investigation into Learning, Assessment, Progression and Support (MILAPS)
Project description Mixed-Methods Investigation into Learning, Assessment, Progression and Support MILAPS is a collaborative research programme between RESEP (Stellenbosch University), the University of Cape Town, and the Optima Trust. The project combines quantitative ...
Insights from Data Driven Districts (MSDF)
Project description This research project is based on the RESEP–MSDF Education Data Partnership, which strengthens the use of learner-level administrative data in South Africa to improve evidence-based decision-making in education. The partnership supports ...
The Instructional Core
Project description The Instructional Core project is named for Richard Elmore’s (2008) conceptualisation of teachers, students and content as the core of school-based learning. His model posits that any significant improvement in educational ...
Teacher Demographic Dividend
Project description The Teacher Demographic Dividend (TDD) project was a research project focusing on South Africa’s need for teachers in the next decade and beyond. At the project’s inception, it was estimated that ...
