"Presents important research on the persistent challenges of teaching and learning literacy and mathematics in South African schools. Written with elegance and clarity.... Essential reading." —Linda Chisholm, University of Johannesburg

"Seamlessly combine[s] an intimate sense of teaching practice, pertinent research and sensible policy solutions.... An indispensable resource for politicians, practitioners, and professors of education if South Africa is to scale this formidable next hurdle of teacher departures in the coming years." —Jonathan D. Jansen, Stellenbosch University

Why are so many South African children leaving the early grades unable to read or do basic arithmetic, and what does this say about how we train their teachers?

Tackling these questions head-on, the authors of School Foundations provide a thorough investigation of South Africa's Initial Teacher Education system, examining how teachers who specialize in Foundation and Intermediate Phase education are selected, trained, and prepared for the classroom. They also expose the troubling gap between how literacy and numeracy are taught in schools serving poor versus middle-class populations and trace that disparity back to weaknesses in teacher preparation. They conclude with a bold set of recommendations for stronger, more equitable primary-school education.