I have now moved to Paris to work at the OECD for my TJA Fellowship on PISA data in developing countries. This is essentially an extension of my work on SACMEQ/PASEC and DHS, trying to combine surveys of achievement and attainment to get a composite measure of education system performance. While I’m away I won’t be commenting as regularly on SA education issues as I usually do. And I will probably shift my focus to other developing countries which is the topic of my research at the OECD. I have already found a number of fascinating things about some PISA countries which I don’t think are widely known or fully appprecaited. There is more than enough included in my previous blog post (11 policy briefs, two synthesis reports and a 200+-page special issue of the SAJCE), not to mention the Volmink Report, for the media and policy-makers to focus on for the next 2 years, let alone 3 months. Keeping up with the nitty-gritty doesn’t make much sense when the underlying issues are not being addressed or taken seriously.
To be honest I’m quite glad to be taking a break from South African education and working on PISA and learning about PISA-for-Development. Clear outcomes, a competent team, and political will. That’ll be nice 🙂
Nic Spaull 
Good luck!
Best of luck in Paris and I look forward to reading your posts.
regards
Patsy Waites
Good ,morning Mr Nick,I am a first year Education students at WITS University and i dont any form of funding . I was hoping that maybe you can help me in getting a sponser.
Good luck . . . I am particularly interested in how to measure the relative value of attributes gained through training and experience, even when in a different field completely to that in which a person wishes to study. The PISA info is thus welcome.