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Nic Spaull

Nic Spaull

Followers of Nic Spaull1000 followers
location of Nic SpaullCity of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

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  • Timeline

  • About me

    Global Education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

  • Education

    • University of KwaZulu-Natal

      2005 - 2008
      BBus Sci Economics

    • Stanford University

      -

    • Stellenbosch University/Universiteit Stellenbosch

      2010 - 2012
      Masters Economics

    • University of Cape Town

      2012 - 2012
      Masters Econometrics (course) Economics

      While undertaking my masters at Stellenbosch University I also took the graduate econometrics course at UCT.

    • Stanford University

      -

    • Stellenbosch University

      2012 - 2014
      Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Economics

      My PhD thesis focussed on the quality of education in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. It addressed issues such as inequality in numeracy and literacy outcomes in primary school in South Africa, the large learning deficits that are present in mathematics, the causal 'cost' of writing assessments in English where English is a second language, and finally how to create a composite measure of access (enrolment/grade-completion) and quality (learning) using DHS data and SACMEQ data.My… Show more My PhD thesis focussed on the quality of education in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. It addressed issues such as inequality in numeracy and literacy outcomes in primary school in South Africa, the large learning deficits that are present in mathematics, the causal 'cost' of writing assessments in English where English is a second language, and finally how to create a composite measure of access (enrolment/grade-completion) and quality (learning) using DHS data and SACMEQ data.My thesis (PDF) can be downloaded here: http://resep.sun.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Nic-Spaull-Thesis.pdf Show less

  • Experience

    • Stellenbosch University

      Jan 2010 - Aug 2023

      I'm part of the Social Policy Research Group within the Department of Economics at Stellenbosch University. I focus on issues around education in Southern Africa.

      • Associate Professor

        Jul 2021 - Aug 2023

      • Senior Researcher

        Jan 2017 - Jul 2021

      • Researcher

        Jan 2010 - Jan 2017

    • Stanford University

      Sept 2015 - Nov 2015
      Visiting Scholar

      Visiting Scholar at the Graduate School of Education working with Professor Martin Carnoy.

    • DFID Research Project

      Jan 2016 - Dec 2018
      Co-Investigator

      We are currently doing research on exceptional township and rural schools in South Africa (Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape) with an aim to understanding and codifying the school leadership and management factors associated with outlier performance. This is a matched-pair analysis with 30 exceptional schools and 30 typical neighbouring schools. The other investigators are Servaas van der Berg, Ursula Hoadley, Jaamia Galant and Nick Taylor.

    • OECD

      Feb 2016 - Feb 2017
      Thomas J Alexander Fellow 2016

      I was a Thomas J Alexander Fellow at the OECD in Paris. I analysed PISA data for developing and middle-income countries in conjunction with household survey data. The aim was to provide a composite measure of educational access and educational achievement. The work has subsequently been published here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0969594X.2018.1504742?journalCode=caie20

    • Funda Wande

      Jan 2017 - Jul 2021
      Founder & CEO

      The "Funda Wande: Reading for Meaning" and "Bala Wande: Calculating with Confidence" program is aimed at developing the programs, materials and support that Grade 1-3 teachers need to be equipped to teach reading for meaning and calculating with understanding in their home language by age 10.

    • NIDS-CRAM

      Apr 2020 - Jul 2021
      Initiator & Co-Principal Investigator

      During the COVID-19 pandemic I initiated the National Income Dynamics Study Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (NIDS-CRAM), a nationwide consortium of more than 30 researchers from six universities in South Africa. This was a nationally representative telephonic panel survey of over 7000 South Africans aimed at measuring the impact of COVID-19 in South Africa. It included five waves of data collections between May 2020 and May 2021 and generated 67 academic working papers. The research has been cited by the President in parliament and has been widely used by policy-makers in the pandemic response. More information is available on the NIDS-CRAM website: https://cramsurvey.org/ Show less

    • Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

      Aug 2023 - now
      Senior Program Officer

      I am a Senior Program Officer within the Global Education team focusing on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Sub-Saharan Africa.

  • Licenses & Certifications

    • PhD Economics

    • National Research Foundation P-Rating

      The National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF)
      Feb 2021
      View certificate certificate