ESCOLA DIGNA NO MARANHÃO: Relações intergovernamentais e implicações na educação municipal

Abstract

This dissertation is linked to the Research Line in History, Politics and Human Formation and to the Study and Research Group in Educational Policies and Management (GEPPGE) of the Postgraduate Program in Education (PPGE) at the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA). The research aims to analyze the development in the Dignified School Macropolicy of provisions on cooperative relations between the State Executive Branch and Municipal Governments, and the implications and reactions in the municipal education system and in schools in São Mateus and Aldeias Altas, in the period from 2015 to 2024. The choice of municipalities was based on data from SEDUC-Maranhão, considering the time of adherence to the Dignified School Macro Policy since 2015, the HDI-M classified as low or medium, and the existence of at least two units of the program built or renovated to replace inadequate school structures. The theoretical framework for analysis and interpretative synthesis was based on the intellectual works of: Abrucio and Segatto (2014), Almeida (2001); Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (2007); Elazar (1995); Dourado (2007, 2013); Gadotti (1997); Ciavatta (2014); William Riker (1996) Lima (2012); Lustosa (2022); Camini (2010); Oliveira and Araujo (2005); Ferreira and Santos (2023); Silva (2022) Afonso (2005) Lima J.P.M (2023), Lima F; Bianchini; Lima (2019), among others. Methodologically, the research is exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory, with a qualitative approach, based on the epistemological framework of HistoricalDialectical Materialism, with emphasis on the categories of mediation, contradiction, and social practice. In the descriptive-analytical research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with institutional managers from the State Department of Education and municipal education departments, as well as managers from municipal public elementary schools included in the actions of the Macro policy. The data collected were analyzed using Laurence Bardin's Content Analysis technique. In the explanatory phase, interpretative syntheses of the development of cooperative relations between state power and two municipalities in Maranhão were constructed, highlighting ambiguities, autonomy, resistance, and meanings produced for educational policies. The object of study involves the analysis of key concepts such as Cooperative Federalism, Collaborative Regime, and Intergovernmental Relations between state and municipalities. The research demonstrates that the "Escola Digna" (Dignified School) Macropolicy represented an advance in the consolidation of federative cooperation between the State of Maranhão and the municipalities, demonstrating significant implications for education systems and schools. The collected data were analyzed using Laurence Bardin's Content Analysis technique. In the explanatory phase, interpretative syntheses of the development of cooperative relations between state power and two municipalities in Maranhão were constructed, highlighting ambiguities, autonomy, resistance, and the meanings produced for educational policies. The object of study involves the analysis of key concepts such as Cooperative Federalism, Collaborative Regime, and Intergovernmental Relations between state and municipalities. The research demonstrates that the "Escola Digna" (Dignified School) Macro Policy represented an advance in the consolidation of federative cooperation between the State of Maranhão and the municipalities, demonstrating significant implications for education systems and schools. It also found progress in the expansion and improvement of school infrastructure, the systematic provision of continuing education for teachers and school administrators and for the technical teams of the education secretariats, and in local pedagogical actions focused on increasing enrollment, reducing grade repetition, and addressing school dropout. However, challenges still exist that restrict the effectiveness of the policy, such as the centralization of decisions in the state government, the low participation of municipalities in decisions, and the standardization of measures that do not always align with local realities. Furthermore, within schools, particularly in rural areas, challenges persist such as multi-grade classrooms, structural deficiencies, and the difficulty in reconciling teacher training with the school routine, highlighting tensions between the policy's objectives and the actual conditions of municipal school systems.