The recent process of decentralization and democratic management of education in Brazil

Brazilian society is beginning a new historical period in which the principle of decentralization is beginning to predominate over centralization, which held sway during the last 25 years. In contrast to recent Brazilian history, there is now a search for political, democratic and participatory decentralization more consonant with grass-roots aspirations. The first section of this article presents a brief analysis of some decentralization policies implemented by the military regime of 1964, and discusses relevant facts related to the resistance of civil society to state authoritarianism, and to the struggle for the democratization and organization of civil society up to the end of the 1970s. The second section analyzes some new experiences of democratic public school administration initiated in the 1970s and 1980s. The final section discusses the move toward decentralization and democratization of public school administration in the new Federal and State Constitutions, and in the draft of the new Law of National Education.

---

Zusammenfassung Die brasilianische Gesellschaft beginnt einen neuen Abschnitt in ihrer Geschichte, in dem das Prinzip der Dezentralisierung über die in den letzten 25 Jahren vorherrschende Zentralisierung dominiert. Im Gegensatz zur jüngsten brasilianischen Geschichte wird nunmehr eine politische, demokratische und partizipatorische Dezentralisierung gesucht, die mit den regionalen Bestrebungen besser vereinbar ist. Der erste Teil dieses Artikels enthält eine kurze Analyse einiger 1964 vom Militärregime eingeführter Dezentralisierungmaßnahmen und untersucht relevante Fakten, die mit dem Widerstand der zivilen Gesellschaft gegen die Staatsgewalt und mit dem Kampf um Demokratisierung und eine Organisation der zivilen Gesellschaft bis Ende der 70er Jahre zusammenhängen. Im zweiten Teil werden einige neue Erfahrungen den in der 70er und 80er Jahren eingeführten Verwaltung öffentlicher demokratischer Schulen analysiert. Im Schlußteil geht es um die Entwicklung zur Dezentralisierung und Demokratisierung der öffentlichen Schulverwaltung in den neuen Bundes- und Staatsverfassungen und im Entwurf des neuen Gesetzes zu Nationaler Bildung.

---

Résumé La société brésilienne entame une nouvelle ère historique caractérisée par une prédominance du principe de décentralisation sur celui de centralisation, qui a prévalu durant les 25 dernières années. Par comparaison à l'histoire brésilienne moderne, on vise actuellement une décentralisation politique, démocratique et fondée sur la participation, qui soit plus en harmonie avec les aspirations du peuple. La première partie du présent article contient une brève analyse des politiques de décentralisation appliquées par le régime militaire de 1964, et discute les faits pertinents relatifs à la résistance de la société civile à l'autoritarisme de l'Etat, et à la lutte pour la démocratisation et l'organisation de la société civile jusqu'à la fin des années 70. La deuxième partie analyse quelques expériences récentes concernant la démocratisation de l'administration de l'école publique, inaugurée dans les années 70 et 80. La dernière partie examine le passage à la décentralisation et à la démocratisation dans l'administration de l'école publique dans la nouvelle constitution fédérale et dans celles des Etats fédérés, ainsi que dans le nouveau projet de loi sur l'Education nationale.

     

From diagrams to self-regulated learning: student teachers’ reflections on the construction of their PLE

This paper presents a study on the reflections on their PLEs by student teachers in an ICT subject of the fourth degree course in Teacher Education (Early Childhood Teacher Training) at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB). There were four student teacher groups (n = 117) participating in this project, from the three Balearic Islands’ campuses (Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza). The main research issues focused on in this study are: the topics highlighted from the reflections on the students’ PLEs and the reflection level achieved. To explore these issues, a content analysis technique has been used to interpret their final assignment of the students’ eportfolios, in which they had to carry out their reflections on their PLEs. For that purpose, two instruments have been designed: a system of categories and a rubric of assessment. Results show that the topics on which students reflect most are the conception of the PLE, its explicitness and its purpose. Although some improvement in students’ reflective skills was observed, conclusions lead us to the necessity of working further on the depth of reflections in order to adequately support self-regulated learning.     

COLLEGE RANKINGS: Democratized College Knowledge for Whom?

Every fall the opening of the academic year is heralded by an ever increasing number of newsmagazines that rank colleges. In addition to the standard bearers of this market — U.S. News and World Report and Money — magazines that offer their readers advice on how to choose a college are proliferating. For example, one can find lists of the "best colleges" and "best buys" accompanied on newstands by the top jock schools (Sports Illustrated), the best party schools (Playboy), and the best colleges for Asian Americans (A. Magazine). This paper is a study of who uses the contentious and seemingly influential newsmagazine rankings of U.S. colleges and universities, and an analysis of what types of freshmen find these rankings useful in making their choice of college. Equally important, it is a discussion of why reputations are important and how they can serve as a hedge against uncertainty. Finally, the paper provides an analysis of the for-profit sector's encroachment into a critical educational equity arena-college access-embedded within a discussion of whether widely available college rankings result in democratized college knowledge.     

Assessment for learning in Norway and Portugal: the case of primary school mathematics teaching

In this study, we aim to understand the forces driving assessment for learning (AfL) in primary school teaching. By applying a case study design, including the two cases of Norway and Portugal and using mathematics teaching as an example, available policy documents and research reports are analysed to identify the differences and similarities that might explain the assessment practices previously observed in the two countries. Many similarities are found at the school and national levels. In particular, AfL is introduced as a national policy in both countries. Still, AfL practices are not common in primary mathematics classrooms in either country, although this is true for different reasons in each country. It is suggested that the assessment culture caused by national policies, such as curriculum reforms, national professional development projects and teacher autonomy, explains the similarities in the observed outcomes.     

Willingness toward organ and body donation among anatomy professors and students in Mexico

Most anatomists agree that cadaver dissection serves as a superior teaching tool in human anatomy education. However, attitudes toward body donation vary widely between different individuals. A questionnaire was developed to determine the attitudes toward body and organ donation among those who learn the most from cadavers: medical students, medical student teaching assistants, medical students involved in research, and anatomy professors. A cross‐sectional, prospective study was designed in which the questionnaire was distributed among first‐year human anatomy students before undertaking cadaver dissection at the beginning of the semester, and then again after a commemoration service at the end of the course. The questionnaire items included demographic data, as well as questions designed to characterize participants' attitudes regarding body/organ donation from strangers, family members, and whether participants would consider such practices with their own bodies. Out of a total of 517 students enrolled in the Human Anatomy course in the Medical School at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Mexico during January to June 2016, 95% responded to the first (491) and second (490) surveys. Participants' opinions on their own organ donation was similar before and after exposure to cadaver dissection, with between 87% and 81% in favor of such practices, and only 3% against it, in both surveys. Participants' willingness to donate their own bodies, as well as those of family members, increased, while reluctance regarding such practices decreased by half (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.05). Professors had the highest rates of positive opinions regarding their own body donation (74.9%), with 18.8% undecided. Low opposition toward organ and body donation remains prevalent among both anatomists and physicians in training in Mexico. Anat Sci Educ 10: 589–597. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.     

Dogs do not demonstrate a human-like bias to defer to communicative cues

Human children and domesticated dogs learn from communicative cues, such as pointing, in highly similar ways. In two experiments, we investigate whether dogs are biased to defer to these cues in the same way as human children. We tested dogs on a cueing task similar to one previously conducted in human children. Dogs received conflicting information about the location of a treat from a Guesser and a Knower, who either used communicative cues (i.e., pointing; Experiments 1 and 2), non-communicative physical cues (i.e., a wooden marker; Experiment 1), or goal-directed actions (i.e., grasping; Experiment 2). Although human children tested previously struggled to override inaccurate information provided by the Guesser when she used communicative cues, in contrast to physical cues or goal-directed actions, dogs were more likely to override the Guesser’s information when she used communicative cues or goal-directed actions than when she used non-communicative physical cues. Given that dogs did not show the same selective bias towards the Guesser’s information in communicative contexts, these findings provide clear evidence that dogs do not demonstrate a human-like bias to defer to communicative cues. Instead, dogs may be more likely to critically evaluate information presented via communicative cues than either physical or non-communicative cues.     

Peer Influence on Ethnic‐Racial Identity Development: A Multi‐Site Investigation

The peer context features prominently in theory, and increasingly in empirical research, about ethnic‐racial identity (ERI) development, but no studies have assessed peer influence on ERI using methods designed to properly assess peer influence. We examined peer influence on ERI centrality, private, and public regard using longitudinal social network analysis. Data were drawn from two sites: a predominantly Latina/o Southwestern (SW) school (N = 1034; Mage = 12.10) and a diverse Midwestern (MW) school (N = 513; Mage = 11.99). Findings showed that peers influenced each other's public regard over time at both sites. However, peer influence on centrality was evident in the SW site, whereas peer influence on private regard was evident in the MW site. Importantly, peer influence was evident after controlling for selection effects. Our integration of developmental, contextual, and social network perspectives offers a fruitful approach to explicate how ERI content may shift in early adolescence as a function of peer influence.     

Survey on reporting of epithelial cells in urine sediment as part of external quality assessment programs in Brazilian laboratories

IntroductionEpithelial cells (ECs) are structures regularly observed during urine microscopy analysis. The correct identification of EC subtypes can be useful since renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) are clinically relevant. We investigate the urinary ECs report and the judgement of its clinical importance by Brazilian laboratories.Materials and methodsA survey with four questions was made available to participants of the Urinalysis External Quality Assessment Program (EQAP) from Controllab. Laboratories composed 3 groups: (1) differentiating ECs subtypes: “squamous”, “transitional” and “RTECs”; (2) differentiating ECs subtypes: “squamous” or “non-squamous” cells; (3) without ECs subtype identification. Participants did not necessarily answer to all questions and the answers were evaluated both within the same laboratory’s category and within different categories of laboratories.ResultsA total of 1336 (94%) laboratories answered the survey; Group 1, 119/140 (85%) reported that ECs differentiation is important to the physician and 62% want to be evaluated by EQAP, while in Group 3, 455/1110 (41%) reported it is useful to them, however only 25% want be evaluated by EQAP. Group 2 laboratories 37/51 (73%) reported that the information is important, but only 13/52 (25%) are interested in an EQAP with differentiation of the 3 ECs subtypes.ConclusionMost of the laboratories do not differentiate ECs in the three subtypes, despite the clinical importance of RTECs. Education of laboratory staff about the clinical significance of urinary particles should be considered a key priority.