Strategies of the Amazonas State Education Plan

When analyzing the PEE-AM, we soon noticed the concern of its creators in devising viable strategies to reach, by 2025, goal 3, corresponding to High School. Thus, initially the strategies aimed at participating in discussions at the national level, in order to collaborate with the strengthening of this level of education, such as:

3.1 Participate in national discussions on the national program for the renewal of Secondary Education, through a permanent forum, in order to innovate with the implementation of actions that promote interdisciplinary approaches structured by the relationship between theory and practice, through school curricula that organize, in a flexible and diversified way, compulsory and elective contents articulated in dimensions such as science, work, languages, technology, culture, sport, traffic education and sex education;

3.2 Participate, in collaboration with the Union and the society, through public consultation, in the preparation of a proposal for rights and objectives of learning and development for High School students aiming to guarantee common basic training;

3.3 Participate in the pact between the federated entities for the implementation of the rights and objectives of learning and development that will configure the Common National Curriculum Base of High School Education (^{Amazonas, 2015}, p. 35-36).

These strategies meet the real needs of strengthening High School Education in the Amazonas state, which will certainly guarantee access to quality education, comprising not only teaching itself, but the most diverse dimensions that make up the human intellect (^{Freire, 2009}). For this, actions were planned that would enable the good performance of enrolled students, as stated in the PEE-AM:

3.4 Carry out, in conjunction with the competent bodies and with the families, an active search for the population aged 15 to 17 who are out of school, as of the effectiveness of this PEE/AM;

3.5 Ensure, with the support of the federal government, the acquisition and maintenance of equipment, laboratories, textbooks, paradidactic materials or handouts that contemplate the Curricular Reference, as well as the production of specific didactic material produced in and for the State of Amazonas at the stage of High School, during the term of the PEE/AM;

3.6 Guarantee the continuing education of teachers who work in Secondary Education, including workshops in the related areas, from the first year of effectiveness of the PEE/AM;

3.7 Carry out individualized follow-up of students with lag in school performance, aiming at correcting the flow of Elementary Education, through the adoption of practices such as school tutoring in the complementary shift, recovery studies and partial progression, in order to reposition this student in his/her grade/year, compatible with his/her age, until the end of the term of this PEE/AM. This follow-up should also include a general review of the subjects, regardless of the year and school situation in which the student is. (^{Amazonas, 2015}, p. 36).

From this perspective, when analyzing the aforementioned strategies in detail, we note that, in addition to the direct concern with the performance and development of students, in strategy 3.6, there is also care and attention to the continuing education of teachers (^{Bahia & Souza, 2016}), given the need for teachers to always be up-to-date in relation to the knowledge in their areas of expertise (^{Tardif, 2014}), in order to carry out their teaching practice, thus promoting meaningful and positive learning in the construction of knowledge by their students.

The fact of using the results obtained in national and state level assessments to diagnose student learning is quite favorable, considering that the score obtained by the student in the National High School Examination (ENEM), for example, is accepted for admission in higher education in various public and private institutions in the country. Thus, the strategies propose:

3.8 Use the results of the National High School Examination (Enem), as a systemic assessment tool to support public policies for Basic Education, for certifying assessment, enabling the measurement of knowledge and skills acquired inside and outside school, and for classification assessment, as a criterion for access to higher education, comparing these results with the state evaluation;

3.9 Use the results of the Educational Evaluation and Performance System of the State of Amazonas (SADEAM) as a systemic evaluation instrument to support and enhance public policies with the objective of improving the performance indicators of public schools (^{Amazonas, 2015}, p. 36).

In these strategies, the importance of assessment systems and their contributions to Secondary Education is evident, from which the following stand out: the enhancement, improvement and assessment of the knowledge of students who are completing Basic Education, since, for example, ENEM “[...] disseminates its objectives and concepts, supporting the idea of an education focused on the development of logical reasoning and on the citizenship life of students” (^{Malusá, Ordones, & Ribeiro, 2014}, p. 358). But, according to the PEE-AM, it is still necessary:

3.10 Resize the Secondary School offer in day and night shifts, as well as the territorial distribution of schools;

3.11 Implement policies to prevent school evasion, school dropout, motivated by any prejudice or social, sexual, religious, cultural and ethnoracial discrimination;

3.12 Implement public flow correction policies that meet the Goal and considerably reduce distortion;

3.13 Establish partnerships with the municipalities, so that they continue the process of decentralizing Elementary Education, thus enabling the expansion of vacancies for Secondary Education (^{Amazonas, 2015}, p. 36-37).

Given the above, it is plausible to implement public policies aimed at strengthening not only the teaching and learning process, but also the complete training of students (^{Freire, 2009}).

However, the need to promote and offer quality education is explicit (^{Moran, 2000}; ^{Dourado, Oliveira, & Santos, 2007}), accessible and equal to all people, but for this to actually materialize, it is essential that following strategies are implemented, as they aim to:

3.14 Gradually ensure the maximum number of up to 35 students per classroom in High School, in compliance with Law nº 257 of April 30, 2015, during the term of this PEE/AM;

3.15 Implement and gradually implement Integrated Secondary Education concomitantly with Professional Education, observing the peculiarities of the state;

3.16 Carry out a review of the didactic-pedagogical and administrative organization of night teaching, considering the peculiarities inherent to the reality of that shift;

3.17 Expand the offer of full-time school vacancies for High School;

3.18 Support and encourage student organizations, as a space for participation and the exercise of citizenship, valuing youth protagonism (^{Amazonas, 2015}, p. 37).

The last strategies written in the PEE-AM, point out for the reduction of the number of students per class, which would contribute positively to their better learning, as well as for the good performance of the teacher, who could make use of innovative and differentiated methodologies (^{Krasilchik, 2008}), within the time allotted for each class, allowing all students to actively participate in building their technical-scientific knowledge in the classroom.

However, based on the Report of the 3^rd Monitoring Cycle of the PNE Goals (^{Brasil, 2020}b), we can identify that despite the effort in the elaboration and fulfillment of the strategies to reach the goal, not only the state of Amazonas, but also in other states in the northern region, there is still a significant number of young people between 15 and 17 years of age who did not attend High School and had not completed Basic Education in the period from 2015 to 2019, the year before the publication of the Report on the 3^rd Monitoring Cycle, as shown in Table 3 below.

When analyzing the previous table, we note that at the regional level, Amazonas, in the presented five-year period, remained in 2^nd place in relation to the number of students who did not attend school and had not completed High School, with a gradual reduction from 2015 to 2018. Presenting in 2019, a significant increase in the number of the public who did not attend school and had not completed high school.

Finally, we believe that it would be a significant step forward for education in the state of Amazonas to implement all the proposed strategies, especially those that propose Professional Education, in relation to the numerous difficulties in accessing the job market, faced by many young people in the Northern region of Brazil. In addition, not everyone manages to enter Higher Education after finishing High School, most of the time being in a situation of social vulnerability (^{Rolim, 2019}), resulting from the idleness they find themselves, either due to lack of employment, for not being properly qualified, either because they have not reached the average required to attend a college in the ENEM or in the entrance exams.

Strategies of the Paraná State Education Plan

Unlike what was initially pointed out in the PEE-AM, the strategies proposed by the PEE-PR actually aim to strengthen and offer Secondary Education to all people (^{Freire, 2009}), regardless of the community they belong to, thus presenting actions for the reorganization of the curriculum, as well as for the elaboration of teaching materials (^{Krasilchik, 2008}) that are in accordance with the educational needs of the communities, as we can see in full in the following strategies:

3.1 Ensure and expand supply and enrollment in Secondary Education, including rural, gypsy and roaming populations, indigenous peoples and quilombolas (afro slave descendants), among other segments, according to their specificities, preferably in their communities;

3.2 Reorganize the High School curriculum based on consultations and debates, respecting the specificities of the subjects included in this stage of education, with a view to meeting the demands and expectations of a quality school that guarantees access, permanence and success in the process of learning, as well as the constitution of citizenship, in accordance with current legislation;

3.3 Establish programs, in partnership with public High Education Institutions, for the continuing education of teaching professionals who work in high school in the public school system;

3.4 Establish proficiency programs in a Modern Foreign Language, including the use of technologies, with the possibility of exchange with other countries;

3.5 Elaborate, organize and make available theoretical-methodological materials and equipment for the Physics, Chemistry and Biology laboratories, specific for the organization of pedagogical work in High School, including for rural populations, gypsy and itinerant populations, indigenous people and quilombolas, among other segments according to their specificities;

3.6 Ensure the development of specific programs for updating and maintaining computer labs in public schools, with the aim of expanding the incorporation of information, communication and assistive technologies in the pedagogical practices of teaching professionals (^{Paraná, 2015}, p. 63-64).

As in the PEE-AM, in Paraná, it is also proposed to establish continuing education programs for teachers (^{Bahia & Souza, 2016}). However, the foreign language program, in order to enable exchanges with other countries, despite being a strategy that can consolidate Basic Education and encourage teachers and students in the performance of their duties, was not equally contemplated in the PEE-AM, in despite of Amazonas States’ international borders.

Therefore, the PEE-PR, in several aspects, is more comprehensive when compared to the state of Amazonas, despite having some similar strategies, among which:

3.7 Ensure the implementation of public policies to correct the age-grade distortion in Secondary Education without prejudice to comprehensive human development;

3.8 Subsidize schools in the state education network, offering technical and pedagogical support, with a view to improving the quality of teaching and raising proficiency rates in large-scale assessments;

3.9 Guarantee continuing education for education professionals and promote articulation with academic, sports and cultural institutions to comply with the strategy of increasing the net enrollment rate and keeping students in school;

3.10 Articulate with educational institutions and the school community the discussion on the reorganization of Secondary Education (^{Paraná, 2015}, p. 64).

Therefore, with the aim of strengthening Basic Education, specifically High School, both states similarly present the aforementioned strategies, thereby demonstrating interest in improving the quality of education offered to young Brazilians (^{Moran, 2000}; ^{Dourado et al., 2007}), encouraging them to remain at school in an attractive way, due to the promotion and inclusion in cultural and sports activities (^{Freire, 2009}).

In strategy 3.11 of the PEE-PR, the partnership that the school must have with other bodies is clearly demonstrated, in order to promote and guarantee access to education for all individuals (^{Freire, 2009}), even in extreme cases, as presented in the following snippet:

3.11 Foster and strengthen, in collaboration between the State, Union and municipalities, policies for inclusion and school permanence for adolescents who are fulfilling socio-educational measures in open and closed environments and in precautionary hospitalization, ensuring the principles of the ECA (Child and Adolescent Statute) and other current legislation (^{Paraná, 2015}, p. 64).

In the PEE-AM, we did not find strategies mentioned above, but they are necessary, since countless young Brazilians who, due to living in a situation of poverty (^{Rolim, 2019}), end up committing infractions, which lead them to reclusion in rehabilitation centers. However, to avoid or minimize such situations, it is important to ensure that these individuals remain in school, but for this it is essential:

3.12 Ensure adequate infrastructure for classrooms, sports courts, libraries and other spaces necessary for inclusive and quality education in educational institutions;

3.13 Guarantee the production and acquisition of pedagogical support materials, such as dictionaries, textbooks and literary works, including those typed in Braille, in addition to laboratory materials and other materials necessary for a quality and inclusive education;

3.14 Implement a specific pedagogical proposal for socio-education in Paraná, in line with the provisions of Federal Law nº 12.594/2012 and legislation establishing Sinase and Proeduse, as well as other legislation that follows;

3.15 Guarantee guidance and theoretical-methodological subsidy in the construction of pedagogical projects of educational institutions, considering diversities, according to current legislation (^{Paraná, 2015}, p. 64-65).

As for the above mentioned strategies, the concern presented in the PEE-PR in relation to access to education, including people with disabilities or special needs, is noticeable (^{Brasil, 2020}), which leads to guaranteeing the acquisition of specialized materials for these individuals, so that they can be included in the educational process. In this perspective, it is also proposed the elaboration of guiding documents that contemplate the diversities, enabling the inclusion (^{Freire, 2009}).

In general, the PEE-PR has broadly contemplated the consolidation of Basic Education, making Goal 3, proposed for Secondary Education, to be achieved within the stipulated period. In this sense, among the strategies arises the need to:

3.16 Carry out a public tender for education professionals, during the term of this PEE-PR, with a view to meeting the needs of educational establishments;

3.17 Establish pedagogical practices with interdisciplinary approaches, relating theory and practice through school curricula that organize, in a flexible and diversified manner, mandatory and elective content articulated in dimensions such as science, work, languages, technology, culture and sport, guaranteeing the acquisition of equipment and laboratories, the production of specific didactic material, the continuing education of teachers and the articulation with academic, sports and cultural institutions (^{Paraná, 2015}, p. 65).

Therefore, there is a need to hire teachers in the teaching career, as we know that in recent years the teaching profession has been highly devalued (^{Gatti & Barreto, 2009}), with not much interest on the part of younger people in exercising it, which has led to the low enrollment of academics in degree courses. Thus, when directly or indirectly promoting a public admission call, there is an incentive for those academics who are still studying a degree to maintain their enrollment in order to complete the course.

As for interdisciplinary practices, this theme has been widely discussed by several authors (^{Japiassu, 1976}; ^{Fazenda, 2005}) who emphasize the need for training activities inside and outside the classroom, enabling students and teachers to articulate theory and practice based on a flexible curriculum that allows the inclusion of different areas of knowledge. Therefore, the continuing education of teachers is very relevant, as it will contribute to their teaching practices in the classroom, allowing them to act in an interdisciplinary way, in order to articulate the content of their subject with other areas of knowledge (Farm, 2005).

The PEE-PR concern regarding the maintenance of young people aged 15 to 17 attending High School is plausible, as it aims to:

3.18 Foster education and culture programs for the urban and rural population, young people aged 15 to 17 years and adults, with social and professional qualification for those who are out of school and with a lag in the school flow;

3.19 Promote the active search of the population aged 15 to 17 out of school, with the collaboration of public agencies of social assistance, health and protection of adolescents and youth and respective councils;

3.20 Resize the offer of Secondary Education in day and night shifts, as well as the territorial distribution of Secondary Education schools, in order to meet the demand, according to the specific needs of students, especially for working students;

3.21 Implement dropout prevention policies motivated by situations of discrimination, prejudice or violence, creating and strengthening a protection network against associated forms of exclusion, under the terms of the National Education Plan (^{Paraná, 2015}, p. 65).

From this perspective, the need for partnership with other bodies is evident so that these actions are correctly carried out within what was planned, thus guaranteeing the permanence of these school-aged individuals in school so that they can successfully complete High School. As for those who, for some reason, dropped out of school, or still need to work to help support their families, classes are scheduled to open in the night shift, in order to provide access to Basic Education (^{Freire, 2009}) for those who, for some reason, cannot attend school during the day. The following are the final strategies presented in the PEE-PR, which determine the need for:

3.22 Ensure professional follow-up in the Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Computing laboratories for the organization and support of the teacher's pedagogical work;

3.23 Establish partnerships and agreements to encourage the development of scientific initiation projects, in all areas of knowledge, in teaching institutions;

3.24 Strengthen articulation with the Adolescent Protection Network, with a view to prevent evasion and dropping out and assisting High School students;

3.25 Promote the implementation of Public and Linguistic Policies for the process of teaching a Modern Foreign Language (LEM) in High School;

3.26 Develop a specific program to meet the pedagogy of alternation in rural schools, respecting the specificities of itinerant peoples, indigenous people, gypsies and quilombolas;

3.27 Provide the community with access to school and cultural assets and spaces, as well as extracurricular activities;

3.28 Ensure the promotion and dissemination of the history of material and immaterial values of the State of Paraná (^{Paraná, 2015}, p. 65-66).

In fact, for teaching to take place satisfactorily, it is extremely important that the spaces intended for laboratories are equipped with materials and instruments that allow practical classes to be carried out (^{Krasilchik, 2008}), preparing students for the future development of research initiation projects.

However, similarly to what happened with other Brazilian states, the state of Paraná also did not reach the proposed goal, which would be the same as that of the PNE “[...] to universalize, by 2016, school attendance for the entire population aged 15 to 17 years and to raise, by the end of the term of this Plan, the net enrollment rate in High School to a reach of 85% [...]” (^{Paraná, 2015}, p. 63), as shown in Table 4.

In general, Paraná remained constantly in the second position among the states of the Southern region in relation to the number of young people between 15 and 17 who were not enrolled in High School. However, in 2016, there was a significant increase when compared to the previous year. But it is evident that, in the following three years (2017-2019), it continued its decline, that is, enrolling and keeping more young people in school.

At the end of the demands for PEE-PR strategies, the similarity between some actions became evident, which are expressed throughout this section and could be united in a single action, which would allow for fluidity and agility in reaching the goal proposed by the State of Paraná.

Finally, we note the importance of executing all the aforementioned strategies proposed both in the PEE-PR and in the PEE-AM, so that goal 3, indicated by each state, is achieved, within each social and territorial reality.