Factors Affecting Learning Outcomes Improvement in Public Education in the State of Ceará, Brazil: A Systematic Literature Review

• In Event: Quality education for all: Critical issues in higher education, pre-service teachers, and student learning outcomes in Brazil, China, and Finland

Proposal

Recently, there has been increasing the recognition that education is linked to changing global frameworks (Spring, 2015). However, many developing countries struggle to translate increased spending and enrollment into improvements in student learning (World Bank, 2018). As a result, students in low- or middle-income countries have limited access to quality education and lower learning outcomes (UNESCO, 2021; Antoninis et al., 2016). Considering education as a fundamental human right, reducing educational inequalities, and attaining quality education for all is a significant challenge.
In Brazil, educational disparities are closely associated with variations in each state's socioeconomic activities, wealth, and Human Development Index (HDI). Despite this, the state of Ceará stands as a positive deviant, overcoming its socioeconomic disadvantages to achieve better learning outcomes than richer Brazilian states (INEP/MEC, 2019). Considering this context, this theoretical research aims to investigate the factors related to improving students’ learning outcomes in the public education system in the state of Ceará, particularly in Primary and Secondary Education. This qualitative research employed a systematic literature review methodology, utilizing Portuguese, Spanish, and English academic databases. The search keywords were "Ceará" and "Education," with exclusion criteria targeting themes like "Early childhood education," "Kindergarten Education," and "Higher Education." After screening titles and abstracts and removing duplicates, 112 texts were deeply analyzed, including articles, theses, dissertations, and academic presentations published between 2005 and 2022.
Preliminary findings identified six key elements in education policies in Ceará that contribute to improving learning outcomes: 1) Financing redistribution policy based on large-scale assessment outcomes; 2) Continuous student evaluation and utilization of assessments in decision-making; 3) Intersectoral management involving State, Municipalities, and schools; 4) Focus on basic skills and literacy programs, regardless of changes in governments; 5) Autonomy granted to school management; and 6) Technical criteria for selecting school principals. This study highlights the understanding that the scope of educational outcomes is associated with a multifactorial approach through the development, maintenance, and evaluation of educational policies at different levels of the educational system in Ceará.
The systematic review also points out that it is not hegemonic the understanding that improving learning outcomes in the state of Ceara is a positive factor for improving the quality of education. Different political agendas and arenas have fueled the debate surrounding improving those learning outcomes. Stakeholders identified in this debate include the Federal Government, the World Bank, education institutions financed by private organizations, state and municipal governments, policymakers, school community professionals, and the academic community. These groups refer to debates concerning neoliberal education reforms in Brazil. Concomitantly, debates about Ceará's educational proposals and outcomes are often linked to the historical context ranging from left-leaning to right-leaning, populist, conservative, or authoritarian Brazilian governmental regimes.
Finally, this research highlights the persistence of discourses, actors, and actions supporting the "cearalization of education" in Brazil. These make it urgent for analysis to provide evidence and grounded discussions around what can be learned from the actions taken and how and if these experiences can be reinterpreted, recontextualized, and implemented in different Brazilian public education networks.
As a limitation of this study, it has not yet been verified which identified factors are more or less relevant for improving learning outcomes and how each one, or the recontextualization of all, could support other education systems. Based on the contextualization and strengthening of the theoretical framework presented in this abstract, the research will continue in the next stage. Through case study selection, this next phase will investigate why overall student performance in Brazil has shown minimal improvement or stagnation despite efforts to adopt education practices inspired by the state of Ceará. The aim is to address persistent educational inequalities among states and municipalities and provide insights and recommendations for achieving quality education to secure a more just educational future for Brazilian students. Furthermore, the findings are expected to benefit other countries facing similar educational challenges.

References
Antoninis, M., Delprado, M., & Benavot, A. (2016). Inequality in education: The challenge of measurement. Em UNESCO (Org.), World Social Science Report (e International Social Science Council). UNESCO Publishing.
INEP/MEC. (2019). Relatório SAEB [recurso eletrônico]. Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira.
UNESCO. (2021). Global education monitoring report (No 2021/02; Non-state actors in education: Who chooses? Who loses?). UNESCO Digital Library.
Spring, J. (2015). Globalization of Education: An introduction. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Venâncio, A. G. (2020). Políticas educacionais: a experiência inovadora do município de Sobral. (Graduação em Gestão de Políticas Públicas) - Universidade Federal do Ceará.
World Bank (2018). World Development Report 2018: Learning to Realize Education’s Promise.

Author

• Adriana Mitiko do Nascimento Takeuti, The University of Tokyo