School Directors’ Enacting African and Afro-Brazilian Curricula: Racial Literacy’s Impact on Leadership in Rio de Janeiro's Municipal Schools

• In Event: Virtual Roundtable Session 3
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Transforming Schools and Classrooms: Leadership, Literacy, and Technology in Diverse Educational Contexts

Proposal

This study provides a fresh perspective on how racial literacy influences the leadership practices of public-school directors in implementing African and Afro-Brazilian curricula. It addresses a significant gap in the literature by examining the role of educational leadership in shaping anti-racist policies in Brazil. Although slavery was abolished 136 years ago, racial inequalities remain deeply entrenched in Brazilian society, especially in the field of education. Black people, who constitute 56% of the Brazilian population, represented 71.6% of the 9 million individuals who did not complete high school in 2023 (IBGE, 2024). Education is widely recognized as a critical tool for promoting equity; however, traditional curricula and dominant pedagogical practices often fail to position Black people as protagonists of their own histories, perpetuating bias, erasure, and symbolic violence against Black students.
In 2003, the Brazilian government enacted Law 10.639, which mandates the teaching of Afro-Brazilian and African history and culture in all schools as a cornerstone of anti-racist educational reform. Despite the law’s progressive intent, its implementation has faced persistent barriers across the country. Research by the Alana Institute and the Geledés Black Women’s Institute reveals that only 29% of municipal public schools develop structured actions that reflect the intentional application of the law. In contrast, the city of Rio de Janeiro presents a more promising picture: 70% of its public schools report having taken deliberate actions to implement the law effectively. This disparity highlights Rio de Janeiro as a critical case for exploring the conditions under which school leaders can successfully operationalize anti-racist curricula, as well as the obstacles they encounter. The central research questions guiding this study are: How do municipal public school managers in Rio de Janeiro understand and enact African and Afro-Brazilian curricula? In what ways does racial literacy influence their engagement, roles, and experiences as educational leaders?
The study focuses on the interactions of Municipal School Principals in Rio de Janeiro with their broader school communities, including administrative staff, teachers, and families. Additionally, the research incorporates perspectives from the GERER-SME/RJ (Ethnic-Racial Relations Management of the Municipal Department of Education of Rio de Janeiro), which provides a governmental lens through institutional data and direct participation as interviewees. By bringing together the voices of both school-level leaders and municipal-level authorities, the study situates racial literacy within a multi-scalar framework of education policy and practice.
The methodology combines semi-structured interviews with document analysis to capture both lived experiences and institutional contexts. In terms of fieldwork, three interviews were conducted with authorities from GERER-SME/RJ, including current decision-makers and other leaders with notable contributions to the department. In addition, seven interviews were carried out with Municipal School Principals of Rio de Janeiro, who were recommended by GERER-SME/RJ leadership. The sampling strategy sought to ensure diversity across race, gender, and geographical location, thus capturing a heterogeneous set of leadership experiences.
The semi-structured interview protocol explored multiple dimensions of leadership and racial literacy. Respondents were asked about their professional backgrounds, motivations, and goals, as well as their conceptions of race in Brazil. They were invited to reflect on how they understand leadership, their positionality within the education system, and how they perceive their role in promoting anti-racism through policy enactment. Importantly, the interviews probed their comprehension of Law 10.639/03, their assessment of its effectiveness, and the obstacles they encounter in implementation, such as insufficient resources, limited institutional support, or resistance from the school community. Finally, the conversations examined the concrete ways in which school leaders participate in the everyday practice of enacting the law.
In addition to interviews, the study developed a robust document analysis using both publicly available data and internal institutional resources. At the national level, documents from the Brazilian Federal Government were examined, including policies, guidelines, and legal frameworks related to Ethnic-Racial Education. At the municipal level, data from GERER-SME/RJ were analyzed, encompassing training materials, programmatic guides, and other institutional outputs. This dual-level analysis allows for a multi-layered understanding of how structural frameworks intersect with local practices in shaping the implementation of Law 10.639/03.
The significance of this research lies in its potential to illuminate the crucial role of school managers in advancing anti-racist education policies. By focusing on the lived realities of principals in Rio de Janeiro, the study highlights how racial literacy informs leadership practices and decision-making in contexts marked by structural racism. The study offers a valuable framework for analyzing the intersection of race, policy, and education. Its findings hold implications for the design of professional development programs that prepare school leaders to navigate the complexities of racial equity work. By identifying barriers such as inadequate resources, insufficient support systems, and community resistance, alongside opportunities for innovation and collaboration, the research provides actionable insights for policymakers, educators, and advocacy groups.
Ultimately, this research argues that education must be understood as a transformative tool against racial inequalities, with school leadership playing a central role in this process. By examining the experiences of municipal school principals and the institutional structures that support or hinder them, the study contributes to a deeper comprehension of how anti-racist policies can be translated into practice. Its evidence-based recommendations aim to inform the work of those committed to building a more equitable and inclusive education system in Brazil and beyond.

Author

• Marcelo Ribeiro de Carvalho Silva, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania