This article is based on a PhD's thesis on the Brazilian education system, that aimed to describe the flunking phenomenon, which is the main impediment to the conclusion of the elementary school in Brazil. For two years a case study was conducted in two public schools in Rio de Janeiro. According to the Brazilian school system culture, teachers do not feel responsible for their students learning and progress. The research showed that this culture can be noticed inside the classrooms, in their own structures, which can be described by the "center-periphery" metaphor. The students whose sits are located in the center of the classroom receive more teaching than the students who sit in the periphery. There are two kinds of "center" students: first, people who have better social condition which contribute to their privileged position in class and second, students with simpler social conditions. Theses students have been chosen to be taught by the teachers according to the "Pygmalion effect".
School; Grade repetition; Teacher; Culture
