Social demand, planning, and the right to basic education: an analysis of the São Paulo State education system during the 2015-2016 transition

ABSTRACT:

This article aimed to contribute towards the contemporary debate regarding management models for public education. It presents empirical data and analysis regarding recent policies for attending the demand for schooling of the São Paulo State government administration. It demonstrates that, although one can observe reflexes of the fertility reduction in cohorts of the obligatory school-age population, enrollment in state public schools tends to be stable, with no retraction that would justify the closing of schooling cycles or units, which is the intention of the schooling reorganization proposed in 2015 that was suspended after students’ protests. It also gathers evidences that the logic that directed the reorganization continues to hold good regarding demand management. The analysis of the evolution of how the sizes of the classes are distributed from 2015 to 2016 reveals, in all the stages, the increasing number of students per class in contradiction to the directives of the National Council for Education and in detriment to the conditions for teaching and learning warranted by students and educators.

Keywords:
Right to education; Education policies; Schooling demands; São Paulo (state)