This paper approaches the political and pedagogical scenario in which the policies directed to manage basic education take place. It seeks to explicit the government's conceptions, actions and programs and their interfaces with the supposed quality advocated for this teaching level in Brazil. When analyzing these policies and programs in the context of the reform of the State, it thus points out the limits and perspectives of this process in order to allow building new parameters for the quality and democratic management of public school.
Educational policies; Educational management; Decentralization; Democratization