Lines of Research
Educational Models, Instruments, and Measures
Dedicated to:
• The development of statistical models and methods for the production of educational measures, especially proficiency and performance scales relating to knowledge, skills, and abilities in basic education, such as reading and writing, mathematics and science, as well as socio-economic level scales and scales related to the affective and contextual dimensions relevant to the assessment of schooling processes;
• the development of statistical analysis systems for data processing and the production of educational measures;
• the development of items and instruments, tests, and questionnaires built for the observation of the aforementioned dimensions and the production of the corresponding scales;
• data analysis and conducting experiments to interpret and validate the scales and measurements produced.
Management, Assessment, and Reform of Public Education
Dedicated to:
• The design of assessment programs for basic education units and networks aims to produce information on the achievement of educational objectives, school effectiveness, and the efficiency of education systems;
• The study and development of accountability systems for managers, teachers, and students, associated with indicators, goals, and criteria adjusted to the local context and the history of public, regional, and Brazilian education;
• The construction of educational indicators that support school management, decision-making processes, and the formulation of educational policies and programs informs the school community and contributes to the formation of public opinion.
• The study of ongoing educational reform processes in different national contexts, including Brazil, the patterns of change observed, and the results achieved;
• The study of the management practices of schools, networks, and systems of basic education; the role of collegiate bodies and managers in raising the quality of teaching and the implementation of public education reforms;
• the development of management systems for basic education units and networks and systems to support the assessment of teaching in schools, using information technologies, and the design of administrative processes to ensure a learning environment.
Equity, Policies, and Financing of Public Education
Dedicated to:
• the study of unequal educational opportunities, their relation with social stratification, differences of race, gender, and sexual orientation, care for people with special needs, and the development of analytical models and research tools for the regular assessment of the effectiveness of the universal right to education;
• the analysis of public policies aimed at promoting access, permanence, inclusion, and school performance, and the development of research tools and strategies to assess their effects and implementation processes;
• the study of educational legislation, cooperation mechanisms between federated entities, funding structures, and budget redistribution given the imperatives of equity;
• The study of public education budgeting processes in the federated entities, budget management, and the resulting pattern of resource allocation, along with their effects on the achievement of the general objectives of Basic Education;
• a global assessment of the effects of schooling and unequal educational opportunities on the social and economic spheres and a forward-looking study in the face of changes in forms of organization and management, funding, and allocation patterns.
Assessment, Curricula, and Professional Development of Basic Education Managers and Teachers
Dedicated to:
• the construction of matrices of competencies and skills and the development of descriptors, which are used as a reference for the production of tests and other instruments for measuring learning in performance assessment programs in relevant areas of knowledge in Basic Education;
• the alignment of these reference matrices with curricular proposals and initial and continuing training programs for basic education teachers;
• research into current practices and the development of methods and proposals for curriculum management in educational units and networks based on the general objectives of basic education and the pedagogical analysis of the results of assessment programs;
• Research into teaching management practices and developing programs and proposals for the professional development of managers and teachers of basic education working in public education units and networks.