Moving from Pinochet to Piaget: Implementation of the interdisciplinary project in the Sao Paulo public schools

This dissertation examines an innovative and systemic school reform effort launched by Paulo Freire during his tenure as Municipal Secretary of Education for the city of Sao Paulo. The overarching goals of this reform were the democratization of access to schooling, the transformation of classrooms and school sites into democratic centers for the problematization, celebration, and transformation of popular knowledge, and the creation of critical and participatory citizens. This research explores the implementation process that was designed to facilitate this ambitious reform. The analysis concentrates on the various institutional mechanisms created to support teachers' efforts in learning the necessary skills to realize the reform's objectives and assesses their overall effectiveness as policy implementation tools. Data from school site observations, interviews, and teacher surveys gathered from August 1992 until December 1992 inform this study. The major findings emphasize the importance of a professional learning process that (1) facilitates the creation of supportive but reflective learning communities; (2) departs from the realities of the educators; (3) includes opportunities to experience and observe "best" practices; and (4) provides coherence among all levels of reform policies.