Secondary Education in Brazil: a system that persists in social reproduction

Abstract

This empirical research analyzes the transformation and expansion of secondary education in Brazil over the last decades. Despite the rapid growth in the enrolment rate observed after 2000, factors such as income, ethnicity, urban-rural are still strongly related to educational inequity. Secondary education in Brazil is extremely selective and responsive to the students’ labor situation, with a low percentage of student workers accessing and succeeding at this level of education. Despite the policies and programs implemented in recent years, the crucial differences between public and private schools persist and reduce the role of education in social mobility, shaping a strongly reproductive educational system. Moreover, rather than being a propeller for reducing social inequality, secondary education is an important element in the process of formation and reproduction of the enormous inequality that marks the Brazilian society.