Transforming Public Education: Innovative Programs Aim to Close Learning Gaps and Foster Student Success in Salvador, Brazil

A visit to the Iacy Vaz Fagundes school, tucked away on a side street in the Federação neighborhood of Salvador, Brazil, quickly reveals the challenges faced by vulnerable students. In one of the classrooms, a learner from the City Council's Learning Support Program (PAAP) was working with two girls aged 9 and 10. Despite being old enough to read and understand simple texts, they couldn't even associate the sound of the vowel "A" with words like "amor" (love), "abacaxi" (pineapple), and "açúcar" (sugar). Witnessing this, one can't help but wonder about the future jobs and lives these girls will have if they continue to struggle with basic reading skills, which are essential for learning a wide range of subjects.

In another room, with desks arranged in a circle, four boys around 17 years old were discussing artificial intelligence and human rights with their teacher after watching educational programs on television. They were then asked to answer some questions in writing on the board. It was striking to see their effort to provide the best possible answers, even if they were written in lowercase letters (out of fear or embarrassment of making mistakes) or with spelling errors.

These students are part of the "Chegando Junto" program, which groups students who are at least two years behind the grade level appropriate for their age. The goal is to create a class with a more similar profile, allowing the teacher to focus more on the students' difficulties. Students who complete the program receive a certificate of completion for primary school, which opens the doors to secondary school. This initiative aims to reduce the age-grade distortion in the public school system and rekindle young people's love for learning, encouraging them to continue their education.

In 2019, four out of ten students from sixth to ninth grade were at least two years behind their appropriate grade level. The results of "Chegando Junto" are still pending, but it is expected to reduce the age-grade distortion by nearly half, from 42% in 2019 to 23% in 2024.

Correcting Age-Grade Distortions

PAAP and "Chegando Junto" have two things in common. First, they aim to align education with students' learning levels. Second, they are supported by the Salvador Social Project, managed by the city government with support from the World Bank. Since its approval in December 2017, the project has driven these and other necessary initiatives to improve the quality of education in the municipality while investing in health and social assistance.

Correcting age-grade distortions remains a challenge in Salvador's public education system. Since the project's inception, the proportion of students with adequate literacy and arithmetic levels at the end of the second year of primary school in municipal schools increased from 26.32% in 2017 to 49% in December 2023 (the Salvador Social Project's goal was 45%).

Progress could have been even greater if not for the COVID-19 pandemic, which kept students out of schools for nearly three years. "Our attendance only returned to normal in 2023," says Michele Checucci, principal of the Iacy Vaz Fagundes school.

Amid so many adversities, one piece of good news is that, with the support of Salvador Social, the public education system has also begun to better measure the results of its own work. The initiative helped the municipality implement the Salvador Assessment Program (PROSA), created in 2013 and used to provide teachers with information on the performance of second, third, fifth, and ninth-grade students. Since 2022, PROSA has been administered annually, from first to ninth grade of primary school.

For learning assessments to effectively guide educational policies, a large number of students must participate. This ensures that the results accurately reflect the system's reality. Notably, in October 2023, at least 80% of students from 92% of Salvador's primary schools took the PROSA exam. The goal set by Salvador Social was for 72% of schools to meet this participation rate.

"From the PROSA assessments, we can see the impact of learning support programs (like PAAP and 'Chegando Junto'). We can verify if the student is progressing throughout the year, we have the possibility to relocate professionals, and see where the biggest bottlenecks are," explains Rafael Salles, sector manager of the Salvador Municipal Education Department.

PROSA 2023 data shows that 50% of fifth-grade students perform below the expected level in Portuguese. In ninth grade, 77 out of 100 students have knowledge below the expected standard for their grade. To address this issue, the project is also tracking the percentage of non-readers in fifth grade. The goal is to reduce this figure to 7% by the end of the project.

Listening to the Community

At another municipal school, Criança Feliz, there is another monitoring system called Indique, which caters to early childhood education and is also supported by Salvador Social. Indique is a self-assessment tool that brings together teachers, principals, and families to foster collective reflection, address demands, make decisions, initiate change processes, and solve problems, all with the goal of improving the quality of care for children.

"Indique was created by the Ministry of Education, Salvador adapted it to its reality, and now, after the pandemic, this work is spreading throughout Brazil," says Salles proudly.

In 2024, about 220 schools participated in the assessment, and another 150 are expected to join by 2026.

According to the students' families, Indique offers the opportunity to be heard. "We are participative. Indique asks meaningful questions and gives us the chance to talk about what we need," agree housewife Carine Gonçalves and security guard Paulo Victor Souza (pictured above), parents of 4-year-old Yuri. "My son came from a private school, where he faced prejudice for being autistic. Here he was very well received and is even developing more than in therapy," says his mother emotionally.

To further improve the school, Carine and Paulo Victor proposed a multifunctional room with specific equipment and services for neurodivergent or disabled people, showers, and air conditioning.

"I consider Indique very important for the network and the school because it is the moment when we can be evaluated. We have to be open to criticism because we are constantly learning," says Lídice Vilas Boas Rodrigues, principal of the Criança Feliz Municipal School. "It is not always up to us, the school, to solve the demands raised by parents, but we forward them all to the Education Department," she adds.

"A common denominator in all of Salvador's initiatives is the following: actions in primary education mainly aim to develop students' potential, either through identification (PROSA) or by addressing learning gaps (PAAP, 'Chegando Junto'). Meanwhile, actions in early childhood education, by strengthening quality monitoring, lay the foundation for children to be literate at the appropriate age and have a successful school trajectory," comments Louisee Cruz, World Bank education specialist.

There is still much to be done, but now Salvador and its families have a solid set of data and information, as well as support programs that allow them to act with specific goals and help each student develop their potential.