Escola Integradora

Escola Integradora (“integrative school”) was a districtwide schooling policy that placed parents at the core of the educational experience. It worked across 33 schools in the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceará to shift mindsets toward recognizing parental knowledge and influence (Prefeitura Municipal de Juazeiro do Norte, 2018). Through the Integradora policy, schools became not only a place to deliver education but also a collaborative learning community. Staff learned how to effectively engage with parents, parents participated in school goal setting, and both groups enjoyed quality interactions that promoted stakeholder alignment, such as roundtable discussions.

Escola Integradora launched in 2017 under the helm of the municipal secretary of education in the city of Juazeiro do Norte (Rodrigues, 2021). As a leader, the municipal secretary of education fundamentally believed in the value of family-school engagement and called for a cultural shift toward an asset-based mindset where parents were an integral dimension of child development. At the time, Juazeiro do Norte had an education ranking of 182 out of 184 cities in the state. After only one year of implementing changes to foster family-school engagement, Juazeiro do Norte’s education ranking rose to 151 (Itaú Social, 2018).

At the heart of Integradora was a mindset of collective engagement with an emphasis on shared responsibility. The district believed in a system where all education stakeholders needed to uphold and advance family-school partnerships. School leaders promoted a positive school climate where parents were welcomed into the school and known by name. Conversation circles invited randomized groups of parents and community members to discuss and provide input on their children’s education during weekly hourlong meetings, which were set at times convenient for parents. Asset-based training on family-school engagement for school employees prepared staff to respond and cater to the needs of students and families. For example, a doorman was trained to identify students who had arrived at the school but did not enter. This initiated a chain of communication in which school management was advised and contacted families about student absences (E. Correa, personal communication, April 12, 2021). Teachers and school staff were also challenged to confront their own biases, such as those pertaining to race, class, or gender, and to stop blaming families for students’ struggles. The municipal department of education provided direct support to participating schools through monthly visits, whereby education liaisons observed and offered suggestions for improvements in engagement and learning. Participating schools also had opportunities to engage in peer learning by sharing with one another their experiences and lessons learned from strategy implementation (Rodrigues, 2021).

Escola Integradora aimed to ensure parents felt recognized, supported, and motivated to play an active role in their child’s education. The schools scheduled meetings at times convenient for parents and used roundtable discussions to promote stakeholder alignment. Support from the district education system was essential to Escola Integradora’s success, as it facilitated buy-in from school leadership. When schools knew they would be measured and supported on holistic goals, they were eager to move toward a vision of whole-family learning.

Following a change in regime during local elections, Escola Integradora was discontinued. Much as district support proved invaluable for implementing this model, local ownership across all locations may not have run deep enough to sustain the model without vocal leadership. It is possible, though, that some schools are continuing to implement engagement strategies on their own. The Integradora team has noted that it would be beneficial in the future to invest in developing a coalition of education stakeholders at multiple political and organizational levels. The Integradora team also emphasized the value of securing formal partnerships with diverse social and political groups, from parent associations to teacher unions. Having each of these groups sign memoranda and take charge of individual program components would help such transformative learning persist even through changing political environments (P. Mota Guedes, personal communication, June 3, 2021).

Itaú Social. (2018). Pesquisa relação família-escola: Estudos de casos de redes [Research on the family-school relationship: Case studies of networks]. https://www.itausocial.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Pesquisa-Rela%C3%A7%C3%A3o-Fam%C3%ADlia-Escola_relat%C3%B3rio-final.pdf

Prefeitura Municipal de Juazeiro do Norte [Municial Government of Juazeiro do Norte]. (2018, June 9). Programa Escola Integradora lançado para 33 escolas de Juazeiro do Norte [Integrating school program launched for 33 schools in Juazeiro do Norte]. https://www.juazeirodonorte.ce.gov.br/noticia/5283-programa-escola-integradora-lancado-para-33-escolas-de/

Rodrigues, M. M. (2021). Política pública integradora da rede municipal de Ensino de Juazeiro do Norte-CE [Public policy integrating the municipal education network of Juazeiro do Norte/CE]. Revista Multidisciplinar e de Psicologia, 14(54), 394–404. https://doi.org/10.14295/idonline.v15i54.2994