MORE YEARS IN SCHOOL, LONGER SCHOOL DAY

quality in primary education

Abstract

In Brazil, debates about the performance indices of elementary school students have sought alternatives to counter the weak results presented throughout the country. In the early years of the century, two possibilities in this area have been id entified (1) the increasing years of schooling and (2) the expansion of the school day coming, in some cases the full time This study examines these two possibilities , questioning the effectiveness and meaning of school quality when connected to them. The framework underlying the test is guided in reflections on the school time and about the school for nine years focused on a socio political perspective Quality education is the cat egory of in depth analysis in itsmultiple possibilities, taking as reference the concept of social quality. The debate over the nine years of primary education is also discussed , from its implementation by the MEC. Considerations we seek to establish possible relationships between the various manifestations of extension of time for school / education and what we refer to as social In Brazil.