Brief Considerations on Educational Directives and Public Policies in Brazil Regarding Mathematics Education

Abstract

Taking into consideration the historical context, this chapter considers Brazilian public policies related to mathematics teaching as they are embedded in broader educational policies, while also reflecting on how Brazil has been influenced—more in the past than the present—by foreign models. For a brief overview, we turn first to the curricular directives and the changes they have undergone. This discussion will reveal how education policies in Brazil have suffered from a lack of continuity of programs aimed at developing, implementing, and monitoring these policies, as well as regional inequalities in a country where income inequalities are huge and the cultural diversity is immense. Finally, in general terms, we discuss some points of convergence and divergence between mathematics education research in Brazil, its application within schools, and its effect on the public policies that shape the Brazilian educational system.