Pathways to High-Quality Adult Education: An Analysis of the La Verneda-Sant Martí Adult School

• Grant number: 24/14164-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Education - Educational Administration
• Principal Investigator: José Marcelino de Rezende Pinto
• Grantee: Bárbara Fernanda de Freitas
• Supervisor: Laura Ruiz-Eugenio
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/06535-5 - In search of adequate financing for Youth and Adult Education (YAE): a study of conditions and cost per student in two Integrated Centers of Youth and Adult Education in São Paulo, BP.MS

Abstract

There is a consensus among researchers that the right to Youth and Adult Education (YAE) in Brazil is still neglected. Throughout the history of educational policy, this modality has held a marginal position, repeatedly reflected in insufficient financial support. Consequently, the format that comes closest to high-quality YAE is the dedicated centers for this modality. In Brazil, the Integrated Centers for Youth and Adult Education (CIEJAs), public facilities managed by the São Paulo municipal government, are the focus of our master's research study. On the international stage, the work developed by the La Verneda-Sant Martí Adult School in Barcelona, Spain, is notable, particularly as Spain shares similarities with Brazil regarding the undervaluation of YAE. The literature allows for relevant comparisons between these institutions, both in terms of potential and challenges, and suggests that the experience of the La Verneda School could offer insights for the CIEJA model, especially regarding participation mechanisms from a democratic management perspective. This project aims to expand the scope of the ongoing research to better understand the La Verneda School and its management and funding structure, with the goal of establishing potential dialogues with the CIEJAs. To this end, a multidisciplinary field research will be conducted, based on participant observation, document and data analysis, and interviews, with the expectation of integrating into the empirical reality being studied.