ABSTRACT
During the populist period (1930–1964), the Brazilian State became permeable to certain popular demands as part of electoral obligations stemming from a system of political representation. The post-1964 period, however, was characterized by increasing separation between state and society which hindered further educational development. In 1549 the Jesuits—from the Catholic religious order known as Company of Jesus founded by Inacio de Loyola in 1534—landed in Brazil and stayed until 1759. They led the country’s education using the methods and content of the Ratio Studiorum, inspired in the scholastic. The 1988 Brazilian Constitution establishes that education is a right to all, and an obligation of the State and the family. It aims at the whole development of the individual and his/her preparation for citizenship and work. The Union, the states, the federal district, and the municipalities are responsible for the organization of their respective educational systems in a regime of “collaboration”.
