ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses the complexity of the Brazilian educational system. The authors describe the historical development of education policies in Brazil, focusing mainly on federal government initiatives that have, to a certain extent, a national influence on basic education. The chapter delineates the broad contours of Brazilian education policy and considers the Brazilian social context and the historical development of national and subnational education systems in the country. The period outlined spans from the enactment of the 1988 Federal Constitution (CF-1988) to 2020 and focuses mainly on the period from the administration of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995–2002), when national education policies acquired a more systematic structure, to 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the provision of education worldwide.
