Call for submissions to the thematic dossier: ON THE “NEW” SECONDARY EDUCATION (LAW No. 13,415/2017) FROM “NEW” SECONDARY EDUCATION (LAW No. 14,945/2024): EDUCATIONAL POLICIES, CURRICULAR RECONFIGURATIONS, AND SPACES OF CONTENTION IN BRAZILIAN PUBLIC EDUCATION

Brazil’s New High School Curriculum was established following the enactment of Law No. 13,415/2017, marking one of the most profound transformations in the organization of basic education in recent decades. Implemented amid intense political, economic, and social changes, this reform introduced structural changes to the curriculum framework, the organization of course hours, and the pedagogical organization of secondary education, notably including the extension of the school day, the reorganization of general basic education, and the creation of so-called educational pathways (Santos; Silva; Rocha, 2020; Jacomini et al., 2024).

The New Secondary Education initiative sparked extensive debates in the educational field, mobilizing researchers, teachers, administrators, scientific entities, and social movements around its implications for public schools, teaching work, and the education of Brazilian youth. Several studies have highlighted tensions related to curricular fragmentation, inequalities between school networks and educational systems, difficulties in implementation within schools, and the growing presence of private actors in the definition and implementation of educational policies (Silva; Scheibe, 2017; Jacomini et al., 2024; Krawczyk; Jacomini, 2025).

In the face of criticism from the academic community and various sectors of society, the 2017 New High School system underwent yet another process of change, resulting in the enactment of Law No. 14,945/2024, known as the “Newest High School” system. This new legislation introduces changes to the curricular organization of Brazilian high school education, redefining general basic education and specialized tracks, as well as placing greater emphasis on academic subjects. Due to these changes, some recent studies and analyses have referred to this new configuration as a “brand-new” high school system, indicating both continuity and a reconfiguration of the reforms initiated in the previous decade (Duarte & Silva, 2024; Krawczyk & Jacomini, 2025; Silva & Scheibe, 2017).

In this context, Brazilian secondary education has become a prime arena for political, curricular, and pedagogical disputes, where different educational projects, conceptions of youth development, and institutional interests clash. Recent reforms highlight tensions between perspectives that advocate for holistic human development and proposals oriented toward curricular flexibility, adapting education to the demands of the labor market, and expanding the participation of private actors in educational governance (Duarte & Silva, 2024).

This thematic dossier aims to bring together studies and reflections that critically analyze Brazilian high school reforms during the period between the enactment of Law No. 13,415/2017 and the approval of Law No. 14,945/2024. We seek contributions that investigate the curricular, institutional, and pedagogical transformations resulting from these reforms, as well as the different processes of formulation, regulation, and implementation of educational policies focused on secondary education.

We welcome submissions from different fields of knowledge and theoretical-methodological perspectives that contribute to understanding the dynamics of the new Brazilian secondary education system, considering both theoretical analyses and empirical studies conducted in different educational contexts.

The dossier seeks to foster national and international dialogues, as well as comparative perspectives on recent transformations in secondary education among Brazilian states or between Brazil and other countries. In this regard, studies that establish analytical comparisons between different educational systems are especially welcome, contributing to a broader understanding of the global, national, and regional dynamics that influence curriculum reforms and the processes of reorganizing secondary education.

Unpublished articles presenting critical analyses of secondary education reform, empirical investigations conducted in schools or school systems, systematic or integrative literature reviews, as well as comparative studies at the national or international level, will also be accepted.

THEMATIC AXES OF THE DOSSIER - Submissions that engage with one or more of the following themes are welcome:

a) Educational reforms and policies for secondary education: analysis of secondary education reforms in Brazil; processes of formulation, regulation, and implementation of secondary education in different contexts; and relationships between the State, the market, and society in the definition of secondary education.

b) Curricular reconfigurations and the organization of secondary education: changes in curricular organization following the 2017 and 2024 reforms; basic general education, educational pathways, and specialized tracks; and interdisciplinarity, curricular flexibility, and the fragmentation of knowledge.

c) Implementation of secondary education in school systems: implementation experiences in state and federal school systems; regional and territorial inequalities; and institutional, pedagogical, and infrastructural challenges.

d) Teaching work and teacher training in the context of reforms: impacts of reforms on teaching work; reorganization of the teaching profession in secondary education; and initial and continuing training for teachers working in secondary education.

e) Youth, schooling, and educational inequalities: perspectives on education and youth development in high school; retention, dropout rates, and educational trajectories; and social, territorial, and educational inequalities in access to and retention in high school.

f) The corporatization of education and educational governance: the role of foundations, institutes, and private organizations in the formulation and implementation of high school reforms; public-private partnerships in the provision and management of programs related to high school; and networks of influence and governance of educational policies focused on high school.

g) Curriculum organization and areas of knowledge in high school: impacts of reforms on the structure of basic general education; reorganization of the teaching of languages, mathematics, natural sciences, and human sciences; articulation between educational pathways and specialized tracks; and pedagogical and curricular experiences in the different areas.

h) Educational inequalities and the right to education in the new high school system: school inclusion in the new high school system; policies on equity and social justice; and cultural, social, and territorial diversity.

i) Comparative perspectives on high school reforms: comparison of educational policies and reforms in different Brazilian states; and high school reform in Brazil compared to other countries.

It is hoped that the articles gathered in this thematic dossier will contribute to broadening the academic debate on recent transformations in Brazilian secondary education and their impacts on public schools, teaching work, and the education of youth.

References:

DUARTE, Rodrigo Gonçalves; SILVA, Dirceu Santos. The reform of the Brazilian New Secondary Education and the advance of neoliberal ideas in educational policies. Cocar Journal, Belém, vol. 21, no. 39, 2024.

JACOMINI, Márcia Aparecida; MOUTINHO JÚNIOR, Isaac Oliveira; ANDRADE, Weverson Marquês de; SOUZA, Ozani Martiniano de. The downside of high school reform in the São Paulo State School System. Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas, v. 32, 2024.

KRAWCZYK, Nora; JACOMINI, Márcia Aparecida. High school: what is at stake in the reform of the reform? Revista Brasileira de Educação, Rio de Janeiro, v. 30, 2025.

SANTOS, Jean Mac Cole Tavares; SILVA, Eliel Moraes da; ROCHA, Simone Maria da. Meanings of quality in secondary education reform: from official discourse to school life. InterMeio, Campo Grande, vol. 26, no. 51-52, pp. 122-139, 2020.

SILVA, Monica Ribeiro da; SCHEIBE, Leda. Secondary education reform: pragmatism and market logic. Retratos da Escola, Brasília, vol. 11, no. 20, pp. 19–31, Jan.–June 2017.

ORGANIZERS OF THE THEMATIC DOSSIER

David Revesado Carballares – University of Salamanca, Spain

Dirceu Santos Silva – Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Eva García Redondo – University of Salamanca, Spain

Francisco José Rebordinos Hernando – University of Salamanca, Spain

Jesica Montenegro – National University of La Plata, Argentina

Meri Cerrato – Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy

Rodrigo Gonçalves Duarte – Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Article submission: by October 30, 2026.

Publication: vol. 14, no. 39, Apr./Jun., 2027.

Editorial guidelines: https://periodicos.ufms.br/index.php/persdia/about/submissions