The relationship between family, school, and external evaluation policies: definitions and perspectives of Brazilian educational policy (1988–2026)

Abstract

This article examines the provisions of Brazilian educational legislation concerning the relationship between families, schools, and accountability policies in basic education, with the aim of understanding the perspective underlying the educational project currently being consolidated, which is based on the redefinition of the State’s responsibilities and the implementation of a managerial model. The study is grounded in the understanding that the growing prominence of large-scale external assessment policies in Brazilian education, following the establishment of the All for Education Commitment Goals Plan (Plano de Metas Compromisso Todos pela Educação) and the creation of the Basic Education Development Index (IDEB) in 2007, intensified the implementation of educational accountability mechanisms, assigning families the role of following and monitoring educational performance. Methodologically, the research is based on a review of the academic literature and an analysis of federal education policy, theoretically grounded in historical-dialectical materialism. The findings indicate that Brazilian legislation recognizes the relevance of the relationship between families and schools, although it lacks clearly established mechanisms for its effective implementation. Furthermore, the study demonstrates an expansion of guidelines concerning family responsibility for monitoring school performance within external assessment systems, particularly following the approval of the new National Education Plan (PNE) 2026–2036. Finally, it argues that the educational policy currently underway in Brazil reinforces a managerial model of governance based on shared responsibility, targets, and results, thereby moving away from strengthening family participation from the perspective of building democratic school management.