Student participation in the education policy debate in Brazil has a long history, albeit focused mainly at the university level. In secondary schools (students aged 14−17) participation has been much more patchy and with variable results. The grêmio associations (similar to student councils in the UK) are the main pathway to student voice within schools and the main link to the principal. However, evidence of their efficacy in dealing with issues of democratic participation is very much dependent upon the efficiency of the dialogue between senior management team and the students themselves.
McCowanT. (2010) ‘School democratization in prefigurative form: two Brazilian experiences’. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 5(21): 21−41.
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MendesF. B. (2011) ‘Um gremio estudantil mais politizado. Formas de engajamento e construcao identitaria em um gremio estudantil’. Unpublished Masters’ Dissertation. PUC-RS, Porto Alegre.
8.
MouraM. R. L. (2010) ‘O Grêmio estudantil na gestão da escola democrática: Protagonismo e resiliência ou despolitização das práticas formativas?’Revista de Ciencias da Educação, Year XII, 23: 273−92.
