Master’s Program

Structure

The program is offered in an in-person format, incorporating hybrid teaching and learning processes with multiple technological resources and in-person meetings. This approach includes a repertoire of interactive activities and classes supported by technology:

1) For synchronous activities: Web conferences, seminars, guided readings, case studies, research guidance on specific themes, and chats. All synchronous classes are recorded and made available to students for on-demand access throughout the course.

2) For asynchronous activities: Discussion forums, audio resources, wikis, podcasts, blogs, animations, videos, images, and texts available online, as well as slides prepared by professors and the Distance Learning team, e-books, web quests, and an online platform (Moodle) for submission and sharing of activities. Asynchronous activities are not counted toward the instructional workload.

The program has a duration of two years, with activities organized on a semester basis. Each semester consists of 16 weeks of distance learning activities (or eight virtual biweekly periods) and three weeks of in-person activities, totaling 60 hours per four-credit course, distributed as follows: 45 hours of synchronous activities and 15 hours of in-person sessions in classrooms and laboratories at the Center for Public Policies and Education Assessment (CAEd) and the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF). One-credit courses have a 15-hour workload, conducted entirely in person.

• In-person activities take place at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) in July and January, totaling approximately three months of full-time in-person participation.

• Distance learning activities are conducted through the Moodle platform, spread over four four-month periods.

Students will have access to core bibliographic materials, which will be provided for reference and study. The program officially starts with an in-person opening session in Juiz de Fora, where course faculty will introduce the program’s objectives, structure, teaching format (in-person and distance), faculty members, coordination team, technological support, and schedule. This initial meeting lasts one week and takes place in July or January, with possible exceptions depending on the selection process timeline. In-person classes and activities occur in January, July, and October, integrated with the distance learning components, and faculty members responsible for each semester’s courses will deliver in-person sessions as part of their scheduled activities. During these in-person periods, students will participate in seminars and workshops led by guest professors and researchers, engage in cultural activities, and conduct research activities with faculty members, fostering the development of communities of education managers and encouraging ongoing exchange and interaction beyond the program’s completion.

To obtain the Master’s Degree, students must complete a total of 50 mandatory credits, pass a modern foreign language proficiency exam, and submit a research article derived from their dissertation to a Qualis A or B-ranked academic journal or present a technical-technological product. They must also successfully complete two key assessments: the qualification exam and the dissertation defense. At the end of the first year, students must pass a qualification exam, which consists of presenting their developing Master’s dissertation project to an assessment panel. This project is structured into three sections: foundational studies, public education reform topics, and a case study analysis on education management. Upon passing the qualification exam, students proceed to complete their Master’s dissertation in the second year and defend it before an assessment panel. Once approved, they must submit the final version of their dissertation within 60 days. After fulfilling all credit requirements, students will be eligible to request the Master’s Degree in Public Education Management and Assessment.

Lines of Research

Educational Models, Instruments, and Measures

Dedicated to:

• The development of statistical models and methods for the production of educational measures, especially proficiency and performance scales relating to knowledge, skills, and abilities in basic education, such as reading and writing, mathematics and science, as well as socio-economic level scales and scales related to the affective and contextual dimensions relevant to the assessment of schooling processes;

• the development of statistical analysis systems for data processing and the production of educational measures;

• the development of items and instruments, tests, and questionnaires built for the observation of the aforementioned dimensions and the production of the corresponding scales;

• data analysis and conducting experiments to interpret and validate the scales and measurements produced.

Management, Assessment, and Reform of Public Education

Dedicated to:

• The design of assessment programs for basic education units and networks aims to produce information on the achievement of educational objectives, school effectiveness, and the efficiency of education systems;

• The study and development of accountability systems for managers, teachers, and students, associated with indicators, goals, and criteria adjusted to the local context and the history of public, regional, and Brazilian education;

• The construction of educational indicators that support school management, decision-making processes, and the formulation of educational policies and programs informs the school community and contributes to the formation of public opinion.

• The study of ongoing educational reform processes in different national contexts, including Brazil, the patterns of change observed, and the results achieved;

• The study of the management practices of schools, networks, and systems of basic education; the role of collegiate bodies and managers in raising the quality of teaching and the implementation of public education reforms;

• the development of management systems for basic education units and networks and systems to support the assessment of teaching in schools, using information technologies, and the design of administrative processes to ensure a learning environment.

Equity, Policies, and Financing of Public Education

Dedicated to:

• the study of unequal educational opportunities, their relation with social stratification, differences of race, gender, and sexual orientation, care for people with special needs, and the development of analytical models and research tools for the regular assessment of the effectiveness of the universal right to education;

• the analysis of public policies aimed at promoting access, permanence, inclusion, and school performance, and the development of research tools and strategies to assess their effects and implementation processes;

• the study of educational legislation, cooperation mechanisms between federated entities, funding structures, and budget redistribution given the imperatives of equity;

• The study of public education budgeting processes in the federated entities, budget management, and the resulting pattern of resource allocation, along with their effects on the achievement of the general objectives of Basic Education;

• a global assessment of the effects of schooling and unequal educational opportunities on the social and economic spheres and a forward-looking study in the face of changes in forms of organization and management, funding, and allocation patterns.

Assessment, Curricula, and Professional Development of Basic Education Managers and Teachers

Dedicated to:

• the construction of matrices of competencies and skills and the development of descriptors, which are used as a reference for the production of tests and other instruments for measuring learning in performance assessment programs in relevant areas of knowledge in Basic Education;

• the alignment of these reference matrices with curricular proposals and initial and continuing training programs for basic education teachers;

• research into current practices and the development of methods and proposals for curriculum management in educational units and networks based on the general objectives of basic education and the pedagogical analysis of the results of assessment programs;

• Research into teaching management practices and developing programs and proposals for the professional development of managers and teachers of basic education working in public education units and networks.