Child education and educational policies: from the past to the present in search of the future

Abstract

The objective of this article is to present a brief historical explanation of education in Brazil and discuss the policies that govern Childhood Education from 1988 with the promulgation of the Federal Constitution until the ratification of LDB 12.796 on April 4, 2013, which altered the LDB/1996, and presented some challenges such as access, permanence and teacher training, among others, that society faces to acquire the right to formal education. The methodology used primary documents and laws that support national education and specific literature on early childhood education and educational policies in Brazil. In this study, we conclude that there is still a gap between practice and what is disposed in law. The issue of access was verified as one of the major challenges for the amendment of Law 12796, since approximately 56% of the Brazilian children of age to attend the first stage of formal education are still out of the school environment. To overcome this weakness it is necessary to have an educational system that continually applies these polices to achieve and complete the daily educational objectives in schools.