We review research on the history of education policy in colonial sub-Saharan Africa and among the African Diaspora in the United States and Brazil through a political economy lens. While the supply of education was severely constricted in all of these cases, demand for education remained strong. Thus, even as authoritarian states have attempted…

This article discusses new philanthropy participation in public education in the context of the broader transnational policymaking landscape. Drawing on data published by the Lemann Foundation on its official Twitter, now known as X, along with previous research from the authors, this article examines how policy problems are framed for the general…

This article addresses the issue of racial inequality in Brazil, specifically within the education system. We present statistical data highlighting the disparities between White and Black students regarding illiteracy rates, school attendance, and learning outcomes. We argue that traditional economic frameworks have difficulty incorporating racial…

This article offers findings from a qualitative case-based research study examining the ways educators in central Brazil made sense of diversity, and the extent to which they believed recent policies promoting ethnocultural diversity are being realized in K-12 contexts. The research team also examined the degree to which these educators felt that…

This article analyzes the transfer and 15-year policy trajectory of Colombia's "global best practice" "Escuela Nueva in Brazil." This program, initially transferred to Brazil in 1997 with the help of the World Bank, was largely unknown for the first decade of its life span. Then, between 2008 and 2011, "after" the…

Resumption of democratic politics in Brazil has had mixed consequences for basic education. Although the "Education for All" program aims to improve access to basic education for poor children, politically powerful groups oppose reallocation of resources at their expense and ensure that educational reform remains rhetoric. Contains 85…

Examines educational policy formation in Sao Paulo, 1989-92, under the leadership of Paulo Freire. Explores theoretical and policy controversies surrounding the diminishing role of the state in Latin America, the impact of social movements on educational policymaking, and the limits and possibilities of democratic-socialist perspectives in…

Examines school reform implemented by Paulo Freire and the Workers' Party in Sao Paulo during 1989-92. Focuses on various institutional mechanisms created to support teachers' efforts to learn the skills necessary for realization of reform objectives. Appendices list reform objectives and outline phases and activities in a teacher-directed…