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Thaís Raquel Schwarzberg Milanello, Getulio Vargas Foundation, BrazilAbstract
Full-Time Secondary Education (Ensino Médio Integral – EMI) has been increasingly adopted across Latin America as a strategy to expand learning opportunities and reduce educational inequalities. However, its effectiveness in promoting equity remains contested. This study investigates how state capacities and institutional arrangements influence the implementation of EMI in two Brazilian states - Pernambuco and Goiás - which exhibit above-average equality of educational performance despite remarkably dissimilar policy coverage levels: around 70% for Pernambuco and only 20% for Goiás. Case selection was based on a statistical procedure using 2023 national education data (School Census and IDEB), applying the average variance of academic performance (VARP) and its intersection with within-network socioeconomic variance (NSE). Networks with high NSE and low VARP were considered more equitable, indicating a remarkable ability to mitigate learning disparities. A qualitative comparative case study design was adopted, combining this statistical mapping with document-based policy analysis. Drawing on recent theoretical advances in state capacity studies, we focus on activating technical-administrative and political-relational capacities as explanatory factors for more equitable outcomes. Preliminary findings suggest that time expansion alone is insufficient; instead, coherent governance, bureaucratic coordination, and pedagogical integration are critical to success. By offering insights into how implementation design and institutional capabilities mediate the impact of extended learning time, this study contributes to global debates on education reform, particularly in regions striving to address deep and persistent learning gaps. The Brazilian case offers lessons for Latin American countries considering large-scale adoption of full-time education for post-pandemic recovery and long-term equity.
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