A gestão em escolas indígenas no município de Dourados-MS: a gestão democrática em contexto diferenciado

Abstract

This dissertation is part of the Research Line on Education Policies and Management of the Graduate Program in Education at the Federal University of Grande Dourados (PPGEdu/FAED/UFGD) and is linked to a broader research project that analyzes school management in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The study aims to examine how management practices are developed in Indigenous schools located in the municipality of Dourados, adopting a qualitative methodological approach that includes both documentary and field research. The investigation focuses on understanding the specificities of school management within the Dourados Indigenous Reserve (RID), whose schools serve a population of over 13,000 inhabitants and encompass three distinct Indigenous peoples: Guarani, Kaiowá, and Terena. These cultural specificities significantly influence the organization of school practices and educational processes. The research is grounded in legal and normative frameworks that guide Indigenous education in Brazil, including the Federal Constitution of 1988, the National Curricular Guidelines for Indigenous Schools (RCNEI, 1996), and the CNE/CEB Opinion No. 3/1999, which recognize the right to a differentiated, bilingual, and intercultural education. The dissertation is structured in four sections: the introduction; a conceptual discussion on school management; the characterization of the research setting; and the presentation and analysis of field data. The results reveal the coexistence of democratic and managerial elements in school management, evidencing the tensions and challenges involved in the implementation of educational policies that aim to guarantee the autonomy and specificities of Indigenous education. The findings indicate that the autonomy proposed by democratic management has not been fully realized in practice, largely due to structural constraints imposed by the municipal education system.