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This report presents the case of the municipality of Sobral in the state of Ceara, Brazil. This municipality overcame adverse socioeconomic conditions and now has the best primary andlower secondary education system in Brazil. Sobral is home to 200,000 inhabitants and in 2005 was ranked 1,366 in the national index that measures quality of education in Brazil. Twelve years later, it was ranked first among the 5,570 municipalities in both primary and lower secondary education rankings. Public education in Sobral has one goal: every student must complete lower secondary education at the right age and with appropriate learning. The municipality placed education at the top of the political agenda and kept it out of politics. Its prioritized learning by establishing a clear intermediate target, ensuring all students are literate by the end of the second grade. It organized the education policy under four pillars: effective use of student assessment; focused curriculum with a clear learning sequence and prioritization of foundational skills; prepared and motivated teachers; and autonomous and accountable school management with school principals appointed through a meritocratic and technical selection process. The main aspects of the reforms are presented and discussed in this report.

Accepted: 2020-07-17T20:46:11Z DOI: 10.1596/34150