History curriculum in the reform of Rio de Janeiro Municipal Department of Education

Abstract

This article presents two studies on the changes in the history curriculum of the municipal education system of Rio de Janeiro, which were undertaken by Rio de Janeiro Municipal Department of Education from 2009 to 2013. In an attempt to improve the quality of teaching, the Education Department launched a reform in the curriculum and the assessment system of municipal schools, which included the creation of Orientações curriculares (Curriculum guidelines) and Cadernos pedagógicos (Pedagogical notebooks) in the case of the history discipline. The first study was conducted in the context of the making of Cadernos pedagógicos and based on the work of teachers involved in it. The second study investigated the changes made in the curriculum policy by history teachers who work in classrooms in the municipal system. The goal of this article is to establish a dialogue between the studies, since both used the cycle of policies (BOWE; BALL; GOLD, 1992) as their main theoretical-methodological framework. Considering the complexity of the spheres of the policy, we found that, as the curriculum reform circulated in the contexts studied, it was not simply received and incorporated, but modified by the subjects involved, who produced meanings which differ from the original text of the policy.