Cadernos Pedagógicos da SME-RJ: uma análise dos materiais do 1º ano do Ensino Fundamental antes e após a criação da Gerência de Relações Étnico-raciais (GERER)

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the didactic material designed for the 1st year of Elementary School, used in the municipal school system of Rio de Janeiro between 2020 and 2021. This time frame was chosen because it marks the creation of the Department of Ethnic-Racial Relations (GERER), a division of theMunicipal Department of Education of Rio de Janeiro, established in 2021 to consolidate public policies promoting racial equity with in the municipal education system. Among its responsibilities, GERER is notably tasked with encouraging the effective implementation of Laws No. 10.639/2003 and No. 11.645/2008, which mandate the teaching of African, Afro-Brazilian, and Indigenous History and Culture in schools.One of GERER’s main objectives is to review teaching materials produced by professionals within the school network, which are widely distributed tomunicipal schools. Considering that schools should be spaces for constructing diverse knowledge and breaking away from the reproduction of Eurocentric standards, this research seeks to understand the impact GERER’s creation has had one ducational materials, particularly regarding the in corporation of an anti-racist perspective. The documentary analysis of the didactic material was guided by the National Curriculum Guidelines for the Education of Ethnic-Racial Relations, to assess how well the proposed content and approaches align with the principles established in that document. The study also considered the perspectives of teachers in the school network, gathered through a questionnaire that captured their views on theuse of these materials in everyday school life, allowing for a broader understanding of the effectiveness of the proposals. The research further explores the foundations of decoloniality, viewing it as a key theoretical and practical tool for rethinking Brazilian education and overcoming the power structures that sustain racism. Additionally, it traces the history of textbooks in Brazil, highlighting historical disputes over the construction of school curricula and the control of knowledge deemed legitimate. Asan out come of the research, the educational product “Revisiting Knowledge: Analysis and Rewriting of Textbooks Exercises’ with an Anti-Racist Lens” was created. This workshop aims to raise awareness and train educators to identify and revise content that may reinforce racial stereotypes or prejudices, especially in assessments and text books. Beyond critique, the workshop encourages the collective development of pedagogical questions that value ethnic-racial diversity, promote the recognition of Black and Indigenous history and culture, and serve as tools to confront structural racism within the school environment.