Modernity and modernization in Rio Grande do Sul: the expansion of the public school (1889-1930)

Abstract

At the end of the 19th century and during the first decades of the 20th century many social changes took place in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, and among them the problem of the public school deserved considerable attention. With the beginning of the Republic in Brazil the new political rulers supported a political project designed to modernize the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The school as an institution of the State was then introduced into their discourse as a demand of citizenship. In this context, the political project of the Republican positivists of Rio Grande do Sul included the public school in the framework of an educational organization and of a public policy for education which we will discussed in this study. It describes the main orientations adopted by the educational policy which influenced the organization of education. Thus it emphasizes the role of the Sate in the expansion of the public school, pointing out the main characteristics adopted by the educational institution within that historical context.

Key words: Modernity, Modernization, Public School, Rio Grande do Sul.