Turning the goals set forth in the National Education Plan (PNE) into concrete actions depends on the ability of school systems to assess their needs, set priorities, and monitor the results of the policies implemented, according to experts who spoke during a panel at the Bett Nordeste Conference.

“The biggest challenge facing all school districts is their institutional capacity to implement everything necessary to achieve the goals set forth in the PNE, ” says Leonardo Pascoal, Porto Alegre’s municipal secretary of education and president of CONSEC .

According to Pascoal, the differences between the networks must also be taken into account when implementing policies. Larger networks—especially those in state capitals and large cities—tend to have greater capacity to carry out the planned actions, while smaller municipalities may rely more on technical support from other entities.

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Diagnosis Sets Priorities

Before determining which actions should be implemented, managers need to assess the status of each network in relation to the goals set out in the Plan. In Pascoal’s view, this assessment is the starting point for determining where to focus efforts.

“Each school district will face a different reality; some will be in a worse situation in terms of access, for example, or student retention, while others will face challenges related to students’ learning levels or proficiency,” he explains.

Based on this survey, management can identify which areas are in greatest need of intervention and where there are opportunities to achieve results more quickly. The idea, according to the secretary, is not to wait until the plan’s term expires to assess its effects.

Leonardo Pascoal explained the challenges of the new PNE during a panel discussion at the Bett Nordeste Conference. Photo: Bett Brasil.

Anderson Passos, president of Undime Bahia, also points to the assessment as a starting point for planning actions. In his view, it is necessary to understand the network’s current situation before determining where it aims to go.

“For the PNE’s goals to have a real impact on student learning, the planning of these actions must be monitored and evaluated throughout the entire process. This monitoring makes it possible to identify, as the program is implemented, which strategies are working and which need to be modified,” says Passos.

Community Participation in Education Policy

For Marcelo Dantas, general manager of Innovation in Education in Recife, the implementation of the new National Education Plan (PNE) also requires the participation of civil society and the school community in shaping educational policies. According to him, one of the challenges lies in bringing together different stakeholders around a common educational agenda.

“The new National Education Plan is very bold, but it does, in fact, require municipalities to involve organized civil society and the school community itself in this collaborative process,” he says.

Marcelo Dantas emphasized the importance of civil society in shaping education policies. Photo: Bett Brasil.

In Dantas’s view, listening to education professionals and representatives of civil society can help identify needs and expectations related to education. “I think getting everyone on board with this same agenda might be very challenging, but I think it’s a great opportunity,” he says.

Data supports decision-making

The setting of priorities can also be guided by data from educational assessments. Dantas points out that the available information helps administrators identify needs and shape policies.

The general manager of Educational Innovation in Recife adds that the data must be considered alongside feedback from those directly involved in the educational process. In his view, students, teachers, and other professionals in the field have expectations that should also be incorporated into the planning process.

“Creating these spaces for dialogue and listening is very important for developing sound public policies,” he says.

The combination of diagnosis, evidence, team training, implementation capacity, and community participation thus emerges as one of the key elements for ensuring that the goals established in the PNE are accompanied by concrete actions within the education systems.

This content is based on the presentations by Leonardo Pascoal, Anderson Passos, and Marcelo Dantas at the Bett Nordeste 2026 Conference.

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