A few years ago, the Parque dos Sonhos State School suffered from a number of problems that, unfortunately, are recurrent in Brazilian public education. Located in Cubatão, on the coast of São Paulo, it had a high dropout rate, poor infrastructure and little engagement from students and even teachers.
But the good news is that the situation is now very different! After a great deal of effort on the part of the teaching staff and students, the institution has turned things around and is currently in the running for the title of best school in the world by the World’s Best School Prizes.
Voting is open to the public, so you can help Parque dos Sonhos State School bring home this award! Check out the school’s story below and find out how you can help it win first place.
From Nightmares to Dreams: how a São Paulo state school became a world reference
Until 2016, the institution was in such a complicated situation that it earned the nickname “Nightmare Park”. The place, which is in a vulnerable area of Cubatão, suffered from thefts of equipment such as computers, violence and low student engagement.
However, that same year, teacher Régis Marques Ribeiro took over as head teacher and fought to change the environment. Together, teachers and students worked to make Parque dos Sonhos live up to its name, transforming it into a welcoming space that encourages students’ development.
Teachers, for example, are encouraged to create their own projects in addition to the compulsory curriculum. Thus, students can take extracurricular classes in volleyball, theater, dance and even figure skating. The latter has even earned Cubatão international awards: 12-year-old student Rafael Henrique Santos started the sport at school and went on to become a two-time Brazilian champion, as well as a world runner-up.
Another difference is the “School goes to your home” project, in which teachers visit students’ homes. All of these changes have earned Parque dos Sonhos the respect of parents and the outside community in general, and increased student enrollment exponentially. Enrollment alone, for example, has increased by 500%!
Help Parque dos Sonhos become a champion!
Parque dos Sonhos State School is one of the ten nominees for the Best School award in the Overcoming Adversity category. You can vote on the World’s Best School website, just follow the steps below:
- Find the “select a category” filter;
- Select “overcoming adversity”;
- Click on “load more” at the bottom of the page and then search for Escola Estadual Parque dos Sonhos (the photo shows a peace symbol made by the students);
- Select the “read more” button and scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find the option to vote.
You need to fill in some details such as your name, email address and country of origin and choose “vote”. The page will send you an email asking you to confirm your vote, just validate it and you’re done!
