Call for Civic Action: Developing Healthy Schools

A study published in the Journal of Democracy found that political polarization in Brazil has been on the rise since the early 2000s, with a significant increase in polarization between 2014 and 2018. The study notes that polarization has contributed to the breakdown of democratic norms and institutions in the country, which has led to an increase in social conflict and violence. According to data from the Brazilian Public Security Forum, the number of homicides in Brazil increased by 21% between 2014 and 2018.

The same report showed that Brazil experienced a record number of homicides in 2017, with over 63,000 deaths. It also notes that political polarization and social conflict are contributing factors to the high levels of violence in the country. In addition, a report by the Brazilian Institute of Applied Economic Research found that political polarization is correlated with a higher incidence of hate crimes in Brazil. The report notes that hate crimes against marginalized groups, such as LGBTQ+ individuals and Afro-Brazilian communities, have increased in recent years.

In 2022, Brazil recorded 40,824 homicides — an average of 111 violent deaths per day, according to the Brazilian Report at the Wilson Center. Even though this represents a descending trend since 2017, this is still a very high number. In 2022, one out of every five homicides in the world occurred in Brazil. One out of five.

Studies published in the Journal of Social Psychology and a report by the Citizenship Foundation show that citizenship education can promote positive attitudes towards diversity and improve students' social and emotional skills, including empathy, communication, and teamwork. This can have a direct impact on violence and civic engagement.

However, the 2.2 million educators in Brazil received little to no practical training in college, beginning their careers very unprepared. They struggle to teach the basic curriculum, let alone to teach non curricular themes, such as ethics, civil rights and socialization, which are included in the highschool curriculum of BNCC (Brazil’s National Curriculum Standard) and in some states also required in middle school.

Within this context of almost no practical training, Curiós developed a practical solution that focuses on multiplication. Teachers are trained so they can better educate their students in social-emotional learning and then civic engagement.  More than reading about civic action or discussing it in a classroom, teachers actually engage in structuring a project they can implement within schools, with students from different grades.

The program comprises access to bite-sized content (articles, videos and activities) on our platform, paired with online synchronous training sessions where teachers can learn and practice with their peers. 

The program is structured in 3 modules:

1. Social-Emotional learning: in the first module, teachers have a safe space in the online sessions to discuss and practice social emotional strategies, techniques and online tools that can help in class. We believe teaching about emotions, talking about values and understanding oneself is a necessary step for contributing to a community. After the social-emotional learning module, educators are able to go to the next phase. 

1. Citizenship and Civic Engagement: this is the moment they learn about civic engagement, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and project based learning through exercises and mediated meetings. By using a Canvas model, teachers learn about project management and are then encouraged to collaborate with students to establish their problem of interest, schedule meetings and establish objectives to develop a project with which students can learn in practice about citizenship and responsibility.

1. Project in practice: in the third and final module, teacher and students create a solution for the problem they mapped. Depending on the municipality and their resources, projects receive a small stipend (around 200 dollars each) to be put into practice. 

Curiós’ teacher training methodology is based on a learn-by-doing approach. We train the teachers in practice, offering them the guidelines to replicate the methodology with their students. Our solution leverages technology to create a movement. Our platform offers easy access to our content and other training resources. In our online learning community, teachers are able to interact with other educators throughout Brazil, who have participated in this and all other Curiós training programs. The Call for Civic Action Programs helps teachers create a positive environment through Citizenship Education and engage students in projects that matter to them.

Our solution impacts school leaders, teachers and students directly. In the National Curriculum Standard, highschool (and sometimes middle school) teachers are required to teach a subject called “Life Project”, where they should discuss the student’s planning for the future, including their interests, dreams and goals. Although there are no specific guidelines on how this should be done, our interpretation is that students should understand the role they play in the world and devise strategies to implement change. This is Civic Engagement. However, this isn’t a specialist position and any teacher in the school could be assigned to teach it. Teachers, therefore, have no training to teach this subject, which is the gap our solution intends to solve.

Since we focus on the public system, we are talking about a project that can change the lives of students in low socioeconomic conditions and teachers that usually have to deal with poor infrastructure and low salaries. 

By providing them with robust content on social emotional learning and citizenship, opportunities to share and collaborate with their peers and a wide learning community online, we ensure all participating educators have a good knowledge foundation on these subjects and are able to fulfill the National Standard’s requirements. This will not only help them in teaching this content, but also have positive effects on their general classroom practice and relationship with their students. Students also can experience spillover effects on classroom engagement, relationships with their peers and in learning outcomes.

In the project phase, teachers are able to develop their project management skills, as well as learn how to apply Project Based Learning, which can be useful in other contexts to provide effective and meaningful learning. At the same time, the project phase also helps kids develop a strong citizenship sense, while also developing project execution skills.

Laura, founder and CEO of Curiós, felt the need for better training in practice. She was a teacher in a public school in São Paulo for 4 years and, when confronted with the challenges all teachers face, she knew something had to be done.

That’s the beginning of Curiós, which had its form and methodology developed during Laura’s master’s in Public Administration with focus on Education Policy at Columbia University. Despite the possibility of staying in the US, she came back to Brazil and founded Curiós, eager to change education and the lives of teachers she knew so well.

For this specific project, we counted with the help of a researcher in civic action to develop the specific content and our team made all the necessary adaptations to the Curiós methodology, as well as adjustments of format and language, so educators can better understand and make use of the materials. 

In addition to that, continuous learning and improvement is part of our DNA as a company. We are constantly interviewing our users, understanding their needs and what we can change to make our solutions more effective and suitable for their daily challenges. We are fast in making these changes and we are recognized for it by our users. An example of this attitude happened in the implementation of the Call for Civic Action project in São Paulo. During the pandemic, teachers had to face many extra responsibilities and struggled with using technology. We added a module from a different training program in using digital educational resources to assist them with this difficulty. When other demands due to the pandemic became pressing, we reduced the number of activities in this project (without losing quality), so participants could better manage their deliverables. We strive to make solutions that work and we are constantly looking to tend to participating educators’ needs.

We believe this is why we are the best solution in the market now: we know teachers - we have been one of them! - our content was developed by specialists in the field, using our proven methodology, and we are relentless in offering quality and meaningful solutions to our audience.

We have seen in practice the benefits Solve can offer. By previously participating in LEAP we have no doubts about the credibility and seriousness of the team and the commitment they have in supporting innovation and social impact. 

We understand we are constantly growing, and counting on this support will be a great improvement for this innovation we have only tested once. We see a great market for this product in Brazil, not only because of its relevance, but also because of the growing necessity of dealing in an urgent way with school violence and lack of abilities to work with social emotional learning. Since the beginning of 2023, we have seen at least 5 big attacks addressed to schools, many of them led by students. 

This is an urgent matter and Curiós can help, but with Solve’s support we can achieve much more. We are looking for the visibility Solve can offer, as well as the connection with partners and mentors, in technology, go-to-market strategies and marketing. We want our message and our solution to reach farther and impact more people!

Teachers in Brazil often lack the skills and tools to teach effectively in the classroom. This is the case because the vast majority was trained for theory, not practice. In addition to the lack of practical training, teachers culturally do not share their challenges and successes. This culture of isolation deepens the impacts of the lack of practical training, because they don’t learn together - they don’t know how!

The National Curricular Standards (BNCC) innovated in inserting “Life Project” in the curriculum, but they lacked specific guidelines on the “how” and we see here an opportunity to teach students about Civic Action. Bringing tailored content in Civic Engagement, with an important foundation of Social-Emotional Learning, is also an innovative approach.

When it comes to the Brazilian context, our solution is innovative because:

1. It is focused on practice, offering the tools and pedagogical practices for effective teaching;

2. It creates a community, that not only strengthens the bond between teachers in a same school, but also broadens it with our online community;

3. It combines Civic Engagement with Social-Emotional Learning; and

4. It encourages teachers to implement more innovative pedagogical practices like Active Methodologies by using Project Based Learning.

By combining an effective teacher training methodology with Project Based Learning and relevant content on civic action, we have a complete solution for teachers in Brazil.

With a direct interaction with educators and with our content and activities guide, we make them a multiplier in their classrooms, applying the solution to their students. By following this cycle, we can transform the whole school, getting them invested in the project and learning a methodology that can be used for life!

We believe that this is true innovation. We want more than encouraging teachers with a beautiful speech. We prefer to hear and understand their needs, so we can actually help them. Using technology to make this possible, we feel ready to transform public education in Brazil. It is more than teaching about Civic Action, it’s about actually doing it and transforming their community collectively.

Our solution offers a multi-layer approach, so we expect to have multiple impacts. 

For teachers, in the next year, we expect to have an impact on their pedagogical practices, going beyond the teaching of Civics. Teachers for “Life Project” are usually Language or History teachers and their change in practice can have effects on the main subjects too. Our program empowers teachers with resources to effectively change classroom practices, moving away from “I teach on the blackboard and you copy in your notebook” to a more engaging method, where students lead the learning process.

In addition to that, we expect to have an impact in their understanding of emotions, with our SEL curriculum, which can then lead to a reduction in stress and teacher burnout. Our program offers teachers practical strategies to acknowledge their feelings, biases and emotions, empowering them to do the same with their students. This has a direct impact on teacher motivation, teacher turnover and quality of teaching. In 5 years, we expect teachers in participating municipalities to be more effective and less likely to leave their jobs.

For students, in the next year, we expect them to be more engaged in school, developing a better relationship with their teachers and their peers. By understanding more about themselves, their values and how they can contribute to society, our program empowers students to become active participants in their schooling community. We hope student engagement will have an impact in reducing student dropout rates, which is around 2% in middle school, but can reach up to 30% in highschool. 

In the next few years, we hope students have a higher civic engagement, registering to vote at 16. In Brazil, voting is mandatory from 18, but optional between 16 and 18 years old. By teaching them the importance of civic engagement, we expect them to aspire to put it into practice in their wider community. In five years, we expect improved student achievement in standardized tests, and more students attending college. 

To measure to the impact on teachers, we use a survey that maps, in the beginning and in the end of the project:

• knowledge in social emotional learning

• knowledge in civic engagement

• knowledge in Project Based Learning

• data on relationship with their students (feeling of respect, ability to engage students in the classroom, time spent to begin a lesson, among others)

• use of innovative methodologies

• level of stress and burnout

• teacher absenteeism 

• teacher motivation

For students, we haven’t yet tracked student impact, but we intend to collect data on:

• student achievement in school-based evaluations

• student achievement in national and state standardized tests

• student dropout rates

• civic engagement and voting registration at 16 years old

• college enrolment

Curiós is an easy-to-use solution that empowers educators to become knowledge multipliers in their schools (trainers) or classrooms (teachers). We train the trainers virtually to conduct face-to-face professional development sessions in their schools. We also train teachers virtually in innovative pedagogical practices to be applied in their classrooms. 

We have developed a methodology that fosters school-based collective learning, bringing practical (and effective!) techniques that are as easy to implement as greeting students at the door. 

Our mission is to improve each educator’s potential so that the dream of quality education becomes true. That being said, our theory of change can be resumed as follows:

If Curiós:

• Offers educators training sessions and all materials needed to effectively teach Social Emotional Learning, Project Based Learning and Civic Engagement,

• Provides a space for teacher feedback on the techniques and the opportunity for educators

to share their own experiences, and

• Creates the culture of rapid testing and community-based learning,

Then teachers will be able to:

• Teach about Social Emotional Learning and Civic Engagement more effectively,

• Focus more time on practical projects, applying Project Based Learning, and

• Provide a good learning environment for students.

As a result, students will be able to:

• Learn the content by experiencing it,

• Develop better emotional intelligence as an individual and part of society,

• Increase their overall performance in schoolwork and standardized tests, and

• Become more active citizens able to shape their community.

By the end of the day, we visualize better school environments, lower levels of school violence, teachers feeling more prepared to teach and a more engaged society.

Our solution is powered by a web-based platform that combines a Learning Management System and a Virtual Learning Community.

With our technology, teachers all over Brazil, who currently participate in our solutions or have participated in the past, can connect and exchange experiences. We provide online support the teachers need to use the platform and feel part of this community, where they are able to share challenges and successes in a community focused on practice.

Our online platform will also soon feature a library with content created by our participants. showing the application of the strategies learned. They will be able to upload videos, images, audio notes and documents that can be used as inspiration to other teachers, fostering the community and the idea of collective knowledge. They will also be able to upload videos where they reflect on the applications documented, analyzing what worked and what could be improved next time. The idea is for us to break the silos so common in the teaching community in Brazil, leveraging collective learning, inspiring educators as they also are inspired by their colleagues. 

Our team is engaged to offer a direct contact channel through Whatsapp, the main communication means among teachers in Brazil. They are known for not being so tech savvy, which allows them to gradually transition to using our platform and, after a few weeks, they can feel confident to use it with property. We are also exploring the possibility of integrating the platform with whatsapp completely, where teachers can chat on whatsapp and the answers are automatically uploaded to their workbook on the platform.

We aspire to engage educators around Brazil into a learning community, part of a network to solve problems, share ideas and spread innovation. 

By being mindful of systemic barriers and biases in humans, we strive to develop content for our training that acknowledges differences and intentionally addresses them. Within our team, we strive to create an inclusive and diverse environment, taking actions including, but not limited to, affirmative job postings.

Regarding our public, our primary focus is on Brazilian public school educators, a group that predominantly serves marginalized student populations and includes an estimated 620,000 individuals identifying as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). By providing this public a wide range of strategies for a better practice in schools, we emphasize the importance of considering a good training as a right, not a privilege. 

Additionally, by connecting educators with fellow practitioners who identify the same, Curiós creates safe spaces for them to share and listen to each other's experiences. By increasing the well-being of BIPOC educators, Curiós can contribute to enhancing diversity in the teaching workforce and positively influence the trajectories of students of color.

Curiós is an educator training company focused on the public sector in Brazil. We offer quality training to educators in public school districts, whether municipal or state. The school districts and mayor’s cabinet are our clients and all educators in the district are the beneficiaries. Our business model also includes funding from private companies and foundations who wish to have a positive social impact, whether by mission or to counteract social-environmental negative impacts, through CSR or ESG.

Using an online platform to reach scale and offering synchronous training to ensure quality, we apply our methodology to provide educators content, strategies and resources to change their practice for the better, becoming more effective in what they do. Our solutions support teachers in the classroom, principals and school managers, in-school and municipal-based trainers, as well as the secretary of education themselves. Our solution is needed because most teachers in Brazil were trained for theory, and not practice, and usually struggle to provide a safe and positive learning environment.

The training tracks we offer are wide-ranged, going from short lectures and workshops to a few months-long training programs such as Call for Civic Action to multiple-year programs such as our main training solution.

We have three main sources of revenue:

1. Selling directly to the government

2. Funding from businesses and foundations for specific projects implemented in public school districts

3. Equity free grants from international challenges or government sources in Brazil

Our company has a very lean cost structure and our solution is extremely scalable. We are able to charge prices that are very competitive and yet cover all of our expenses with a fairly significant margin. Our main challenge is the government selling cycle being so long, which is why we took the strategic decision to look for alternative sources of revenue.

We have successfully been funded in all three revenue sources, although with vastly different amounts due to the duration of the programs hired.

1. A municipality in the Northeast (Ipiaú) purchased our School Leadership Track (6 sessions training program) in the amount of R$ 17,800 (~USD 3,500 now)

2. Organizations such as Sebrae, IDIS, Ensina Brasil and Lemann Foundation have funded project ranging from R$ 3,000 (~USD 600) to R$ 540,000 (~USD 108,000)

3. We have received grants from the Lemann Foundation, Imaginable Futures and Jacobs Foundation ranging from USD 5,000 to R$ 120,000 (~USD 25,000)