Abstract:
This dissertation is being developed within the Graduate Program in Education at UNIMAIS, linked to the “Public Policies and Education Management” research line. The study critically analyzes the training policies for literacy teachers within the scope of the AlfaMais Goiás Program, examining how its guidelines, assessment instruments, and training actions impact the literacy process in the early years of Elementary Education. The research is qualitative, documentary, and bibliographic in nature, based on the analysis of state legislation, pedagogical guidelines, structured teaching materials, institutional reports, and academic productions published between 2015 and 2025, complemented by an in-depth theoretical examination of literacy and educational policies. It is understood that public literacy policies structured under a strong influence of accountability mechanisms and performance metrics tend to reorganize teachers’ work, pedagogical time, and the literacy concepts adopted in schools, consistent with Ball’s (2014) analyses on performativity and Ravitch’s (2011) on result-oriented reforms. The general objective was to analyze the training policies instituted by the program, discussing their foundations and effects on pedagogical practice. Specific objectives included identifying neoliberal and managerial elements in official documents, engaging with theoretical references on literacy — especially the contributions of Soares (1998, 2003), Ferreiro and Teberosky (1985), Tfouni (2010), and Kleiman (1995) — and analyzing the training approaches offered by the program. Results indicate that AlfaMais Goiás operates under a predominantly prescriptive logic, marked by curricular standardization, the centrality of performance indicators, and intensive use of structured materials, consistent with Freire’s (1996) critiques of control practices that limit teacher autonomy. Assessment instruments, particularly the SEALF and the Fluency Assessment, assume a regulatory function that goes beyond diagnosis, guiding planning, training routines, and resource allocation. It was also observed that the cascade training model, associated with pedagogical tutors, reinforces methodological fidelity and reduces spaces for critical reflection and teacher authorship, an aspect also problematized by Libâneo (2011). Despite these limitations, possibilities were identified for teachers to critically appropriate the training by reinterpreting guidelines and adapting materials to school realities. It is concluded that strengthening literacy requires policies that value teacher autonomy, ensure adequate structural conditions, and promote continuous training that articulates theory and practice in a contextualized manner.