Escola Concept

Escola Concept is "Green, Modern, and Engaging"

On May 9th, 2022, our group visited one of the top schools in Sao Paulo, Brazil: Escola Concept. Escola Concept is a school that takes a project-based learning approach to education. They believe that every student needs academic rigor to discover their passions. When we arrived at Escola Concept, our group was greeted kindly and respectfully by the school principals and staff. My group had the opportunity to tour the school led by the early education principal. There, we had the chance to see children engaging in classroom discussions and playing in beautiful environmental spaces. Each space that we entered was colorful, full of life, and carefully organized. As we entered different grade level classrooms, I noticed mainly English writing on the walls. When I pointed this out to the principal, she said that Escola Concept was a school that focused on 70% English and 30% Portuguese. As I was hearing this, I began to question if different schools in Brazil also had this policy or if it was just Escola Concept.

Another thing that I noticed as I was entering the classrooms was that teachers looked like they truly loved their job and attended to every child's needs. I wondered if it was because they had all the resources possible to be a great educator. I thought back to teachers working in the United States and thought about how they are constantly working under pressure with standardized testing and low support. I wondered if these teachers had all the resources possible, would they be happier with their jobs. At the end of our tour, student panelists talked to our group about their experiences at Escola Concept. They described their learning as "colorful and thoughtful learning." I enjoyed hearing about these children's experiences as they seemed very happy with the way their school is organized.

At Escola Concept with our Brazilian university student partners