How simple steps led to a big leap for Brazil’s schools

There may not be a simple secret to improving public schools but, if there is a formula, then the Brazilian city of Sobral might lay claim to it.
Located in the historically poorer north-east of the country, the municipality of 210,000 residents once had middling learning outcomes. An assessment of third-grade students (aged eight) there two decades ago found that two out of five could not read a simple word.
By Michael Pooler via Financial Times