The conceptions of Integral Education from the first half of the 20th century and the Brazilian school renewal movement.

Abstract

This article analyzes the conceptions of integral education from the first half of the 20th century, seeking to understand them with a focus on the Brazilian school renewal movement of the same period. To this end, a brief overview is made of the groups that adopted this conception, such as the Integralists and the New School proponents. The Manifesto of the Pioneers of New Education (1932) is analyzed, along with some aspects of Anísio Teixeira's thought. Two main currents are identified: the integralist (conservative), aligned with the Brazilian Integralist Action, which advocated a doctrinal education based on discipline and nationalism, without an emphasis on the school day; and the New School (liberal/progressive), based on the Manifesto of the Pioneers of New Education (1932) and the work of Anísio Teixeira, which defended a comprehensive, secular, and public human formation, with the extension of school time as a key element. It is concluded that these conceptions reflected antagonistic societal projects and that the foundations of the New School movement, especially the advocacy for an extended school day, resonate in contemporary integral education policies.