FULL-TIME SCHOOL: NEW TIMES, NEW SPACES, AND NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR LEARNING

Abstract

The extension of the school day occupies a relevant place in Brazilian educational policies, especially considering the need to promote equity, diversify educational experiences, and ensure broader learning opportunities. However, students’ extended presence at school does not, by itself, guarantee comprehensive education, since this perspective requires changes in curriculum organization, educational spaces, pedagogical relationships, and forms of student participation. This chapter aims to analyze the possibilities and challenges of full-time schooling, considering the reorganization of time, spaces, and educational practices, as well as students’ experiences and the inequalities involved in the implementation of these policies. Methodologically, the study is based on qualitative bibliographic research with an analytical and interpretative approach, supported by authors who discuss comprehensive education and by three selected academic studies: Santos (2024), Lopes (2024), and Girotto, Jorge, and Oliveira (2022). The analysis indicates that an extended school day may promote curriculum integration, social interaction, closer monitoring of learning, and access to cultural, scientific, sporting, and technological experiences. On the other hand, it reveals challenges related to school infrastructure, teacher education and professional recognition, student participation, and the unequal distribution of educational opportunities. It is concluded that full-time schooling embraces a comprehensive educational perspective only when the extension of the school day is accompanied by pedagogical intentionality, collective participation, and a commitment to educational equity.