An analysis of primary and lower secondary learning outcomes across Brazil’s nearly 6,000 subnational education systems – both state and municipal – shows that, despite wide variation, some systems achieve notably strong results. Yet disaggregating performance by system size reveals a clear pattern: high-performing systems are mostly small or mid-sized, while large systems – spanning multiple administrative layers and requiring complex coordination to ensure policies reach classrooms – struggle to deliver satisfactory learning outcomes.

This brief argues that implementation challenges are a central driver of these underwhelming results. It outlines three key principles, along with research-based recommendations, to help subnational leaders address the implementation barriers in Brazil’s large-scale education systems. 

The recommendations focus on building an 'implementation infrastructure' anchored in four levers – central offices, the middle tier, school principals, and monitoring systems – alongside fostering a problem-solving bureaucratic culture and leveraging strategic partnerships with non-state actors. 

The brief is also available in Portuguese.