Abstract
This chapter situates the problematique of relationships between reformist state policies in education, social change and the role of social movements. It focuses exclusively on the local or municipal levels, which have become central to the process of political democratization in Brazil and other South American societies. The chapter examines the basic premises and rationale of state formation and development that guided Sao Paulo Freire's work as Secretary of Education. Particular emphasis is placed on the relationships between social movements and state policies in the educational process. The overall program of educational reform advanced by Freire's administration rests on the concept of Popular Public Schooling. Further, Popular Public Schooling is a concept that links education and hegemony in Brazil. The central characteristic of Popular Public Schooling is education as the practice of freedom, in Sao Paulo the curriculum reform became a centerpiece of the Secretariat's strategy for creating an emancipatory educational paradigm and practice.