MEDIA CENTER INNOVATING WITH DISTANCE LEARNING IN AMAZONAS, BRAZIL

Priscila Cruz, Flavia Goulart, Christina Kwauk, and Jenny Perlman Robinson MEDIA CENTER Sincere gratitude and appreciation to Priyanka Varma, research assistant, who has been instrumental INNOVATING WITH in the production of the Media Center case study. DISTANCE LEARNING We are also thankful to a wide-range of colleagues who generously shared their knowledge and feedback on the Media Center case study, including: Marcelo Peréz Alfaro, Former Secretary of IN AMAZONAS, BRAZIL Education Gedeão Amorim, Marcelo Campbell Fonseca, Ives Morales, José Augusto de Melo Neto, Secretary of Education Rossieli Soares da Silva, Joice Toyota, Emiliana Vegas, Augusta Ximenes, the team at the Amazonas State Secretariat of Education, the Media Center teachers, and Filipe from Tres Unidos, along with his classmates and community members.

Lastly, we would like to extend a special thank you to the following: our copy-editors, Alfred Imhoff and Merrell Tuck-Primdahl, our designer, blossoming.it, and our colleagues, Kathryn Norris and Jennifer Tyre.

The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit organization devoted to independent research and policy solutions. Its mission is to conduct high-quality, independent research and, based on that research, to provide innovative, practical recommendations for policymakers and the public. The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s) and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars.

Support for this publication and research effort was generously provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and The MasterCard Foundation. The authors also wish to acknowledge the broader programmatic support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the LEGO Foundation, and the Government of Norway.

Brookings recognizes that the value it provides is in its absolute commitment to quality, independence, and impact. Activities supported by its donors reflect this commitment, and the analysis and recommendations are not determined or influenced by any donation. Priscila Cruz, Flavia Goulart, Christina Kwauk, and Jenny Perlman Robinson 4 Media Center: Innovating with distance learning in Amazonas, Brazil Distance learningprogram for difficult-to-reach populationsalongtheAmazon River FOCUS OFINTERVENTION: Amazonas, Brazil LOCATION: Amazonas, Brazil Secondary EDUCATION LEVEL: at aglance Media Center scale upthemodel. improve Internet toschoolswillprovide connectivity increased infrastructure tofurther seven other states with poorand/or difficult-to-reach populations. Nationwide to efforts youth andadulteducation.TheMedia Center learningmodel hasbeenreplicated in Media Center beyond thehighschoollevel ledtotheinclusionof middleschooland decreased by almost half between and 2011. 2008 High schoolprogression rates increased 16percent between 2007 and 2011; dropouts now abletoaccesspostprimary Progression learningopportunities. anddropoutrates — Access to—Approximately education 23percent of students enrolled outsideManaus are IMPACT: tutoring teachers since2007. Indirect reach—1,300 schoolsin6,000 communities,teachers, 60lecturing and2,200 school students enrolled outsideManaus) and300,000 students since2007. Direct reach—50,000 students in 2015 (or approximately 23 percent of secondary SIZE: international organizations, includingtheInter-American Development Bank. Financing provided by theAmazonas government by andlatersupported loansfrom Annual budgetof $14million,excluding student transportationandequipment upgrades. COST: Brazilian nationalexamination Index Score, anational-level measure, andtheExame National doEnsino Médio, a Literacy, numeracy, andsciencemastery, asindicatedby theEducation Development OFLEARNINGMEASURED: TYPE a blockschedule. is alignedwiththenationalcurriculumbutadaptedtolocalcontext andtaught on students payattention andprovide assistance withdifficultpartsoftheclasswork,which develop theirown lessonplans—within state guidelines—and thetutoringteacherhelps generalist teachers” “tutoring on-site, oneperclassroom. Thestudio teacherare free to Teachers have two roles: As specializedteachers” “lecturing locatedinthestudio, andas lectures from the teacher in the studio, but their interventions are streamed as well. the Media Center’s modelisitsbidirectionalinteractivity, where students notonlyview located throughout theAmazon’s riverside communities. Thecornerstone innovation of in Manaus, Amazonas’ capitalcity, toup1,000 classrooms, with5to25students each, technology tobroadcast lessonslive viasatellitetelevision from aMedia Center studio access between Amazonas’ urbanandrural areas. It usesmultipoint videoconferencing developed, formal secondaryschoolmodelseekingto address thedisparity ineducation The Amazonas Government’s Media Center initiative (2007–present) isalocally INTERVENTION OVERVIEW: Expansion—Demand to expand the

5 6 Media Center: Innovating with distance learning in Amazonas, Brazil grade 11. two students intheircommunity attending Filipe and another villagerwere the only of 78 families. peoplehasonly20 In 2015, along anAmazonian waterway. His village thousands of smallcommunities located Filipe isateenagerliving inoneof the Background geographical features have meant and the Amazon River Basin rain forest’s extensive distances between communities, the state’s populationdistribution, the landscapes difficulttonavigate. Together, making transportationroutes andriver of rivers varies, dependingontheseason, realistic form of transportation, the level and limited. Though boats are themost by roads. Airtransportation isexpensive municipalities are tothecapital connected even Only weeks, by 6 of boat. the 62 Manaus ismeasured indays, sometimes Traveling tothesecommunities from 6,100 riverside andinlandcommunities. of thepopulationisscattered across is covered by jungle. About21percent timesthesizeabout 4.5 of Germany, Amazonas. Most of thestate, whichis to accesspostprimary educationin challenges confronted anyone trying broadcasting in 2007, daunting Before theMedia Center began miles away inManaus. teacher intheMedia Center, hundreds of to receive live-streamed lessons from a in theevenings inamunicipal classroom riverside communities, gathered together used tocommute by boatfrom other villager, alongwith19otherstudents who altogether. Instead, heandhisfellow (the capitalof Amazonas); orstop studying reaching highschool:move toManaus have beenfaced withtwo options upon 1 Adecadeago, thepairwould circumstances inAmazonas tofollow such and 50,000 other students under similar So, whathasmade it possible for Filipe of grade 8students nationwide. math, compared with about 15 percent students in Amazonas were proficient in assessment), about8percent of grade 8 national language and mathematics according Prova tothe2009 Brasil (a nationally. In learningachievement, school, comparedpercent with50 of 19-year-olds have completed high 63 percent nationally; only36percent elementary education, compared with olds inAmazonas have completed over-age. percent 50 of In 16-year- fact, students enrolled inAmazonas were 69 percent nationally; halfof those still at39 percent—compared with enrollment rate inAmazonas was officials, thesecondaryschoolnet had beenobserved by Media Center improvements inaccesstoeducation rates. In 2010, afew years after and progression, andalsohighdropout low levels of completion, enrollment, These factors have leftAmazonas with remote communities. of convincing teachers tomove tosuch prohibitive—not tomention thedifficulties mathematics orsciencewould becost high schoolteachers such insubjects as exist, hiring,training, andposting qualified justify openingaschool.If aschooldid have sofew students thatthey cannot In many cases,communities like Filipe’s logistical and infrastructural challenges. costs, hasinevitably presented many school-age population,withinreasonable delivering education to the state’s entire these observations, SEDUCofficials experience withtechnology. Basedon to replace teachers andtheclassroom distance learningmodelsthreatened them viatelevision. In addition,traditional passively andwatch teachers lecturing education. Students were expected tosit and lacked thehuman components of existing modelswere toostandardized of themfrom takingoff. For instance, thatwould preventshortcomings any saw thatMEC’s existing modelshad called Proformar, since2002. But they teacher-training program of theirown, Internet-based distance learning had beenimplementing asuccessful that distance learningmadesense—they challenges, SEDUCofficials recognized the state’s infrastructure andlogistical scale across of otherparts Brazil. Given some that had been implemented at distance learningprograms, including Amazonas inexisting toparticipate da Educação, MEC)hadalready invited Brazil’s Ministry of Education (Ministério a newideain Brazil. In theearly 2000s, emerged, distance learning was far from When the Media Center idea first Innovating distance learning (Secretaria deEstado deEducação do Amazonas StateSecretariat of Education by agroup of publicservants from the several bold decisions initiated in 2004 Others would point totheoutcomeof be fulfilled by allBrazilian states 2016.by right of allBrazilians andanobligationto thatmadehighschooleducationa 2009 say itwas thechangespassedinto lawin offered by theirpredecessors? Some would have more thanthetwo educationalchoices a different2015 educationalpathin andto forest’s sparsely populatedareas. to deliver educationtotheAmazon rain employs distance learningtechnologies Media Center, aneducationmodelthat SEDUC officials setoutto develop the particular innovationparticular alonewould not possible tothetraditional classroom, this would have asclose anexperience as helped ensure thatAmazonas students Although bidirectional interactivity never before offered inother states. This innovation indistance learningwas than 1,000 classrooms across the state. Manaus studios andstudents inmore teachersbetween “lecturing” inthe allowing for bidirectional interactivity into theMedia Center learningmodel, multipoint videoconferencing technology them, SEDUCdeveloped andintegrated these learningprocesses, notreplace that technologyshouldhelpmediate in lessonsreal-time. Basedonabelief converse withteachers, andparticipate from distant communities tointeract, a modelthatwould allow students obstacles, SEDUCofficials envisioned technology toeliminategeographic Aware of the potential of education their own localmodelfrom scratch. offerings andinstead optedtodevelop decided nottoacceptany of theexisting completing their basic education, their options for accessinghighschool,and students’ schoolachievement, increasing take on the challenges of improving rural urban andrural students. Determined to the inequalitygapbetween Amazonas’ Amazonas, SEDUC)concernedwith 2 these these 7 8 Media Center: Innovating with distance learning in Amazonas, Brazil content intheirshared area of expertise. teacher toresearch anddevelop novel specialist whopairs with anotherlecturing In teacherisa thismodel,thelecturing in-person intheclassroom. learning process students andsupports teacher,”the “tutoring who facilitates the remotely from theManaus studio; and teacher,”“lecturing whogives thelecture and complementary teacherfigures: the the Media Center deployed two different Media Center learningmodel.Specifically, adapted roles for teachers underthe officials designedandimplemented new Instead, SEDUCandMedia Center already inthesystem. skills andcontent knowledge of teachers training new teachers and “upgrading” the long-term strategies inrecruiting and the state’s scarce resources away from Center couldhave beenseenasdiverting to develop andimplement theMedia unions. For instance, resources allocated ignoring issues germanetoteachers’ for addressingand teachershortages viewed theMedia Center asastrategy of distance learning could easily have in Amazonas meant that proponents 9, 2015). However, teachershortages April Silva, interview by Flavia Goulart, and their students” (Rossieli Soares da classroom interaction between teachers to be“a substitution perfect tothefull the Media Center was never imagined of education, Rossieli Soares da Silva, According totheAmazonas Secretary classrooms alsoneededtobecountered. of teachers in technology-mediated and teachers’ unions regarding the role and negative perceptions heldby teachers have guaranteed success. Theanxieties national curriculum, Although content isaligned withthe 4 lecturing teachers lecturing 3

students. During classroomand activities for theeducationaldevelopment of they areany specific subject, responsible do notneedtohave deepknowledge of responsible for the primary teaching and before eachclass.Althoughthey are not the day’s learningmaterials andactivities technology, havingpreviewed andcontent, plays akey students, role inconnecting teacher assignedperclassroom, thetutor level teachingdegree. With onetutoring generalist, despitehavingagraduate- Center learningmodelismore of a The tutoringteacherintheMedia April9,Goulart, 2015). (Media Center teacher, interview by Flavia we transfer knowledge to our students” opened many newpossibilities in theways in theregular classroom: world The virtual made thingsmore (notless) concrete than use of technologytomediatelearninghas “Contrary the towhatmany would think, challenging. In thewords of oneteacher, forest would have beenotherwisevery in remote regions of theAmazon rain bringing such technologytorural students considering how thecosts andlogistics of teachers intheMedia Center, especially pedagogical feature for lecturing resources areimportant aparticularly teachers’ live presentations. Thesein-class visual resources thatcomplement lecturing or acongressional session, orother audio- videoclips ofshort alarge street protest abstract conceptsinto real life examples, tohelptranslateanimations andcartoons final product may include, for example, class content into The digital format. works with theteachers tohelpconvert and approves andthen thecontent, Media Center’s pedagogicalstaff reviews unique for thatspecific dayandclass.The and localize content sothatlessonsare are given thelatitudetobecreative to curricular content such as physics, candidates, providing students withaccess SEDUC tomaximize itspoolof teacher context. Additionally, themodel enables were unprecedented inBrazil’s educational These two complementary teacherroles severe thelackof teachers. the community, remote thelocation,or level across thestate, despitehow small employ more teachers atthehighschool enablingthemto one teacherpersubject, one teacherperclassroom rather than and theMedia Center are abletodeploy tutoring teachers are generalists, SEDUC experience. Furthermore, because create theconditionsfor afullclassroom the Media Center learning modelto Thus, the tutor’s role is critical for enabling more detailedexplanations asneeded. teacherforlecturing or specific support do notunderstand content and askthe interactions, they whenstudents identify Center classrooms were installed in in theircommunities. Since most Media requesting Media Center classrooms two, municipalities across thestate began 242 communities ingrade 10. By year enrolled about10,000 students across In its first year,2007, theprogram Media Center andSEDUCofficials. been the main metrics of success for the numbers anddemandfor expansion have by theendof 2016—growing enrollment evaluation are expected tobereleased yet—the results of acomprehensive impact been rigorously monitored orpublished performance andoverall have impact not Because detailedmetricsonacademic Impact andevidence of success physics teacheravailable. even if their community does not have a the teachingprofession inBrazilian society. teacher” status, increasing theprestige of time, they have beenelevated to“celebrity from astudio tohundreds of students ata Also, after broadcasting their lectures live teachers are replaced withnewteachers. Every year, 10percent of low-performing and theircareers are more competitive. although they alsowork more hours— salaries are higherthanregular teachers— they donotalready holdthesetitles.Their degrees (master’s or doctorate level), if are allencouraged towork onadvanced doing so. For example, teachers lecturing are alsorewarded andrecognized for improve theirclassesandtoinnovate; they teachersdo lecturing feel challengedto knowledge andspecializations. Not only them to continuously advance their own how it values teachers by encouraging Center also regularly demonstrates schools, SEDUCenrollment figures for municipal-run elementary and middle nearly 700,000 students instate- and existed for middle school students. With soon realized thatabottleneckalso education, thesecretary of education After tacklingthedemandfor highschool students peryear. 8,000 students pergrade, or24,000 program enrollment stabilized atabout 2014, theMedia Center’s highschool simple andscalableprocess. In about the Media Center broadcasts isrelatively new classroomsschools, soconnecting to centers, there was noneedtobuildnew existing municipal schoolsorcommunity 5 TheMedia 9 10 Media Center: Innovating with distance learning in Amazonas, Brazil students across 6,000 communities 2015, there were more than50,000 and anadditionalfour EJA grades. In classes for thethree highschoolgrades the evening, allseven studios broadcast school content for grades sixtonine. In studios remotely broadcast middle in-person middleschoolclasses,four center classrooms finishrunning regular when municipal schoolfacilities hosting are runningatcapacity. In theafternoons, Today, theMedia Center’s seven studios adult learners spacetostudy separately. in 2012 to allow high school students and de jovens orEJA) eadultos, transmissions young adultandeducation(ensino to dosonow. Thecenter beganoffering school intheirteenageyears andwanted toaccesshigh not hadtheopportunity family members. They themselves had started attendinglessonswithyounger communities, parents andgrandparents transmissions beganin2007, inmany population. Once highschoolcenter’s Amazonas’ adultandyoung adult alsoemergedopportunities among Demand for Media Center learning school classgraduated in2012. (grades 6to9).Thecenter’s first middle programming tomiddleschoolstudents the Media Center begantransmitting better prepared for highschool,in2009, master theminimum content andbe dropout rates. In aneffort tohelp students of gettingtoschool,were leadingto high with poverty andthephysical challenges of academic preparedness, combined transition to highschool,their low levels middle schoolstudents notmakingthe were enrolled in high school. Not only were 2012 indicatedthatonly 166,000 students the future (Magalhães 2015). scalingupin will nodoubtallow further cables across theAmazon River system, more than8,000 kilometers of fiberoptic four years andanotherprojectlaying antennas tonewcenter classrooms in new including aproject supplying 300 improve Internet toschools, connectivity in the Amazon region. National efforts to poor and/or difficult-to-reach populations adapted by sixotherBrazilian states with The Media Center modelhasbeen between and2011. 2008 in dropout rates by almost percent 50 to 83percent in2011, andinthereduction rates inthestate from 67 percent in2007 increase insecondaryschoolprogression alternative reflectedin the optionisfurther 2015). Theimplicationsof havingsuch an April9,Silva, interview by Flavia Goulart, is thebest alternative (Rossieli Soares da would have stopped studying, the center something,” meaningthatfor children who it canbeacomplement where there is everything where there isnothing,and Soares daSilva, Media “the Center is Amazonas secretary of education,Rossieli River Basinrain forest. According tothe ofas well as toinlandparts theAmazon from theircommunities alongtherivers with accesstopostprimary education provided more than300,000 students Since 2007, theMedia Center has teachers. and engaged with over tutoring 2,200 interacted withover teachers, 60lecturing gathered inmore than2,000 classrooms, enrolled outsideManaus). Thesestudents percent of allsecondaryschoolstudents adult educationprograms (roughly 23 enrolled inthecenter’s grades 6to12 and The Media Center islaunched,enrolling about10,000 students inits The Media Center beginstutoringtransmissions for regular schools conceptualize anddesignwhatlaterbecomestheMedia Center. schools inthestate’s nonurban areas. He draws onProformar to The secretary of educationanalyzes performance andaccess inequalities intheStateof Amazonas andmaps demandfor and experimenting withabsent teachersubstitution models. Amazonas beginsnegotiationsfor apartnershipwiththe Inter-American Development Bank(IADB). Timeline of key events grade 10programming. 2004 2007 2013 2011

Media Center tobecompletedby 2016. IADB partnership contract issigned;first impact evaluation of the education). expands itsprogramming to includeEJA (young adultsandadult The Media Center’s first middleschoolclassgraduates; thecenter 2012 in SEDUC. Bain Consulting managerialreforms beginsaproject tosupport center expands programming tothefinal years of middleschool. The Media Center’s first high schoolclassgraduates, andthe The Media Center beginstransmitting tomiddleschoolstudents. 2009 SEDUC approves theMedia Center model. 2006 technology-mediated learning. training program andthestate’s first experience with The Stateof Amazonas launchesProformar, ateacher- 2002 11 12 Media Center: Innovating with distance learning in Amazonas, Brazil efficiency gainsthat could free up were effortswaste toidentify or possible based onstudent performance; there for performance bonuses toteachers incentive plan.Teachers becameeligible first teacher evaluation system and training programs, aswell asAmazonas’ teacher recruiting, on-boarding, and example, thesereforms developed better SEDUC andthestate’s schoolsystem. For processes andoptimize thestructure of (2009–12), helpedtostreamline internal in partnershipwithBainConsulting the Amazonas secretary of education, Second, managerialreforms ledby areas were still notenrolled inschool. students inAmazonas’ difficult-to-reach ofa quarter secondaryschool-age model, especiallybecausenearly theMediasupporting Center learning political impetusfor SEDUCtocontinue secondary educationprovided the universalwell aslegislationsupporting the right tohighschooleducationas states responsible for guaranteeing innovations. First, themandateholding to theMedia Center’s educational a politicalenvironment conducive were vitalincreating andsustaining reforms instituted inAmazonas in2009 New legislationinBrazil andeducational Developing anenablingpolicyenvironment number of students reached by 30 has the model been able to grow the Basin rain forest? Moreover, how populated areas of theAmazon River of students located in the sparsely educational accessfor thousands How didtheMedia Center improve Key drivers behindscaling impact the legislative branch, andalignment (about 80percent), in majority support while enjoying highapproval ratings Braga led the State of Amazonas Media Center’s incubation,Governor Additionally, duringthetimeof the disruption anddiscontinuity. every year, causing considerable occur almosteducation departments in many otherstates, of leadership in uniqueinBrazil,is particularly where, secretary for five years. Thislongevity had beenworking withtheprevious Soares da Silva, took office in 2012, but 11). Thecurrent educationsecretary, oversaw SEDUCfor seven years (2004– the timeof theMedia Center’s rollout education secretary whowas inoffice at leadership withinSEDUC.In addition,the present), allowed for policyand important successor, GovernorOmar Aziz(2010– Eduardo Braga (2003–10) andhis instance, thelongtenures of Governor and continuous politicalleadership. For possible by Amazonas’ relatively stable These positive reforms were made merited expansion. (especially theMedia Center) that funding for newprograms andpolicies and approaches tochange. drivers, organizational characteristics, together of aseriesof key political other halfof thestory liesinthecoming innovations withdistance learning,the success rests onthemodel’s unique percent peryear? Thoughmuch of the lead to perfect outcomesordesiredlead toperfect innovation andexperimentation didnot SEDUC toavoid gettingstuck when informed risks,whichultimatelyenabled lead, SEDUCremained opentotaking learning. Through the secretary’s potential innovative uses for distance and education consultants overlooking likely have resulted in local officials potential toreplace teachers) would distance learningmodels(i.e., its negative attitudestoward traditional entrepreneurial long-standing spirit, Center model.In theabsence of such critical tothedevelopment of theMedia of educationaswell ashisstaff was The open-mindednessof thesecretary circumstances. daunting geography andeducational odds andintheface of thestate’s education delivery modeldespitethe attitude enabledthemtobuildaunique officials’conditions. In short, pioneering innovate inways thatsuited local that did not fit the local context, and rejectsolutionssolutions fell short, they were abletoassesswhere previous federal government. With thismindset, for off-the-shelf solutionsfrom the embracing changerather thanwaiting head on,withstate officials actively education accessandachievement to tackle the problem of inequitable spirit enabledtheStateof Amazonas policy reforms, SEDUC’s entrepreneurial well for as politicalsupport education Along withadministrative continuity as Supporting anentrepreneurial spirit productivity, and coordination across the way for essential planning, finance, Thissmoothed within hisown cabinet. productive. in Amazonas remained stable and SEDUC andtheteachers’ unions the relationshiplate 2000s, between faced extended teacherstrikes inthe Though several otherBrazilian states training, evaluation, and motivation. and streamlining teacherrecruiting, These reforms includedimproving Bain Consulting from to2012. 2009 out by thesecretary of educationand of educationalsystem reforms carried prioritizing teachersof aspart aseries relationship withtheteachers’ unionsby SEDUC leveraged thismore positive to rural Amazonian communities. and partnersindelivering education teachers’ unionsasactivestakeholders began approaching teachers and challenging their model, SEDUC that theteachers’ unionswere not roles. As soon as SEDUC recognized learning process, especiallyteachers’ reconceptualizing theteachingand Center officials tookgreat risksby teacher context, SEDUCandMedia Brazil’s highlyunionized andrigid technology innovations. Given its distance learningandeducational unions were responding favorably to soon begantonoticethattheteachers’ SEDUC andMedia Center officials Center’s impact. sustaining and scaling up the Media and negative feedback was vitalin pivot andlearnfrom bothpositive Thisabilitytoresults attheoutset. to developing theMedia Center. was foundational tothestate’s approach multiple departments—something that 13 14 Media Center: Innovating with distance learning in Amazonas, Brazil Center officials outsourced those state resources, SEDUC andMedia and soft infrastructure. limited Given and divisionof laboracross bothhard model required significant coordination To orchestrate this,theMedia Center relayed tothestudio. students and students’ questions are teachers helptobridgecontent to live into classrooms, where tutoring multiple mediadevices andbroadcast recorded by studio operators across by teachers lecturing inthestudio are learning materialorresources. Lectures into digitalformat orsupplemental animators andpedagogicalspecialists developed daily, thenconverted by classrooms orthestudio. Lessons are are hired, trained, andallocatedto basis. In termsof human capital,teachers communities to classrooms on a revolving transported dailyfrom theirneighboring diesel generators. Students needtobe most communities,runson electricity is neededtooperate allthis,butin and high-speed Power satelliteInternet. screen,TV webcam, microphone, printer, Amazonas isequippedwithacomputer, Every Media Center classroom in Leveraging theprivate sector’s assets to acceptfinancial resources from Brazil’s meant that the state was not in a position Amazonian context. However, thisalso problem of educational access in the that they would fall intacklingthe short by thefederal government, for itwas clear accept distance learningsolutionsoffered MEC, SEDUCofficials were unwilling to For instance, inmany conversations with the state topushforward aloneattimes. An entrepreneurial approach emboldened Center hasstruggled. For instance, with to outsource avitalservice, theMedia Where exists noprivateactor sector damaged equipment for weeks atatime. cases, classrooms canbeoffline due to totheliveconnected stream. In some 5 and15percent of classrooms are not expect thatonany given day, between Mediaconnections. Center officials the rainy season,tounreliable satellite that are submerged by floodsduring or even days of 30 travel, to antennas cannot reach aschoolsoonerthan10 that totechnical support do notwork, are frequent—from Internet linksthat to face logistical challenges.Disruptions approach, theMedia Center continues But even withthissuccessful business-like have thrived. Media Center modelcouldnotpossibly service providers, for example, the the studio operators orthesatellite education delivery problems. Without Amazonas aviablesolutiontothestate’s key tomakingdistance educationin This privateinvolvement sector was providers andleveraging theirassets. tapping key privateservice sector services thatthey couldnotprovide, pursue anindependent path. andfundingfromsupport MECand took considerable courage toturndown resources and budget like Amazonas, it innovate. However, for astate withlimited the spaceinwhichtoexperiment and that ultimatelygranted center officials from thevery beginning—adecision its own resources intheMedia Center the state madethedecisiontoinvest federal government andMEC.As aresult, professor Christensen, Clayton According totheHarvard University Leveraging aperipheral status officials, teachers, andstudents. acclaim amongAmazonas municipal would nothave earnedsuch wide model would have beenweaker and classroom, theMedia Center learning presence of tutoring teachers in each secretary, Soares daSilva, withoutthe unions. Indeed, according tothe key stakeholders such as the teachers’ that would harmrelationships with teacher modelas a single lecturing lacked andrejectedsolutionssuch traditional distance learningmodels such asbidirectionalinteractivity that Center officials developed components 2014). In particular, SEDUCand Media populations across thecountry (Trucano distance learningtoreach school-age conglomerates were already employing state governments, and media was notnewinBrazil; universities, context. Afterall,distance learning Amazonas andtheBrazilian education models inways thatfitthereality of and adjust traditional distance learning adapt, SEDUC) toactivelyseekout, approach was awillingness (shared by was to combineanentrepreneurial A key totheMedia Center’s success Identifying solutions tailored to thelocal context effective way of transporting students or struggled areliable toidentify andcost- and drought—the Media Center has during periods its unpredictable of floods to theshiftingnature of Amazonas’ rivers no transportation provider—largely due chances of success andachieving ahigh innovation anddisruptionhave better force for positive change. SEDUC andtheMedia Center tobea Amazonas context ultimatelyallowed specificities andcircumstances of the critical thinkingtofullyunderstand the Being opentoexperimentation andusing limitations, constraints, and opportunities. Center officials’ diligent attention tolocal distance learningwas SEDUCandMedia What madeitpossible totransform even beasinglestudent every schoolyear. small, like Filipe’s, where there maynot teachers tocommunities sometimesso and allocatinghundreds of subject-specific specialists inManaus, rather thanhiring (or anyusingtwo otherhighschoolsubject) provide lecturesingeography orchemistry broadcast, themodelenabledSEDUCto teacher)(the lecturing at scale via satellite community andthenusingthespecialist generalist (thetutoringteacher) per in each community. By allocatingone of training andplacingupto15teachers andthecost included teachershortages areas of theAmazon rain forest. These state indelivering educationtoremote overcame specificobstacles faced by the Additionally, theMedia Center model scalable component of theprogram. program’s percapitacost) andtheleast the highest cost (about percent 50 of the transportation continuesa result, to be in needof serviceortroubleshooting. As for shuttling technicianstocommunities 15 16 Media Center: Innovating with distance learning in Amazonas, Brazil Starting atscalebutwithalimitedStarting of about10,000 students in2009. evolve withitsfirst graduating class 2009, allowed the Media Center to to grade andgrade 11in2008 12 in grade 10in2007, andthen expanding was criticaltosuccess. Offering only The pacingof thescaling-upprocess Pacing thescaling-up process their established role. a fortunate But, because itpotentially threatened the Media Center modelrepresented, skeptical aboutthekindof solutionthat teachers andteachers unionswere the state’s teachers union.Traditionally, not threatening, especiallyinrelation to experiment withitsmodelwhere itwas also enabledtheMedia Center to Maintaining a peripheral status for innovation. isolation was thus anunexpected catalyst Geographicor needed modification. component was beingpilottested programand criticismwhenacertain experimentation, aswell aslessscrutiny them more room for innovation and being away from thespotlight allowed region ofin thenorthern Brazil. Thatis, advantage of theirperipheral status SEDUC andMedia Center officials took state’s educationdelivery challenges— geographic isolation—thesource of the encumberedthan befurther by its isolated from Brazil’s mainstream. Rather is geographically distant andrelatively to thefact thattheStateof Amazonas entrepreneurialism canbeattributed Horn Indeed, 2008). much of thestate’s status quo(Christensen, Johnson, and without posing adirectthreat tothe ifthey emergeimpact attheperiphery advance. materials totutoring teachers in and sendingmore instructionsand the duration of interactivity windows course corrections, such asreducing which leaders couldquicklymake mid- lessons andfeedback, onthebasisof student provided cohort important Amazonas’ remote areas. technology’s role in delivering education to was equally, ifnot more than, important significant role inthelearningprocess that model demonstrated thatteachers helda the state’s remote areas. Furthermore, the viable way tooffer formal educationto it hadproven thatthere was noother tens of thousandsof rural students, and Media Center lessons had already reached By thetimeteachers unionswere noticed, technology andteachers undertheradar. able toreframe therelationship between in thebeginning,Media Center was By notdrawing attention tothemselves to easethestate’s teachershortage. transformational role hasbeenhelping SEDUC officials thinkthe MediaCenter’s teachers toeven runfor publicoffice. enter the profession, and inspiring some larger society, leadingmore students to outward, improving their status in the within thelearningmodelbegantoripple talented teachers, the status of teachers and itscreative ways of recognizing with thecenter’s higherteachersalaries teachers to“celebrity teachers.” Together for example, thecenter raised thestatus of to hundreds of students across thestate, teachers inAmazonian society. Lecturing innovations was theincreased prestige of by-product of thecenter’s teaching back andforth from their neighboring set up transportation to bring students be incharge of thatclassroom. Third, Second, assignatutoringteacherto for broadcasting andinteractivity. basic steps: First, deploy theequipment replicate andscaleup, requiring three the modelbecamefairly simpleto Center classroom were developed, and logistical features of theMedia Manaus studios, oncethekey design process of creativity andlearninginthe development form acontinuous Although innovation and content classrooms withabsent teachers. archived lessons will be broadcast to schools lackingdesignatedteachers, plus store totransmit tutoringlessonstoregular and young adultprogram. Plans are in include middleschool,followed by anadult high schoollevel, thecenter expanded to offerings as well. Following success atthe year, andithasexpanded itsprogramming up toreach more highschoolstudents every The Media Center hasbeenabletoscale classroom. communities totheMedia Center 17 18 Media Center: Innovating with distance learning in Amazonas, Brazil Lessons learned • • • • • adapted roles for andtutoringwas aboost lecturing for theprofession. distance learningoncethey realized thatthecenter’s adoptionof newand overall. Teachers andteachers’ unionsbecamemore favorably inclinedtoward “celebrity teachers,” withthepossibility of increasing theprestige of teaching compliment to, not replacementfor, teachers.Thishelpedraise thestatus of The Media Center modelof distance learningleveraged technology a as innovations tospecificchallengesandcircumstances uniquetoAmazonas. interactivity and new roles for teachers. This allowed leaders to tailor center innovating key features of thecenter’s learningmodel,such as bidirectional distance key learningmodelsandidentify areas for experimentation, ultimately the teachers’ unionswere abletocast asideprejudices against traditional By reality. try prototypes of uniquesolutionsthatwere more compatiblewiththestate’s that didnotfitthelocalcontext. Beingontheperipheryenabledstate to officials totake from risksanddepart entrenched ideasandnationaltrends isolationconferredGeographic aperipheral status uponthestate, allowing federal andto“pivot” support, whenneeded. service providers intheprivate sector, torely ontheirown resources inlieuof the localcontext. Thisspiritledthemtoidentify, coordinate, andleverage key innovate where previous solutionsfell short—or rejectsolutionsthatdidnot fit actively approach changerather thanwait toadaptexisting solutions,andto SEDUC’s secondary education. would enable theStateof Amazonas tofulfillitsobligationprovide quality support of theMedia Center. Thiswasgiven especiallyimportant thatthecenter contributed to the state’s political prioritization of and The stability of Amazonas’ leadership andaseriesof educationreforms focusing SEDUCofficials, ontheproblem, Media Center personnel, and entrepreneurial spirit enabledofficials tofocus ontheproblem, to commitment to continuous • • officials tofocus ongettingcontent right before moving ontonewdemands. The Media Center’s strategic of pacing thescaling-up process enabledprogram to provide students withafullclassroomexperience. teachers enabledthisdistance themtolecturing and connecting learningmodel tutoring teachers theresponsibility for theeducational development of students lesson plansallowed Media Center content tobetailoredGiving to thecontext. Offering teachers lecturing theflexibility andautonomy todesigntheirown

19 20 Media Center: Innovating with distance learning in Amazonas, Brazil References org/edutech/interactive-educational-television-amazon. Trucano, Michael. 2014. “Interactive Education Television intheAmazon.” EduTech. http://blogs.worldbank. Porvir. Magalhães, João Carlos. 2015. “Cable attheBottomof aRiver BringsInternet toStudents intheAmazon.” Innovation Will ChangetheWay theWorld Learns. New York: McGraw-Hill. W.Christensen, Curtis Clayton, Johnson, andMichael B.Horn. Disrupting 2008. Class:How Disruptive http://porvir.org/en/cable-bottom-river-brings-internet-students-amazon/. Endnotes 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

guidelines developed by theStatetohelpprepare students for thesenationalexams. is tasked specifically with ensuring content developed teachersby lecturing isalignedwithcurriculum administration topursue level acertain of standardized TheMedia content. Center’s pedagogicalstaff While there isnonationalorstate curriculuminBrazil, nationalexams like Prova Brasil force local broadcasting, onlyoneteacherpresents, whiletheotheranswers questions andfacilitates discussion. approaches, and eventually curate higher qualitycontent than if they were working alone. During thelive Lecturing teachers work pairs sothatthey eachother, cansupport explore newresources and Basic educationincludesearlychildhoodeducation,aswell aselementary, middle, andhighschool. the state’s responsibility. vocational tracks. Primary educationistheresponsibility of municipalities, andsecondaryeducationis herein calledhighschool,covers three years of schooling(ages 15to18)andisbroken into regular and ciclo, ensino fundamental 1ociclo, grades 1to5, herein calledelementary school;andensino fundamental 2o Primary educationinBrazil covers nineyears of schooling(ages 6to14)andisdividedinto two cycles: during chats. pedagogical coordinators regarding observations madeduringlecturesandstudent participation and othereffective behaviors infront of thecamera. Pedagogical trainings cover feedback from training inbothtechnicalandpedagogicalskills.Technical trainings cover posture, speech,screenplay, to assesstheirabilitiesinfront of thecamera. Once hired, teachersinongoing lecturing participate lessons. They are through selected two phases: first, a written examination; and second,a studio test dedicate theirtimeexclusively (40 hours perweek) todeveloping curricularcontent anddelivering servants. Lecturing teachers holdadvanced degrees intheareas thatthey teachandare hired to of tutoring teachers hold two year, renewable contracts, and the remaining percent 20 are public Tutoring teachers must have auniversity degree andare chosen through astate exam. Eighty percent grades 6 to 9, herein called middle school. Secondary school, or ensinomédio (grades 10 to 12), 21 1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20036 202 797 6000 www.brookings.edu/universal-education

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