A trajetória do IDEB no Rio Grande do Norte: uma análise do desenvolvimento da educação no estado de 2007 a 2023

Abstract

The Basic Education Development Index (IDEB) was officially created in 2007 (Brazil, 2007) as an essential tool to assess and promote the quality of education in Brazilian schools. Thus, this study analyzes the trajectory of this index in the state of Rio Grande do Norte between 2007 and 2023, with an emphasis on the early years of elementary education. The research, with a quantitative and explanatory approach, aimed to: investigate the evolution of educational indicators in the state, identify factors that influence these results, and verify the existence of correlations between school infrastructure and IDEB performance. For this purpose, data on IDEB results by municipality in Rio Grande do Norte were collected and processed through computational algorithms developed in the Python programming language. Statistical analyses included measures of central tendency, standard deviation, boxplots, and Spearman’s correlation. The results reveal a general upward trend in Rio Grande do Norte’s IDEB throughout the analyzed period. Regional disparities were also observed, with municipalities such as Acari and Cruzeta achieving exceptional performances, while other locations remained below average. A positive correlation was confirmed between the quality of school infrastructure and IDEB, especially regarding elements such as accessibility, libraries, laboratories, and specialized educational service rooms. The findings reinforce the importance of public policies aimed at educational equity and the need for strategic investments to promote structural and pedagogical improvements in schools across Rio Grande do Norte.