Education and equity: the case of the Fénix Project for the promotion of academic achievement

One of the primary missions of the school is to provide quality education to all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status, of the educational level of their parents or of their particular conditions and needs, thus contributing to greater equity. However, not all students are able to learn at the same pace and under the same conditions as the majority. The development of projects and actions dealing with academic failure and dropout is essential. In this context, in 2008, the Fénix Project (included in the Mais Sucesso Escolar Program) was created in the Portuguese educational setting, trying to promote equal conditions for success, contributing to an increasingly equitable school. The Fénix project is based on an organizational school model that facilitates more individualized support to students with learning difficulties in the subjects of Portuguese Language, Mathematics, or other subject identified by the school according to their success rates. This article presents a case study implemented in a school cluster in the District of Setúbal that sought, through the implementation of the Fénix Project, to develop actions aimed at promoting school success among students from the four classes of the 5th grade. Three objectives were defined to respond to the research problem, respectively: i) to know the articulation, differentiation and curricular management practices of teachers involved in the Project; ii) to analyse the perceptions of students and teachers involved in the Project about its implementation and impact; and iii) to analyse the evolution of the academic results of the students participating in the Project. In order to achieve the proposed objectives, a mixed research methodology was used: the application of a questionnaire survey to all students (166) and teachers (15) involved in the project, and a documental analysis of the academic results of the students involved in the project. Statistical analysis and content analysis were the selected data analysis techniques. The main conclusions of the study point out that the Fénix Project was an asset, both for the majority of students involved, who considered that the Project contributed to their academic achievement (positive evolution of academic results), and for teachers, who reported having introduced curricular differentiation practices. A conclusion expected in the course of a project of this nature, especially in terms of students’ assessment.