Evaluating the impacts of the Brazilian model for military public schools

This article evaluates the impact of the militarization of public schools in the state of Goiás, Brazil, on student performance in standardized tests and age-grade distortion. Using data from the School Census and Prova Brasil between 2007 and 2020 and adopting a difference-in-differences approach with multiple periods (event study), the results indicate that militarization led to a reduction in age-grade distortion and an increase in math, Portuguese, and the Basic Education Development Index (IDEB) scores. The research also examines the impact of militarization on variables related to school violence, revealing a significant decrease in threats to professionals, robberies, and the presence of alcohol, drugs, and weapons among students. This analysis of transmission channels offers insights into how militarization contributes to improving the school environment and academic performance. Robustness analyses, including propensity score matching and the "Honest DiD" method, confirm the significance of the results, even in scenarios where the parallel trends assumption is violated. The results contribute to the debate on educational policies and the expansion of the civic-military school model in the country, providing a valuable benchmark for similar programs across Brazil. However, further research is needed to assess long-term impacts and other relevant dimensions, such as the development of socio-emotional skills and civic education.