Focusing on the ‘Sustainable schools’ strategy, a programme launched in 2006 by the former United Kingdom government, this thesis examines the relationship between sustainable development and schools. It analyses how the abstract and contested concept of sustainable development (Scott & Gough 2003), is translated into education practices in state-funded primary schools in England and Portugal. The collection of data in two different countries is explained by the fact that it was in England that the ‘Sustainable schools’ policy was developed. Portugal was selected due to a requirement from my Portuguese sponsor, providing a valuable opportunity to explore the role of the context in the development of education for sustainable development (ESD) in primary schools. Taking a sociological approach, this study explores the practices of education for sustainable development and the factors that shape those practices. It looks at the way schools make choices, what they prioritise, and what the key elements influencing the development of ESD are. ‘What does one want ESD for?’; this is the underlying question behind the research, and so practices are contrasted with motivations, interests, agendas and expected outcomes. There is no single definition of ESD, given the complexity involved, and so to accept the importance of the concept of sustainability for education is to accept something that constitutes a problem (Corcoran & Wals 2004). Sustainability itself is a normative ethical principle, not a scientific concept as such, and since it has both necessary and desirable characteristics, there is no single model of a sustainable society (Robinson 2001). By providing robust data on how schools interpret, organise, decide, and implement ESD, my research contributes to the discussion of the role of schools in the transition to a ‘fairer and greener’ world. Literature claims, policy ideas and school practices are compared and contrasted with the aim of ‘demystify’ ESD and question the intentions, the expectations and the projected ESD outcomes The key research question of this study aims to identify the limitations of ESD in the shift to a ‘greener and fairer’ world. In order to do that, this thesis researched three other sub-questions: a) how is sustainability translated into practice in state-funded primary schools? b) how important is the promotion of ESD in primary schools’ agendas? and c) how was the ‘Sustainable schools’ project designed to prepare pupils for current and future environmental and social challenges. On the search for answers, several dilemmas were identified: of teaching about sustainable development versus practising it; of promoting critical thinking versus promoting specific knowledge, values and behaviours; of accepting the sustainable development concept or challenging it; of reducing the school’s environmental impact or developing the curriculum. These must all be faced by those dealing with ESD. Using a mixed methods approach, I explored these particular issues by researching five state-funded primary schools in England, some of which considered exemplary of the best practice of ESD. The case-studies research was followed by an online questionnaire sent to selected schools in England and Portugal. The questionnaire was used mainly to develop further the understanding of the results gathered with the case studies, providing a more robust image of ESD practices and its context. My research concludes that schools value ESD and tend to deal with its complexity by dividing the main ideas within the concept of sustainable development, into specific themes and activities, such as recycling, turning off lights or growing vegetables. The development of the school’s grounds, the investment in eco-features, and the activity-based projects are the most common practices found in the different schools. In this sense, there is a significant degree of standardisation in the projects developed, combined with a diverseness of specificities explained by the context, or the way the diverse factors, such as the location, the size, and the resources of the school, are used and combined. The limitations of ESD in the shift to a ‘greener and fairer’ world are plentiful, related to schools’ internal and external constraints, revealing the need to adjust expectations and resources to the projects developed by schools.

Born from the constant questionings that arise from school practices regarding the teaching of History, the present research revolves around the study of the instructions that are given to the teachers by the Ministry of Culture and Education of Brazil (MEC in Portuguese). Therefore, a reflection is sought, when it comes to the possibilities and limitations of putting into practice in public schools an educational proposal that favors the student as a producer of knowledge by means of critiquing historical documents. For that, a dialogue is thought of to be established about the latest changes in school practices and public policies (notably through the use of the Curricular National Parameters P.C.N. in Portuguese), in addition to an attentive look towards evolution, also in the historical research. By means of this study, it is considered that the indication made *through the use of the Curricular National Parameters lead to a teaching proposal which privileges the analysis and criticism of traces from the past (in its most variable discursive manifestations) as well as bringing closer together the institution and the historical research itself. Meanwhile, the practices of the public school History teachers are taken into account, by means of questionnaires that are given, with the purpose of evidencing that which, in fact is being done inside the middle school classrooms in the city of Rio Grande. From the analysis of the results that these questionnaires provide, it s possible to note that, despite the fact the Parameters (P.C.N.) proposal has not been mentioned by the teachers-collaborators, historical sources are continually utilized as didactic and methodological resources in the classes rendered by the great majority of them. At last, the data gathering is done through a trial proposal in a ninth-grade class in Mate Amargo Municipal School (Rio Grande/RS). Such proposal is organized based on MEC s parameterization given to the elementary 4th cycle school teachers. The student s concept about sources and historical knowledge, as well as the school practices referent to the proposal, lead to an analysis in the concluding part of this research. / Nascida dos constantes questionamentos das práticas escolares referentes ao ensino da História, a presente pesquisa volta-se ao estudo da orientação dada aos professores pelo Ministério de Educação (MEC) brasileiro. Busca-se, então, uma reflexão acerca dos limites e possibilidades de se colocar em prática nas escolas públicas uma proposta de ensino que privilegie o estudante como produtor do conhecimento através da crítica ao documento histórico. Para tanto, pensou-se em estabelecer um diálogo sobre as recentes mudanças nas práticas escolares e políticas públicas notadamente através dos Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais além de um atento olhar para a evolução, também, na pesquisa histórica. Por meio deste estudo, considerou-se que a indicação feita pelos PCN conduz a uma proposta de ensino que privilegia a análise e crítica de vestígios do passado em suas mais variadas manifestações discursivas , bem como a consequente aproximação entre a escola e a pesquisa histórica. Nesse ínterim, são consideradas as práticas dos professores de História da rede pública através de questionários aplicados na intenção de evidenciar aquilo que, de fato, está sendo feito nas salas de aula do Ensino Fundamental no município do Rio Grande. Dentre o saldo da análise dos questionários, é possível perceber que, mesmo sem que a proposta dos Parâmetros tenha sido mencionada pelos professores-colaboradores, as fontes históricas são recorrentemente utilizadas como recursos didático-metodológicos das aulas ministradas pela maioria desses. Por fim, a coleta dos dados foi feita através de uma proposta de experimentação em uma turma de 9º ano da Escola Municipal Mate Amargo (Rio Grande/RS). Tal proposta foi organizada com base na parametrização dada pelo MEC aos professores do 4º ciclo do Ensino Fundamental. As concepções dos estudantes sobre fontes e conhecimento histórico, bem como as práticas escolares referentes à proposta, conduziram a análise na parte final desta pesquisa.