The Faculty of Education (FE) at Unicamp is expanding its work in defense of public, democratic, and socially referenced education with the creation of the Educational Support Laboratory (LabEduc), a structured space for welcoming, providing pedagogical support, and promoting accessibility and inclusion.
This initiative is part of the institutional affirmative action policies consolidated by the University, such as racial quotas, quotas for people with disabilities (PwD), and quotas for transgender people, aligned with federal inclusion legislation and equity guidelines in public higher education. Unicamp is nationally recognized for its admission system with affirmative action and its student retention policies, coordinated by bodies such as the Executive Directorate for Student Support and Retention (DEAPE), the Unicamp Psychological and Psychiatric Support Service (SAPPE), and the Reception Center.
In this context, LabEduc emerges as a strategic space to mediate the applicability of these policies in the daily academic life of the Faculty of Education, in dialogue and partnership with DEAPE, SAPPE, the Welcoming Space, and the Undergraduate Coordination. According to the Laboratory's pedagogical coordinator, educator Laura Carvalho e Silva, the creation of the space responds to concrete demands from the academic community. “Unicamp has made significant progress in affirmative action and historical reparation policies. With this, new challenges arise for these policies to be effectively implemented in daily life. LabEduc emerges to mediate this applicability, welcoming students, monitoring curricular adaptations, and articulating research, training, and outreach in the field of accessibility and diversity,” she explains.
The laboratory will operate through active listening via scheduled appointments during daytime and nighttime hours, analysis of educational needs, institutional referrals, and ongoing pedagogical support. Its responsibilities include:
- Facilitation of curriculum adjustments and homework assignments;
- Collaboration with Deape, the Psychological and Psychiatric Support Service of Unicamp. (SAPPE), Unicamp Community Health Center (Cecom), University Hospital and other strategic bodies;
- Support for the development of accessible teaching materials (Braille, Libras [Brazilian Sign Language], audio description, subtitling, alternative communication, among others);
- Application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles;
- Production of data and records for procedural improvement of inclusive policies;
- Integration with research groups and outreach projects.
The target audience includes students admitted through affirmative action quotas for people with disabilities, racial and transgender individuals, as well as faculty, researchers, and technical-administrative staff of the Faculty of Education.
Student retention as an institutional commitment
Data from the Ministry of Education and the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (INEP) indicate that, after the implementation of the Quota Law (Law No. 12.711/2012), students graduating from public schools increased from approximately 34% to more than 50% of enrollments in federal universities in a decade.
The National Survey of the Socioeconomic Profile of Undergraduate Students at Federal Institutions of Higher Education (National Association of Directors of Higher Education Institutions – ANDIFES and National Forum of Pro-Rectors of Student Affairs – FONAPRACE) shows that more than 70% of students have a per capita family income of up to 1,5 minimum wages, highlighting the increased access for historically marginalized groups. However, national studies and the regulatory framework of the National Student Assistance Plan (PNAES) (Decree No. 7.234/2010) indicate that academic success and retention depend on the existence of institutional structures providing pedagogical and psychosocial support capable of reducing structural and symbolic barriers that impact the educational trajectory.
Unicamp's student retention policy is recognized as a benchmark among Brazilian public universities. Therefore, LabEduc is now integrated into this process, strengthening the flow between welcoming students, curriculum adaptation, and academic support.
Carvalho e Silva further emphasizes that the laboratory's distinguishing feature lies in its proximity to everyday reality. “The laboratory is innovative because it is close to the concrete, to the reality of daily life. It is a space where people can find a listening ear. At the same time, we don't lose sight of our core activity, which is research and outreach. Linking student retention with research and training is an important step towards consolidating more democratic and equitable practices,” he reflects.
Historical insertion in the trajectory of the Faculty of Education
This concept is rooted in the academic and political tradition of the Faculty of Education at Unicamp. Founded in 1972, it is one of the leading national institutions in teacher training, scientific production in educational policies, and the defense of public education. Throughout its history, the Faculty of Education has been a space for fundamental debates on the democratization of access to education, social justice, and human rights.
The creation of LabEduc directly aligns with this institutional trajectory. For the Director of the Faculty of Education, Professor Dr. Débora Jeffrey, the laboratory represents a step forward consistent with the unit's identity. “The Faculty of Education has always been committed to building a democratic and socially referenced public university. LabEduc strengthens this commitment by structuring a permanent space for mediation, monitoring, and knowledge production in accessibility, inclusion, and diversity. It's not just about complying with legislation, but about reaffirming our formative role that contributes to social transformation,” she reiterates.
FE serves students from different courses at Unicamp, who take pedagogical and undergraduate courses in its classrooms, expanding the scope of their practices.
Integration between teaching, research and outreach
One of the central dimensions of LabEduc is the connection between institutional practice and academic production. The laboratory will house research projects applied to inclusion and diversity, as well as strengthen university extension initiatives.
“We want this to be a space built collectively, with trust, transparency, and a common purpose. Dissemination is a challenge in this initial phase, but we count on the participation of the entire community so that the laboratory becomes a reference for mediating inclusive policies at FE,” says Carvalho e Silva.
In the medium and long term, the expectation is that the laboratory will contribute to:
- Reducing dropout rates;
- Extending student retention;
- Improving the training experience;
- Strengthening the feeling of academic belonging;
- Production of knowledge applied to inclusion and diversity in higher education.
University, equity and social transformation
In structuring LabEduc, the Faculty of Education reiterates Unicamp's commitment to equal rights and compliance with current inclusion legislation, such as the Brazilian Inclusion Law (Law No. 13.146/2015) and national affirmative action guidelines.
With LabEduc, the Faculty of Education at Unicamp expands its historical role in defending inclusive and diverse public education, consolidating itself as a space for training, research, and social transformation — now with a center dedicated to systematically caring for the pedagogical and academic trajectory of its community.
