Student Performance Differences In Enem: An Evaluation Of The School’s Integral Program Of The Public Network Of The State Of Pernambuco - Brazil In The Period From 2009 To 2016

Background: In light of Brazil's fiscal constraints and limitations on public investment, it is crucial to evaluate the effectiveness of education policies to ensure the efficient allocation of resources. This study focuses on evaluating the impact of the full-time school policy implemented in the state of Pernambuco on student performance in the National High School Exam (ENEM) between 2009 and 2016. Materials and Methods: We employed Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to address selection bias, allowing for a comparative analysis between full-time school students and their peers in traditional schools. Results: Our findings indicate that students attending full-time schools consistently achieve higher scores in all four ENEM knowledge areas from 2013 onwards. These performance improvements are closely associated with the growing acceptance of ENEM scores as a criterion for university admissions in Brazil, demonstrating the temporal requirements for policy effects to take root. Conclusion: The analysis suggests that full-time education significantly improves students' cognitive abilities, in line with the general improvements in performance observed in public high schools in Pernambuco during the study period. This evidence argues for sustained investment in full-time education programs as a viable strategy for advancing educational outcomes in a fiscally constrained environment