Compulsory secondary education: variations in the academic regimes

In little more than a decade, the definition of compulsory education produced deep transformations and redefinitions in the structure of the middle school in Argentina. In this context, several education policies have made significant efforts to include all the adolescents and young people in this level. This paper presents some results of a research on two initiatives in Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area: Escuelas de Reingreso (Re-ingress Schools, Buenos Aires City) and Escuelas Secundarias Basicas (Secondary Basic Schools, Buenos Aires Province). The analysis deepens in the way of concretion of the academic regimes in these institutions. Three components of the academic regime will be reviewed: school attendance, assessment for qualification and promotion, and convivence or discipline. Besides, two aspects of the institutional work on the academic regime will be analyzed: the processes by which it is explained to students, and the accompaniment/formation they receive to manage within the school rules.