Is there democratic school management in Brazil?

The present study aims to reflect on the potential and challenges of democratic school management in municipal education networks. To this end we conducted a case study in the Mesquita/RJ network located in the Baixada Fluminense region. This area has historically been marked by obstacles to the construction of democratic mechanisms due to political patronage and patrimonialism. Thus a series of questions permeated our reflection: Is there democratic school management in Brazil? Is the case of Mesquita an exception to the democratic environment in the political landscape of the Baixada? What are the mechanisms for building democratic school management in Brazil?