20 de October de 2026
On September 16, Beatriz Cardoso, strategic advisor and founder of Labedu, was inducted as the holder of Seat No. 38 of the São Paulo Academy of Education, in a ceremony held at the Monteiro Lobato Children’s and Youth Library, in São Paulo.
The choice of the Monteiro Lobato Children’s and Youth Library, which will turn 90 in 2026 and was born from cultural initiatives led by Mário de Andrade, reflects Beatriz’s view of education as a process that takes place both inside and outside school. In her speech, she highlighted the role of children’s literature in children’s development.
Valuing pedagogical knowledge, ongoing teacher development, and learning as the structuring axis of educational transformation guided her induction speech. Recalling her journey—from early childhood education to the University of São Paulo and more than a decade leading Labedu—Beatriz reaffirmed her conviction that every child can learn.
Beatriz also paid tribute to her predecessor in the Seat, Jair Militão da Silva, recalling his defense of public education, democratic governance, and teacher education.
In introducing the new academic, Hubert Alquéres, president of the Academy, placed her arrival at a time of institutional renewal, as the Academy has also recently welcomed Maria Inês Fini, Ricardo Terra, and José Vicente—different trajectories that broaden the Academy’s ability to look at Brazilian education. “An Academy needs to preserve its memory, but it also needs to interpret the present and formulate the questions of the future,” he said. For him, Beatriz brings central questions to the field: how children learn, what opportunities are offered to them, how to bring education, health, social assistance, culture, and family closer together, and how to ensure that the conditions into which a child is born do not determine how far they can go.
Read the full text of Beatriz Cardoso’s induction speech.