Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The Coroa Vermelha Indigenous State School in Santa Cruz Cabrália, Bahia, fosters knowledge by blending Pataxó ancestral traditions, scientific inquiry, and sustainability. Activities include forest walks with Indigenous Elders and lessons on medicinal plants and cassava cultivation.
This approach led to the school's selection as one of five Brazilian institutions participating in Transforming Futures: Enhancing Practice for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for 2030 through Action Research, a UNESCO-coordinated initiative across ten countries.
The project supports educators and institutions within the UNESCO Associated Schools Network in advancing ESD by using new toolkits focused on holistic approaches, pedagogies, sustainability competencies, and outcome assessment.
Instead of imposing predefined models, the initiative recognized and strengthened practices already present in the school, where sustainability, Indigenous identity, and learning are deeply connected.
During participation, community members—including students, teachers, leaders, families, and Indigenous authorities—helped test and adapt the UNESCO toolkits. They documented and enhanced existing initiatives within the Indigenous educational context, providing feedback for improvement.
Through this engagement, the school joined an international network dedicated to building sustainable futures, strengthening educational practices based on ancestral knowledge and sustainable development principles.