The objective of this article is to discuss the ambitions of the management of education in relation to human work and some of the initiatives which, in the field of school education, aim to govern and evaluate it. This is a theoretical study which benefits from the contributions of studies in education and the disciplines which have work as an object of study, especially the contributions of the ergonomics of activity. We shall start from a concrete situation, the case of Sao Paulo state education system, reflecting on the transit of management tools from the private to the public sector and on the effectiveness of such tools. We will also examine the contradictions and limits of these management tools - which are also the contradictions and limits of management itself - given the complexity of human work. We will conclude with a brief summary of the issues covered, pointing to the need to bring work, its conditions and contents to the center of discussion.
work; education management; assessment of work; ergonomics; ergology
